Historical fiction

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Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting located in the past. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for the historical novel, it can also be applied to other types of narrative, including theatre, opera, cinema, and television, as well as video games and graphic novels.



Works of historical fiction are sometimes criticized for lack of authenticity because of readerly criticism or genre expectations for accurate period details. This tension between historical authenticity, or historicity, and fiction frequently becomes a point of comment for readers and popular critics, while scholarly criticism frequently goes beyond this commentary, investigating the genre for its other thematic and critical interests.










History up to 18th century




19th century











20th century








United States



In Italy, the tradition of the historical fiction has flourished also in the contemporary age, and moreover the Nineteenth century has caught the writers’ interest. Southern novelists like Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (The Leopard), Francesco Iovine (Lady Ava), Carlo Alianello (The heritage of the prioress) and, more recently, Andrea Camilleri (The Preston brewer) have retold the events of the Italian Unification, often overturning their traditional image, heroic and progressive. The conservative Riccardo Bacchelli in The devil at the long point and the communist Vasco Pratolini in Metello had described, by two ideologically opposite points of view, the birth of the Italian Socialism. Bacchelli is also the author of The mill on the Po , the powerful, also if a little farraginous, saga of a family of millers, from Napoleon to the First World War, one of the most epic novels of the last century.

In 1980, Umberto Eco achieved international success with The name of the rose , a novel set in an Italian abbey in 1327 and readable both as a historical mystery, as an allegory of the Italy in the “Years of Lead” and as an erudite joke. The Eco’s example, like the one of Manzoni before it, relaunched the interest of Italian public and writers for the genre and many novelists who till then had cultivated the contemporary novel, turned their hand to the stories set in the far centuries. So it was for Fulvio Tomizza (The evil coming from North, about the Reformation), Dacia Maraini (The silent duchess, about the female condition in the Eighteenth century) and Sebastiano Vassalli (The chimera, about the witch hunt). Among the writers emerged in the last years, Ernesto Ferrero ( N ) and Valerio Manfredi (The last legion) worth a mention.




One of the best known Scandinavian historical novels is Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter (1920–1922) set in medieval Norway. For this trilogy Undset was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928. [54] Johannes V. Jensen's trilogy Kongens fald (1900–1901, "The Fall of the King"), set in 16th century Denmark, has been called "the finest historical novel in Danish literature". [55] The epic historical novel series Den lange rejse (1908–1921, "The Long Journey") is generally regarded as Jensen's masterpiece and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1944 partly on the strength of it. [56] The Finnish writer Mika Waltari is known for the historical novel The Egyptian (1945). [57] Faroes–Danish writer William Heinesen wrote several historical novels, most notably Det gode håb (1964, "Fair Hope") set in the Faroe Islands in 17th century. [58]


Latin America

The historical novel was very common in 20th century Latin American literature, including works by writers such as Alejo Carpentier, Augusto Roa Bastos, Carlos Fuentes, Fernando del Paso, Abel Posse, Antonio Benitez Rojo, João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Jorge Ibargüengoitia, Jorge Amado, Homero Aridjis and the Nobel Prize laureates Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Marquez. [60]

21st century

In the first decades of the 21st century an increased interest for historical fiction has been noted. One of the most successful writers of historical novels is Hilary Mantel. Other writers of historical fiction include George Saunders, Shirley Hazzard and Julie Orringer. [61]


Documentary fiction

A 20th-century variant of the historical novel is documentary fiction, which incorporates "not only historical characters and events, but also reports of everyday events" found in contemporary newspapers. [62] Examples of this variant form of historical novel include U.S.A. (1938), and Ragtime (1975) by E.L. Doctorow. [63]

Fictional biographies


Historical mysteries

Historical mysteries or "historical whodunits" are set by their authors in the distant past, with a plot that which involves the solving of a mystery or crime (usually murder). Though works combining these genres have existed since at least the early 1900s, many credit Ellis Peters's Cadfael Chronicles (1977–1994) with popularizing them. These are set between 1137 and 1145 A.D. [65] [66] The increasing popularity of this type of fiction in subsequent decades has created a distinct subgenre recognized by both publishers and libraries. [66] [67] [68] [69]

Historical romance and family sagas


Nautical and pirate fiction


Alternate history and historical fantasy



Historiographic metafiction



Children's historical fiction


Comics and graphic novels


The performing arts

Period drama films and television series



The theatre

History plays

History is one of the three main genres in Western theatre alongside tragedy and comedy, although it originated, in its modern form, thousands of years later than the other primary genres. [73] For this reason, it is often treated as a subset of tragedy. [74] A play in this genre is known as a history play and is based on a historical narrative, often set in the medieval or early modern past. History emerged as a distinct genre from tragedy in Renaissance England. [75] The best known examples of the genre are the history plays written by William Shakespeare, whose plays still serve to define the genre. [76] Shakespeare wrote numerous history plays, some included in the First Folio as histories, and other listed as tragedies, or Roman plays. Among the most famous histories are Richard III , and Henry IV, Part 1 , Henry IV, Part 2 , and Henry V . Other plays that feature historical characters, are the tragedy Macbeth , set in the mid-11th century during the reigns of Duncan I of Scotland and Edward the Confessor, and the Roman plays Coriolanus , Julius Caesar , and Antony and Cleopatra . Another tragedy King Lear , is based on British legend, as is the romanc Cymbeline, King of Britain, which is set in Ancient Britain.

Other playwrights contemporary to Shakespeare, such as Christopher Marlowe, also dramatized historical topics. [76] Marlowe wrote Edward the Second which deals with the deposition of King Edward II by his barons and the Queen, who resent the undue influence the king's favourites have in court and state affairs, and The Massacre at Paris , which dramatizes the events of the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in France in 1572. [77] Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great (1587 or 1588) is a play in two parts, loosely based on the life of the Central Asian emperor, Timur "the lame".








Historical reenactment


Theory and criticism


See also

Related Research Articles

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Historical mystery

The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves the solving of a mystery or crime. Though works combining these genres have existed since at least the early 20th century, many credit Ellis Peters's Cadfael Chronicles (1977–1994) for popularizing what would become known as the historical mystery. The increasing popularity and prevalence of this type of fiction in subsequent decades has spawned a distinct subgenre recognized by the publishing industry and libraries. Publishers Weekly noted in 2010 of the genre, "The past decade has seen an explosion in both quantity and quality. Never before have so many historical mysteries been published, by so many gifted writers, and covering such a wide range of times and places." Editor Keith Kahla concurs, "From a small group of writers with a very specialized audience, the historical mystery has become a critically acclaimed, award-winning genre with a toehold on the New York Times bestseller list."

Russian literature literature from Russia

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Irish prose fiction

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Historical fantasy Genre of fiction

Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as Arthurian, Celtic, or Dark Ages could just as easily be placed in historical fantasy. Stories fitting this classification generally take place prior to the 20th century.

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Victorian literature

Victorian literature refers to English literature during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). English writing from this era reflects the major transformation in most aspects of English life, such as significant scientific, economic, and technological advances to changes in class structures and the role of religion in society. While the Romantic period was a time of abstract expression and inward focus, essayists, poets, and novelists during the Victorian era began to reflect and comment on realities of the day, including criticisms of the dangers of factory work, the plight of the lower class, and the treatment of women and children. Prominent examples include poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and novelists Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy. Barrett's poem entitled "Cry of the Children," published in 1844, focused on the horrific conditions faced by children working in factories. The popularity of the poem served to shed light on important social and political issues of the day, while also furthering the cause of feminism—cementing her standing as a successful and renowned female poet in a male-dominated world. Dickens employed humour and an approachable tone while addressing social problems such as wealth disparity. Hardy used his novels to question religion and social structures.

Historical romance

Historical romance is a broad category of fiction in which the plot takes place in a setting located in the past. Walter Scott helped popularize this genre in the early 19th-century, with works such as Rob Roy and Ivanhoe. Literary fiction historical romances continue to be published, and a notable recent example is Wolf Hall (2009), a multi-award-winning novel by English historical novelist Hilary Mantel. It is also a genre of mass-market fiction, which is related to the broader romantic love genre.

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Fantasy Genre of literature, film, drama, television and other artforms

Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real world myth and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama. From the twentieth century it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga, animated movies and video games.

Novel Narrative text, normally of a substantial length and in the form of prose describing a fictional and sequential story

A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, normally written in prose form, and which is typically published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the Italian: novella for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself from the Latin: novella, a singular noun use of the neuter plural of novellus, diminutive of novus, meaning "new".


Outline of fantasy Overview of and topical guide to fantasy

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fantasy:

Nautical fiction

Nautical fiction, frequently also naval fiction, sea fiction, naval adventure fiction or maritime fiction, is a genre of literature with a setting on or near the sea, that focuses on the human relationship to the sea and sea voyages and highlights nautical culture in these environments. The settings of nautical fiction vary greatly, including merchant ships, liners, naval ships, fishing vessels, life boats, etc., along with sea ports and fishing villages. When describing nautical fiction, scholars most frequently refer to novels, novellas, and short stories, sometimes under the name of sea novels or sea stories. These works are sometimes adapted for the theatre, film and television.


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Works cited

Further reading