Essay Topic:"Historical fiction opens windows to hidden worlds."

ESSAY PLAN

1. Settings

physical - frames action, opens possibilities, reader as tourist/ visitor

social - access to groups, other classes, politics

psychological - fear, siege, treason, freedom valued etc.

economic - reconstructing the facts of survival is a critique of society

theatre of the times

2. Characters

embody feelings, reactions, world views

access to relationships, connections, glue of plot

dramatise any scope for choices, decisions and consequences

access to values systems of that society

3. Themes

access that society: what issues are relevant, typical

values, priorities to live by

are overarching constructs for a critique

4. Styles

relative proportions of dialogue, description, action, etc

vocabulary/ language: an ear for the times

point of view: - Trease and Lilly choose child's view of society: open, detailed, curious,

purpose, agenda of author

5. Conclusion
elements selected by authors access the times, offer new information
elements selected combine to reconstruct the times: lived experience
elements selected combine to critique the times
"Thus, reading two novels together gives me a new perspective on the times and evidence for an opinion on the success of this genre of historical fiction.

G. Smith 1998

From Shaun P D's essay 1998:
"A novel's themes control the reader's response about the value and morality of the world they are exploring. Historical fiction allows the author to use the value of hindsight to explore the world of the novel and is a way of saying something about ours too. This critiqueing of a society also explores the "new" world to a great extent. For it allows the reader to see the good and bad aspects of the so far unknown world. Any exploration that allows only half of that world's society is mere fantasy. The themes in historical fiction are chosen in hindsight, and as such, allow a greater exploration of an unknown world. The author's themes are chosen by his bias on history . . . "

Remember: Historical fiction is a reconstruction of the past with a modern purpose and modern biases.

"Authors can often adopt the role of social scientist in order to analyse a society. Both Trease and Lilly have accurately recreated Tudor society to give the reader a sense of nostalgia. These historical novels have effectively gained a balance between entertainment and a teaching tone." Ryan H.

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