In class, and in our assigned readings, we have been covering books with the genre of Historical Fiction. The controversy? How historically accurate does the book have to be? My first take on the matter was that it has to be as close to accurate as possible, research done, facts triple checked, and allow readers to get an accurate feel of what truly happened during the era the book takes place. Yet then I realized, the word fiction, following right after historical. If we wanted 100% accurate should we not just read a nonfiction book? How much should we critique a book if it has more fiction than fact but gets children reading it?
In the MacLeod article, she talks about how history is written by the “winners,” which is of course true. This makes our history already slightly inaccurate to begin with. Also, every author is different; they have different thoughts on subject matter, ideas, opinions and imagination. Can it not be up to the author to have the freedom to write how they want and choose what to include? MacLeod gives examples of historically inaccurate books, such as the Laura Ingalls series and “The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.” She discusses that the women in these books have inaccurate roles and are doing what men rather than women would have done in that era. Why not let the main character be a heroine on an adventure? Children can still learn about the jobs, lifestyle, and daily tasks people in that time did, but now there are books that girls can enjoy and do not let all the men have all the fun. We know before the mid 1900’s when women’s rights were put in place, our role in society was submissive, unjust, and unequal. All historical fiction books would be based around men and the oppressed role of women in each book would be, I believe, not fun for young girls to read and get into the plot. Why not let a woman be a pirate in a book or two if it still teaches us about a part of history? Now I believe that our standards for the genre cannot prevent creativity from running wild, which is what writing is all about. Every author is different making each book different and one more accurate than another. Just choose wisely if need be, letting a more accurate books be taught in the classroom and another as a joy read or just make sure there are discussions happening throughout the book. Also, the point of books it to produce a good product to get people to read, learn and question, so why can the reader not decipher for themselves the fact from fiction in the book? If they cannot, I think we have more to worry about than the book’s accuracy but rather what they are being taught in their classes.
I agree, and disagree with your post. I agree that books that portray women in the same way may not grab the attention of young readers. However I think it is very important that books teach factual information at the same time as being creative. There is no problem with a woman being a heroine in the time when men got all the glory, but I think it is important that the author acknowledge the fact that this role was not typical of the time. Many Disney movies such as Pocahontas portray the time period inaccurately and if kids are not told the truth as they read/view these portrayals, they may not understand history accurately. I think books and movies like this can be still be enjoyed for the creativity and writing they provide, but I think that if they are assigned in classes they must be supplemented by material that teaches them the discrepancies between history and the fiction they just read.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that Historical Fiction should be interesting for a student to read. It's important for them to be interested in reading, and sometimes history really is not that interesting for a reader. But what should not be lost is the culture or major events of the time. In Historical Fiction, cultures can be lost when a writer tries and inserts current ideas and beliefs into a time period where these did not exist. It's hard for a writer to write from the point of view from this time period without inserting their own beliefs, but students should learn about what the ideas and cultures were of the time they are reading.
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