historical novel
Past-set story
A historical novel is a work of fiction set in a past era, typically incorporating real events, settings, or figures alongside invented characters and plots.
The genre ranges from meticulously researched recreations of specific periods to looser adventures that use history mainly as backdrop: War and Peace is the quintessential historical novel.
Story's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- settingContext of events
characters · dialogue · narrator · conflict · climax · resolution · arc · flashback
High-volume publication
- authorCreator of written works
- novelistWriter of prose narratives
- bookclubGroup discussing assigned literature
- literary fictionProse emphasizing craft and depth
saga · romance · mystery · thriller · adventure · epic · sweeping · multigenerational
Inherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- memoryMind's retention capacity
identity · empire · war · revolution · class · dynasty · survival · exile
Of a prim era
- RegencyProxy rule period
- MedievalOf the 5th-15th centuries
- RenaissanceEuropean cultural reawakening
- EdwardianOf early twentieth-century Britain
Antebellum · Tudor · Elizabethan · Byzantine · Viking · Roman · Crusades · Napoleonic
Unmediated evidence from events
- archiveStored historical records
- bibliographyList of cited works
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
artifact · correspondence · diary · manuscript · fact-checking · period detail · anachronism · accuracy
protagonist
Story's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
setting · characters · dialogue · narrator · conflict · climax · resolution · arc · flashback · saga
bestseller
High-volume publication
- authorCreator of written works
- novelistWriter of prose narratives
- bookclubGroup discussing assigned literature
literary fiction · saga · romance · mystery · thriller · adventure · epic · sweeping · multigenerational · dual timeline
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
memory · identity · empire · war · revolution · class · dynasty · survival · exile · immigration
Victorian
Of a prim era
- RegencyProxy rule period
- MedievalOf the 5th-15th centuries
- RenaissanceEuropean cultural reawakening
Edwardian · Antebellum · Tudor · Elizabethan · Byzantine · Viking · Roman · Crusades · Napoleonic · Civil War
primary source
Unmediated evidence from events
- archiveStored historical records
- bibliographyList of cited works
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
documentation · artifact · correspondence · diary · manuscript · fact-checking · period detail · anachronism · accuracy · verisimilitude
- historical fictionperiod drama, biographical fiction, costume drama, period film, Viking saga
- biographical fictionfictionalized memoir, biopic, docudrama, sports biography
- 19th century literatureshort story, realism, Dickens, Austen, Tolstoy
- Arabic literatureAdonis, Arabian Nights, One Thousand and One Nights, Khalil Gibran, court poetry
- literary fictionliterary realism, contemporary fiction, character-driven, character study, character studies
- Novel Historynovels, novellas, bildungsroman, picaresque, gothic fiction
historical novelcontemporary fiction
Recently written realistic novels
science fiction · space opera · supernatural fiction · fantasy novel · speculative fiction
historical novelfantasy novel
Story featuring magic, mythical settings
high fantasy · fairy tale · fable · allegory · alternate history
historical novelhistory
Record of past events
nonfiction · historical account · biography · memoir · chronicle
history, novel, historical, prehistoric, histories, prehistory, historically, ahistorical, historiography