TYPES OF NOVEL – HISTORICAL

     Historical novel is a type of novel in which an imaginary narrative is set against the background of a historical event or incident. Jane porter is generally attributed the credit of originally developing this genre in England, though the novelist Walter Scott is widely considered as its greatest exponent. Some of his works that helped establish this novelistic variety include Waverley (1814), Guy Mannering (1815), Rob Roy (1817), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), Ivanhoe (1820), Kenilworth (1821), and The Talisman (1825).

 

1.       Historical novel is basically a creative work of art in which the fundamental objective of the author is to relate a narrative that captures the imagination of the reader. Historical accuracy therefore is not an imperative that a historical novelist needs to be too concerned about. In fact, authors of historical novels often take liberties with historical accounts and details in portraying them in their plots. It is however notable that they do so only with regard to delineating rather obscure or remote details from history that the general reader might not be aware of, and not history in the main. Doing so with the latter, which the general reader is expected to be knowledgeable about is indeed not advisable, for it would undermine the veracity of the historical context in the plot.

 

2.       Though history merely serves as a context in a historical novel, the choice of a specific event or incident from history is of paramount importance. After all, though the historical context is not given the primary importance, it is the factor that fundamentally incites the reader’s interest. So typically historical novelists in making their choice of a historical context tend to select famous moments from history, which are not only well known but likely to excite the imagination of the reader.

 

3.       In any historical novel we invariably come across two sets of characters, imaginary characters that are created by the author, and historical characters derived from actual history. Of these, the former who epitomize figments of imagination are generally given prominence in the plot, while the latter that typify real life historical figures are relegated to the backseat. The normal rule is that the imaginary characters would for the most part be the major agents in the plot’s action, with historical characters given minor roles to perform. This of course is only natural for as already specified above, a historical novel is basically a creative work of art that primarily relates an imaginary tale meant to enthrall the reader.

 

1.       4. Though a historical novel is characteristically set in the past, it is not required that aspects pertaining to the past in question be literally reproduced. In fact, doing so would seriously undermine the effectiveness of the plot’s appeal, for it is highly unlikely that the readers in the present would be able to identify themselves with it. It must be remembered that a historical novel is basically written for people of the present, and hence the picture of the past that is created must be imprinted with the spirit of the present. This is to say, rather than trying to haul the past into the present, the historical novelist must aim at boldly projecting the present into the past. This ability to vitalise the past with the ethos of the present is by and large the greatest virtue that the historical novelist must seek to cultivate.