History Through Fiction

There are many different types of fictional works by many authors. Today, we are blessed by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, John Steinbeck, Gore Vidal, and many others who have written historical-fiction. Each one of these authors' books gives the reader an historical account or an understanding of their present where we can learn a past's point of view. Historical-Fiction has importance. To receive history in this format, is like peering through a window into the past; a rare treasure indeed.

Jane Austen's work is remarkable for a woman who lived from 1775 through 1817. Miss Austen was well educated and her work displays true brilliance. She took a great chance writing about her era, including in her books characters that may or may not have existed. All of her books including Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility explain moral views, women and men roles, and what English polite society expected of behavior when out in society during the period known as Regency England. These books show us how little was actually discussed openly amongst men and women during this time period. Through her female characters Jane Austen gives us the women's view of the late 18th and early 19th century. Jane Austen wrote about what she saw, places she visited or had heard about, what she knew, and included not only her own views, but those of friends, relatives, and associates. Miss Austen was a product of her time, just as the books she authored. I have read all of her works. Loved each for they were tender stories with solid female characters, and gems of what the late 18th century and early 19th century (Regency period) England was like. These fictional books are superb learning tools about how the people talked, wrote, interacted with one another socially, customs, traditions, and their views. Jane Austen's books show us what it was like to live in Regency England.

Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832), a very well known author and poet, did not write only about his own time frame which was very popular in the late 18th and 19th century; instead he wrote Ivanhoe which is about 12th century England. Yes, Sir Walter Scott has Robert of Locksley plus his "merry" men as characters in this marvelous book. Sir Walter Scott included historical tidbits that were known in his time frame to create this book, added a dash of what he knew his audiences would believe (which gives us a glimmer of his own time frame about people) and basically wrote an awe inspiring fictional piece that has inspired many "Ivanhoe" movies and even a couple of television series based upon the book Ivanhoe. In this case, the reader receives a view of two time frames, 12th century England and that of Sir Walter Scott's. He was not the only author who did this for Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 - 1864), author of The Scarlet Letter, and Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870), author of A Tale of Two Cities were known for writing historical-fiction works that depict eras well before their time. Their books allow us to know fictionally about a given historical time frame and what people in the 19th century generally knew historically. They furthermore show us the author's personal view which is hidden within and between the lines, allowing the reader to see the 19th century mind set.

John Steinbeck (1902 - 1968) wrote Grapes of Wrath. He was not from Oklahoma. His home was in Salinas, California where many Oklahomans migrated and lived similar to what was depicted in the book Grapes of Wrath. John Steinbeck, in this particular book, had the Dust Bowl (1930 through 1940) and what was occurring in Central California at that time accurate, but John Steinbeck relied on the Oklahomans he knew who resided in the Salinas area for the descriptions of Oklahoma, which is why those are not very accurate (more fictionalized). All in all Grapes of Wrath does show a certain historical time period neither the state of Oklahoma or the state of California are proud of; graphically portraying to the reader how tough the 1930's actually were in the twentieth century for Oklahoma and California. The most special aspect of this book is that it was written and published during the time frame it depicts (published in 1939). This is truly a piece of fiction describing an historical event and its hardships as it occurred. Grapes of Wrath generated an interest into the migrant workers' conditions which led to the passing of California laws that improved their living conditions. Many Oklahomans who came to California during this time frame began as migrant workers, then eventually bought property of their own in Central California and became successful ranchers or businessmen. John Steinbeck wrote other literature pieces, but none had the impact on its readers that Grapes of Wrath had, which is why this one was chosen as an excellent example of a fictional window where we can view a harsh reality of a certain sector in the United States during the twentieth century.

Gore Vidal, a contemporary author, like the above authors is known for his historical-fiction pieces. I have read 1876 and Empire which are two of his American chronicles that depict a time before he was born in 1925, the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. These books, even though they have fictional characters and plots, have pieces of history included within their pages and are written in a way that gives us an idea of what those time frames may have been like. Granted this is not as ideal as Jane Austen's which were about her own time frame, but Gore Vidal did research what he wrote about in order to give his books credibility. In this case, we can see what the author learned about these centuries, what he found out while researching, which is very unique for in his own way Gore Vidal is teaching history through his fictional works.

These are a few examples of how we can learn history through fiction. Authors write about what they know, their personal time frames, their cultures, or what they have learned through researching certain sections of history. Through historical-fiction the reader can experience historical time frames and learn about them in an enjoyable and memorable way. This genre of books is a great way to experience that which is from yesterday.

Novelists' America, Fiction as History, 1910 - 1940 by Nelson Manfred Blake, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York, 1969
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Bantam Books, New York, Bantam Books 2nd printing 1981
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Oxford University Press, New York, 1988
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, Pocket Books Inc., New York, Pocket Books 2nd printing 1953
Ivanhoe, Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanhoe
Empire, by Gore Vidal, Ballantine Books, New York, 1987
The Complete Works of Charles-Dickens website: http://www.dickens-literature.com/l_biography.html
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne
Sir Walter Scott, The Literature Network website: http://www.online-literature.com/walter_scott/
John Steinbeck's biography, The National Steinbeck Center website: http://www.steinbeck.org/Bio.html
Grapes of Wrath, Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath
Gore Vidal, Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore_Vidal