When I was ready for a more substantial history lesson through fiction, I turned to books like The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
Throughout the years I’ve read classics, and then, at some point, I read contemporary authors who wrote because they were inspired by them. I became more interested—maybe I should say more aware—of the social and economic dilemmas they portrayed, and suddenly I wasn’t reading so much to escape to another time and place as to consider its effects on current decades. Then, I turned to contemporary writers who wrote similarly, maybe with a bit more character development and thought to, say, gender relationships of the late nineteenth century.
In earlier years, biographical fiction was my cup of tea—and the extent to which I was interested in the era because of the biography or interested in the biography because of the era was reciprocal.
Here’s the question: Is that a description of one genre—historical fiction—or several genres?
There are various answers to that question because there are various definitions of what exactly constitutes historical fiction.
Authors of questionable historical fiction genres will want to think carefully about what sort of readers would most appreciate their books. While I can point to what I appreciate about the traits of historical fiction of several subgenres—and I still like a fun cozy mystery when I’m looking for a light read—that doesn’t mean I’ll always be inclined to read any of them. If I’m searching for a historical intrigue with character complexity and an intricate plot, I’ll want to know right away that the book I’ve picked up to consider is going to deliver that.
Hint: The earlier in your writing process you address specific genre questions, the easier it will be to transition from writing to marketing.
Read on for additional historical fiction definitions with examples.
Defining the Historical Fiction Genre
Historical fiction covers a wide range of novels of various subgenres.
Readers seeking books with historical fiction traits are often looking for some combination of:
- an escape to another time and place
- an insightful depiction of other eras as different from or similar to our own
- a whimsical storyline, often but not necessarily including romance
- an intriguing plot steeped in historical significance or a sketch of a well-known historical figure or representation by a character of something seemingly genuine from that period
- a resemblance or reflection of favorite classic novels
On publication of this post, I counted seventeen possible subgenres for historical fiction on Amazon, and in “Genres, Comps, Categories, and Labels: Where Does Your Book Belong on a Bookstore Shelf?” book author and blogger Anne R. Allen points out that book genres are continually “fragmenting.”
I won’t attempt to cover every subgenre of historical fiction in this post. Instead, I’ll focus on four or so that I look for as a reader and as they filter through the themes I focus on as an editor: spiritual, environmental, and social consciousness.
Note that not all of these references are actual categories on Amazon, but they are specific categories somewhere, like a publisher, Goodreads (also owned by Amazon), or The Story Graph (not Amazon owned).
Historical Fantasy
Classifying historical fantasy as historical fiction is controversial—many don’t, and I almost didn’t, but I decided to go ahead and include it because I think it can be helpful to view it in that light—but still in comparison to other classification. This discussion relates to retellings of ancient mythology, like The Crystal Cave series by Mary Stewart and Circe or Achilles by Madeline Miller (Achilles is also categorized as Ancient History Fiction on Amazon). Also included in the historical fantasy subgenre are books like The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern, The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Morgan is My Name by Sophie Keetch, and Weyward by Emily Hart.
The Historical Mystery
Not surprisingly, a source of confusion regarding these “history mysteries” is whether they portray a mystery in an historical setting, like many detective books, or if they depict historical intrigue in fictional format—that is, a mystery of history.
Sometimes this is a moot point and can refer to both—and sometimes it can mean the difference of placing your book in “historical fiction” or “mystery/thriller.”
This distinction isn’t to suggest that mystery and detective novels are necessarily lacking historical detail. Many of these books contain significant and accurate historical research and authenticity. The Amelia Peabody series ( Book #1 is The Snake, The Crocodile, and The Dog) by Elizabeth Peters was written by an academic scholar of Egyptology. However, many simply use a historic backdrop for atmospheric purposes, without a great deal of attention to factual representation.
In contrast, mysteries of history would seek to highlight and interpret actual events—royal secrets and so forth—with meticulous research and detail.
Historical Fiction by the Era
Whereas a historical mystery category might include books from any era, some books are categorized by the time periods they portray, though they also may fit another classifications. Some of these specific designations include:
Neo-Victorian
Contemporary novels recreating the Victorian are abundant and popular. They include Possession by A.S. Byatt, The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (inspired Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Erye), The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, Tattycoram by Audrey Thomas and Havisham by Ronald Frame (both of the latter are inspired by Charles Dickens’s novels).
Renaissance/Medieval
Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light Hilary Mantel, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (inspired by Shakespeare’s biography) are examples of contemporary historical fiction portraying this era.
Twentieth-Century
Twentieth-century historical fiction would cover any decade from 1900 to 1999. So, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the war in Vietnam—unless they are placed under “military fiction.” The Civil Right movement, landing on the moon, Jazz music, talking pictures, and many other significant events are reimagined and retold through historical fiction of this era.
Considering the Cliches and Tropes of Historical Fiction
Cliches aren’t necessarily an indication of lesser-quality writing—sometimes they can be used quite effectively. But there are certain cliches that tend to appear in historical fiction and should be approached with caution unless they are tropes of very specific subgenres. Two prominent examples are the bodice-ripper (a trope of historical romance), cowboys and Indians, the damsel in distress, the night in shining armor.
Historical romance is a combination of historical elements and romance, much like romantasy is a combination of fantasy and romance, in balanced proportion. Often, historical romance is not too fussed about accuracy. Find the line between a trope that furthers a genre and a cliche that inhibits it.
If you suspect that your historical fiction book could use some assistance with genre specification and audience alignment, consider working with a fiction developmental editor with demonstrable experience with historical fiction.
Not ready to pursue developmental editing? Start with my Genre Dialogues Challenge, a self-paced workbook preparing authors to discuss their genre with editors.