The English Historical Novel

Although Historical Fiction Comprises One Of The Major English Literary Traditions Of The Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries, Until Now No Truly Comprehensive Critical Analysis Of The Genre Has Been Attempted. Avrom Fleishman’S Study Of The Development Of The Historical Novel Does Much To Fill This Scholarly Gap. Professor Fleishman Begins His Discussion Of Historical Fiction With The Observation, “Everyone Knows What A Historical Novel Is; Perhaps That Is Why Few Have Volunteered To Define It In Print.” Indeed, Any Novel Set In The Past - Beyond An Arbitrary Number Of Years, Say Forty To Sixty - Is Likely To Be Classified As Historical. Serious Historical Fiction Is Generated By Additional Impulses, However, And It Is These That Separate It From The Vast Proliferation Of Popular Sensationalism In Historical Guise. Through A Brief Discussion Of The Origins Of The Genre, Professor Fleishman Shows The Close Links Between Literature And Philosophical Theories Of History, Professional Historiography, And Widely Pervasive Historical Attitudes. A Significant Portion Of This Book Is Devoted To The Dean Of Historical Novelists, Sir Walter Scott. The Evolution Of The Genre Is Then Traced Through The Works Of Dickens, Thackeray, Reade, George Eliot, Shorthouse, Pater, Hardy, Conrad, And Virginia Woolf. Restricting His Sustained Attention To These Major Figures, The Author First Discusses Each Novelist Generally, Then Singles Out One Or More Of His Finest Historical Novels For Critical Examination.