What is Literary Historical Fiction?

exploring a popular genre & five nonfiction pairings

There’s a lot to explore on the topic of genre—what structures and conventions help us easily categorize one genre or another? How are genre descriptors used to sell a book? In today’s Modern Readers episode, we’re focusing our discussion on historical fiction, and, more specifically, an emerging subgenre: literary historical fiction.

This fall publishing season ushers in plenty of award-worthy historical novels, so it’s the perfect time to think about what makes this popular genre so appealing. In today’s episode, we discuss our differing definitions of historical fiction, key differences between general-women’s-and literary historical fiction, and share a bunch of book recommendations (as is our way).

Download today’s episode wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to subscribe to Novel Pairings in your app so you never miss an episode.

5 Nonfiction Titles Paired with Fabulous Historical Novels

If you enjoy reading engrossing and thought-provoking historical fiction, we have a few nonfiction recommendations to pair with some of the books discussed in today’s episode.

For Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi….

The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah Jones. The 1619 Project was a critical and groundbreaking history of the origins of slavery in America and its reverberating consequences. This collection expounds further upon the original collection published by the New York Times. The 1619 Project helps further contextualize the generational topics explore in Gyasi’s debut novel.

For Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell…

Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt. The lack of historical documents that shed light on the life of Agnes “Anne” Hathway and her three children made for a prime opportunity in O’Farrell’s brilliant imaginings. For those interested in the details we do have about Shakespeare and hearing about Elizabethan life, you can check out Stephen Greenblatt’s Pulitzer Prize finalist biography.

For Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry…

The Legacy of Conquest by Patricia Nelson Limerick. For those who loved Larry McMurtry’s sprawling award-winning tome. Gone are the more romantic notions of moving out West, as Limerick establishes the economic reality of the time and regions while interpreting the Wild West’s real cast of characters in new ways, including trappers, traders, Indigenous tribes, farmers, oilmen, cowboys, and sheriffs of the Old West.

For The Fraud by Zadie Smith…

The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London by Judith Flanders. A nearly perfect pairing to give even more insight into the everyday life of a Victorian city is this history of 19th century London by Judith Flanders. No stone is left unturned in her detailed history of the city Dickens called home for many years.

For Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro…

Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern Times by Lucy Lethbridge. For those who are particularly curious about Stevens’ unwavering loyalty to Lord Darlington, this history and social study aims to help us understand the complex relationship between the server and served, shedding a light on British Society from the Edwardian period to present day. This is an illuminating read for anyone wanting to understand the rich history of service staff.

On Patreon

We hosted our monthly lecture on How to be a Literary Scholar last week, and we had a wonderful discussion on how to enhance your life as a public scholar! If you would like to watch or listen to our lecture, make sure to head on over to Patreon and sign up at our Literature Scholar tier for access to our entire backlist of classes.

Here’s what’s on the calendar for the rest of the fall semester:

Final Notes

We hope you enjoyed today’s discussion on historical fiction. Let us know in the comments below: what conventions come to mind when you think about historical or literary historical fiction? We can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Until then, we declare after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book.

---

Thank you for supporting the podcast and our work to make public scholarship fun and accessible. If you would like to stay connected to what’s happening at Novel Pairings, make sure to subscribe to this Substack and follow us on Instagram. Make sure you never miss an episode by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts. And if you love the work we’re doing, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts!