exploring genres - historical fiction

Assignment #1: Exploring Genres - Historical Fiction 1

Assignment #1: Exploring Genres – Historical Fiction – High School Level

Amanda J. Boehlert

Syracuse University


Exploring “Historical Fiction”

History and historical fiction are necessarily not the same thing. The purpose of

history is to narrate events as accurately as one can. The purpose of historical

fiction is to enable a reader through the perspective of characters in the story to

feel that she or he is present at the events. Such a goal obviously requires some

modification of the events (Greeley, 2001, p. 333-334).

The place where the novel differs from the straight history is in the extent to

which the "web of imaginative construction" is indeed imagined, or made up, if

you will. The historian will tell you that Caesar traveled to Gaul. The novelist will

tell you what he (most likely) ate, drank, thought, and felt along the way....

(Nelson, 2004, p. 410).

As highlighted by the quotes above, historical fiction combines the facts of history

(people, events, cultures, a specific time in history, etc.) with a fictional story line that captures

the imaginations of its readers. Cindy Vallar states that “historical fiction is a stepping stone to

history, for the historical events recounted in a novel can, and do, lead readers to discover the

truth behind the fiction (para. 1),” and I would tend to agree as evidence of its use in classrooms.

Tarry Lindquist, a fifth grade Social Studies teacher recognized by the National Council

for Social Studies as the National Elementary Teacher of the Year, uses historical fiction in her

classroom for a number of reasons, including its ability to pique students interest, put people

back into history, present the complexity of issues, and promote multiple perspectives to name a

few (subheading: Seven Reasons I Teach with Historical Fiction). There are, however, a number

of issues that readers and teachers of this genre should be wary of when choosing a historical

novel.


Joanne Brown (1998) details a number of problems that writers of historical novels face,

including problems of definition, ‘truth,’ balance, accuracy, and provenance. If an author does

not address these problems, then they also become the “problem” of the librarian, teacher, and/or

reader using the book as an educational tool. Take the problem of accuracy, for example, if

Mark Twain had Huck Finn “hold up a flashlight…” in his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, then

its accuracy would be in question. There is also the issue of ‘truth,’ where readers assume that

the novel has some authenticity and conveys some measure of “truth” about a particular point in

history; however, writers walk a “fine line between historicizing fiction and fictionalizing history

(Brown, 1998, para. 6)” and we must be aware of that fact.

Does this mean that librarians, teachers, and readers need to scrutinize every single detail

and/or judge a historical novel as not worthy if an author gets something wrong? As long as

readers are aware that flashlights had not yet been invented when Huck Finn was living in

Mississippi, then absolutely not; however, it is important for librarians and teachers to follow

some criteria when choosing historical fiction.

Tarry Lindquist recommends that “the historical fiction you choose should: present a

well-told story that doesn’t conflict with historical records; [p]ortray characters realistically;

present authentic settings; artfully fold in historical facts; provide accurate information through

illustrations; and, avoid stereotypes and myths (para. 11).” By following these criteria, librarians

and teachers should be able to choose historical novels to incorporate in their curriculum that

will “lead students into intriguing activities that require purposeful research, critical analysis, and

synthesis of information [and that] encourage students to explore the connections they establish

with the settings, characters, and situations that they encounter in historical fiction (Brown, 1998,

para. 6).”


Therefore, when written appropriately, by skillfully combining historic information with

literary art, historical fiction is a wonderful tool for any literary-based curriculum. Whether you

are a Social Studies teacher or a school librarian, historical fiction can, and should, be used to

bring history to life. Below are three suggested library-based activities/lessons and ten (10)

annotated historical fiction novels recommended for high school students that have been grouped

into three categories: Women and European History; the Holocaust; and Ancient Egypt.

Three Suggested Library-Based Activities/Lessons

Title: Wordle and The Falconer’s Knot

Description: In anticipation of reading The Falconer’s Knot: A Story of Friars, Flirtation and

Foul Play by Mary Hoffman, the 10th grade Social Studies teacher has decided to employ the

“Anticipation Guide” Strategy that will prepare students for learning about Renaissance Italy.

The Social Studies teacher has employed “Anticipation Guide” Strategies in the past with much

success, but would like to “spruce up” the first section where students would normally write out

phrases and words they associate with, in this particular instance, “Renaissance” and “History of

Italy” on index cards. Therefore, it was decided that for this lesson plan, the school librarian

(SL) will be introducing and teaching the students how to use the web-based technology

“Wordle” (http://www.wordle.net/), which they will use to complete and print out the first

section of the lesson.

Materials/Resources: Computers with Internet access

Motivational Value: This lesson will not only give some variation to the Social Studies

teacher’s lesson plan, which has been used before, but also will give the school librarian an

http://www.wordle.net/


opportunity to present a new web-based technology (i.e. Wordle) to the students to be used for

other assignments or just for fun.

Title: The Power of Words – A Holocaust ABC Dictionary

Description: The 11th grade Social Studies class has just finished reading The Book Thief by

Markus Zusak and learning about the “power of words” and the Holocaust. The Social Studies

class has been tasked to complete a Holocaust ABC dictionary using the library and/or online

resources to research and locate important terms, place names, people names, etc. for each letter

of the alphabet. The SL will assist students in finding appropriate resources for their research.

In addition, the SL will instruct the students on how to use the web technology Primary Access

(http://www.primaryaccess.org/index.htm), which they will then use to find and/or combine the

primary photos with audio for each of the definitions. The finished product would be showcased

on the school’s website. The goal of this lesson is to teach students how to use the web-based

technology Primary Access for the purposes of their Social Studies assignment.

Materials/Resources: Computers with Internet access • Writing materials (pens, pencils, paper,

or computers) • Textbooks and other reference material on the Holocaust • Account access to

Primary Access ((http://www.primaryaccess.org/index.htm)

Motivational Value: This lesson is motivating to students, because it will introduce a new web-

based technology (i.e. Primary Access) to the students and allow them to be creative in

completing an assignment that may otherwise have been done on Microsoft Word. It is also

motivational, because the finished product is going to be showcased on the school’s website for

public appreciation.

http://www.primaryaccess.org/index.htm

http://www.primaryaccess.org/index.htm


Title: “Murder in Thebes!” – Ancient Egyptian Historical Fiction and Journalism

Description: The 9th grade Social Studies teacher is currently teaching a unit on ancient Egypt

and, in collaboration with the school librarian (SL), has assigned the historical fiction novel The

Mask of Ra by P.C. Doherty for reading. Using The Mask of Ra, students are instructed to go to

the library to “become a reporter” and write a newspaper article on an event that occurred in the

story (for example, the sudden death of Pharaoh Tuthmosis II). The SL will show the students

examples of newspaper clippings, then using the handout, textbooks, and other reference

material on ancient Egypt, students will then conduct research on their chosen event. Combining

fact with fiction, students will then produce a newspaper article containing at least one primary

source photo (i.e. no clip art!) using Microsoft Office Word, which they will then share with the

class. The goals of this lesson are to introduce students to the general format of a newspaper

article, introduce them to and assist them in their research of a number of authoritative resources

on ancient Egypt, as well as stimulating their creative writing capabilities. This lesson supports

the curriculum by having students research and write a newspaper article surrounding a historical

event, person, or culture in ancient Egypt.

Materials/Resources: Computers with Internet access and Microsoft Office Word • Writing

materials (pens, pencils, paper, or computers) • Textbooks and other reference material on

ancient Egypt • Newspapers • The Mask of Ra by P.C. Doherty • Handout with recommended

Internet sites on ancient Egypt

Motivational Value: This lesson will be motivating to students, because it allows them a

number of freedoms (i.e. choosing the event in the story they want to write about, choosing the

photo, creative writing, etc.), but is structured in that they will be researching and need to

incorporate actual facts about ancient Egypt.


Annotated Historical Fiction Novels Recommended for High School Students

Women and European History

Franklin, A. (2007). Mistress of the art of death. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.In medieval Cambridge, four Christian children have been brutally murdered and the local Catholic citizens blame their neighboring Jews. For personal reasons (i.e. taxes), King Henry II places the Jews under his protection and calls for the finest medical examiner from Salerno, Italy to investigate the murders; he is sent Adelia, the “mistress of the art of death.” With the help of her assistants, as well as the King’s tax collector, Sir Rowley Picot, and to avoid public scrutiny (i.e. being condemned a witch), Adelia quietly sets about examining the victims, interviewing the townsfolk, and trying to solve these gruesome murders before the killer strikes again.

Hoffman, M. (2007). The falconer’s knot: a story of friars, flirtation and foul play. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books.

In Renaissance Italy, teenagers Silvano da Montacuto and Chiara, a commoner, are sent to live with the friars and the nuns; one to escape accusations of a murder that he did not commit and the other because of a lack of dowry. There the two teens are introduced to the art of grinding pigments and making colors for paints and form a companionable bond with one another, until a murder at the friary is committed and Silvano is again accused. With Colour Master Brother Anselmo, Silvano and Chiara work together to find the real murderer before it’s too late.

Mailman, E. (2007). The witch’s trinity: a novel. New York, NY: Crown Publishers.In the winter of 1507, the town of Tierkinddorf, Germany is suffering from a famine. Elderly Güde Müller lives with her son, Jost, daughter-in-law, Irmeltrud, and two children, but food is scarce and tensions run deep between Irmeltrud and Güde, as well as among neighbors. When a passing friar declares that the town has been cursed by a witch and that he would be able to gain a confession using a book called the Malleus Maleficarus, or “The Witch’s Hammer,” it does not take long for Irmeltrud to accuse Güde of being in league with the Devil. After hearing an unearthly voice, a chance midnight encounter in the forest, and having strange visions, even Güde is questioning whether she is somehow responsible or if it is just the trick of an old woman’s mind.

The Holocaust

Bat-Ami, M. (1999). Two suns in the sky. Chicago, IL: Front Street/Cricket Books.Winner of “The Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction” in 2000, Two Suns in the Sky offers readers a glimpse into the Emergency Refugee Center set up in Oswego, NY during the last year of World War II and its effect on the refugees staying in the camp, as well as those in the surrounding area. Fifteen-year-old Christine “Chris” Cook defies her father’s orders and visits the camp where she meets Adam Bornstein, a Yugoslavian Jew. Like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, Chris and Adam struggle throughout the book with the barriers dividing them: language, religion, and family.

Cormier, R. (1992). Tunes for bears to dance to. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. In Tunes for Bears to Dance To, award winning author Robert Cormier explores the themes of good and evil and right and wrong. After the death of his older brother, Henry’s family moves to


a neighboring town and struggles to cope emotionally and financially, and eleven-year-old Henry goes to work for the local grocer, Mr. Hairston, who shows support for Henry, but whose racist comments leave him feeling uncomfortable. Henry also meets and befriends Mr. Levine, an elderly survivor of the Holocaust who spends his days carving a replica of his village, which was destroyed and used as a concentration camp during WWII. When Mr. Hairston finds out about the replica village, he gives Henry a choice: destroy it and he will use his influence to help Henry’s family OR ELSE …

Yolen, J. (1992). Briar rose. New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.“A mist. A great mist. It covered the entire kingdom. And everyone in it – the good people and the not-so-good, the young people and the not-so-young, and even Briar Rose’s mother and father fell asleep…” So goes the fairy tale of Briar Rose taught to Rebecca by her Jewish grandmother, Gemma, growing up; but the discovery of some old photographs and newspaper clippings, and Gemma’s dying claim that she is Briar Rose, may prove that the tale is more fact than fiction. It is left to Rebecca to uncover the secrets, taking her on a journey to Poland, through the sad and horrific memories of a survivor of the Holocaust, and ultimately an answer to the question: who is Briar Rose?

Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.As told by Death himself, this is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young, poor German girl growing up during World War II in Nazi-Germany with her foster family consisting of her loving, accordion-playing father, Hans, and acid-tongued mother, Rosa. Liesel stole her first book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook, by accident, but with the help Hans, and to pass the time, she soon learns to read and know the power of words. In time, and with the help of some friends (the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayor’s wife), Liesel “acquires” more books and more words to help sustain her and others through the tragedies of war.

Ancient Egypt

Doherty, P.C. (1998). The mask of Ra. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.First in the series of Ancient Egyptian mysteries, The Mask of Ra opens in Thebes with the return of Pharaoh Tuthmosis II from doing battle in the north, only to have him die suddenly during a ceremony and to find that his unfinished tomb has been cursed. Political struggles ensue as to who will take the throne: Hatusu, his widow and half-sister, or his illegitimate young son, and sent to investigate Pharaoh’s death is Amerotke, Chief Judge of Thebes. ‘Doherty excels at historical detail, bringing ancient Egypt to life in his descriptions of daily life and characters drawn from every caste.’ – Publishers Weekly.

Lester, J. (2000). Pharaoh’s daughter: A novel of ancient Egypt. San Diego, CA: Silver Whistle Harcourt, Inc.

Recipient of the Newbery Honor, author Julius Lester brings ancient Egypt and the biblical story of Moses to life in his book, Pharaoh’s Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt. It is the reign of Ramesses the Great and the order to kill all of the newborn Habiru baby boys has gone out. After a failed attempt to hide her infant brother, Moses, from Pharaoh’s soldiers, Almah and Moses are brought to the Women’s Palace where Moses is to be raised by Princess Meryetamun. All her life Almah has questioned the Habiru faith and after gaining favor with Pharaoh Ramesses the Great, she soon realizes that this is where she belongs: as Pharaoh’s daughter.


Tarr, J. (1995). Pillar of fire. New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.Nofret, once a Hittite lady, has just become the slave of Princess Ankhesenpaaten, daughter to Pharaoh Akhenaten. Over the years, Nofret and Ankhesenpaaten will face together plagues, death, political intrigues, the “death” of a king, and war, and eventually, will become part of the people of the Habiru. In Pillar of Fire, Judith Tarr weaves history and fiction and to explore the question: what if Moses really was a “Prince of Egypt?”


References

Bat-Ami, M. (1999). Two suns in the sky. Chicago, IL: Front Street/Cricket Books.

Brown, J. (1998). Historical fiction or fictionalized history? Problems for writers of historical

novels for young adults. The Alan Review, 26 (1). Retrieved from

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall98/brown.html.

Cormier, R. (1992). Tunes for bears to dance to. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Doherty, P.C. (1998). The mask of Ra. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

Franklin, A. (2007). Mistress of the art of death. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Greeley, A. (2001). Irish love: a Nuala Anne McGrail novel. New York, NY: Tom Doherty

Associates, LLC. Quoted in C. Vallar, (n.d.), Historical Fiction vs. History, Retrieved

from http://www.cindyvallar.com/histfic.html.

Hoffman, M. (2007). The falconer’s knot: a story of friars, flirtation and foul play. New York,

NY: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books.

Lester, J. (2000). Pharaoh’s daughter: A novel of ancient Egypt. San Diego, CA: Silver

Whistle Harcourt, Inc.

Linquist, T. (n.d). Why & how I teach with historical fiction. Retrieved from

http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/instructor/social1.htm#lindquist.

Mailman, E. (2007). The witch’s trinity: a novel. New York, NY: Crown Publishers.

Nelson, J. (2004). The only life that mattered: the short and merry lives of Anne Bonny, Mary

Read, and Calico Jack Rackam. Ithaca, NY: McBooks Press, Inc. Quoted in C. Vallar,

(n.d.), Historical Fiction vs. History, Retrieved from

http://www.cindyvallar.com/histfic.html.

Tarr, J. (1995). Pillar of fire. New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.


Vallar, C. (n.d). Historical fiction vs. history. Retrieved from

http://www.cindyvallar.com/histfic.html.

Yolen, J. (1992). Briar rose. New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

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