S UZANNE H AYES M ICHELLE C OOK G AIL C OLLETTE

Historical Fiction and Westerns SUZANNE HAYES MICHELLE COOK GAIL COLLETTE

Historical Fiction Port of Louisbourg 1744 by Lewis Parker http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfmPgNm=TCE&Params=a1ARTA0011510

Joyce G. Saricks gives a working definition for Historical Fiction as "a novel set in the past, before the author's lifetime or experience". This is a good definition for library staff however, when the general public ask for suggestions in this genre, they often just want history in fiction form. Saricks calls Historical Fiction a "painless way of learning history". She admits that readers of this genre will have their own definition. A man in priest's clothing detached himself from the group and came toward Philip's cage.... "Which one of you is the prior of Kingsbridge?" The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett HISTORICAL FICTION - DEFINITION

~ Frame of accurate historical detail of setting, characters and events. ~ Mood or tone can vary from humorous to serious. ~ Story lines may emphasize historical events, time periods, real or fictional characters or social issues. ~ Characters lives are shaped by the historical times. ~ Pace is usually leisurely because of rich detail. ~ Authentic language and style may or may not be used. HISTORICALFICTION - CHARACTERISTICS

>Historical Fiction and Westerns are both Landscape genres. The detailed setting is all important. Readers of historical fiction want the time and place to come alive with accurate description of the "geography, customs, beliefs, culture, society, habits," characters and events. >Authors that realize this place historical notes at the end of the novel to show the accuracy of the details. End notes point the way to further non-fiction reading. In Poland's deepest autumn, a tall young man in an expensive overcoat...(and) Hakendreuz (swastika) emerged from a fashionable apartment building... Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally HISTORICALFICTION -FRAME/SETTING

The tone or mood set in this genre is important as well. Patrons may or may not realize that they are drawn by this appeal factor to the genre. The reader may be gripped by anticipation as in The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill or the sense of determination and endurance in AntonineMaillet'sPelagie. The tone may be introspective, dark, "moody, psychological, melancholy, edgy, upbeat, hopeful, or evocative". The reader's mood may determine his/her selection. HISTORICALFICTION -TONE/MOOD

In this genre the story line is important in its role of showing the history of the characters or events. One of many character centered story lines is The Lady Elizabeth (Elizabeth I) by Alison Weir. An event centered novel is found in Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett set in medieval England. All of a sudden we had enough picks and axes and shovels and hammers and gold pans to go into the grubstaking business ourselves. The Man from the Creeks by Robert Kroetsch HISTORICALFICTION - STORY LINE

Accuracy is again all important in the characters of Historical Fiction. Readers need to feel that the real or fictional characters would have behaved and spoken (no modern wordage) in a way that suited the setting. If the accuracy is not there then the result may be unwanted humor and "distrust of the author's research". HISTORICAL FICTION -CHARACTERIZATION

Novels in this genre unfold rich detail especially in the beginning , which makes for a leisurely pace. The pace may or may not move more quickly later in these novels, which tend to be over 300 pages. It is the author's ability to create immediacy or enjoyable description thatcause a "meadering" pace to be accepted. The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd is an example. The deer started. She trembled for a moment, then listened. A grey-black spring night still lay like a blanket over the sky. Along the edge of the wood... The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd HISTORICALFICTION - PACING

Readers may or may not prefer language "authentic to the time". Many readers just prefer that it does not distract from the story. Authors may use: ~ "thy, thine, thou" etc. ~a dialect ~formal language ~cadence (melodic phrases). The style (format) may be diary or memoir, such as The HiddenDiary of Marie Antoinette: A Novel by Carrolly Erickson. "He be back, honey chile..." The Book of Negroes by LawrenceHill HISTORICALFICTION - STYLE/LANGUAGE

HISTORICAL FICTION - KEY AUTHORS Saricks lists the following as key authors of the Historical Fiction genre: Edward Rutherfurd Philippa Gregory John Jakes Jeff Shaara Susan Vreeland Classic Authors: James Michener, Mary Renault, Irving Stone, Anya Seton, Jean Plaidy, Howard Fast (The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, pages 298-299)

HISTORICAL FICTION - AUTHOR PROFILE Edward Rutherfurd is considered a modern James Michener, a title of which he is proud. Rutherfurd writes multi-generational sagas about fictional characters with historically acurate details and settings. His first published novel, Sarum , was an instant international bestseller. Five subsequent novels have also reached bestseller status.His books have been translated into 20 languages. Rutherfurd’s most recent publication, New York, won the Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction in 2010. Picture from: http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com

"Follow a career where what you do comes naturally. At least you'll be happy; and you'll never succeed at anything else because you won't be good enough." -Edward Rutherfurd Edward Rutherfurd was born, Francis Edward Wintle in 1948 Salisbury, (Sarum) England. Stonehenge, cathedrals, houses dating from medieval times to the 18th century were Rutherfurd's play area, school and earliest memories. Free to roam until suppertime, he and his friends bicycled all over the county. Rutherfurd's first ambition was to be a tennis player, but he lacked the necessary talent so began to look elsewhere for a career. This took him to the history department of Cambridge, but he was unprepared for the entrance exam and was turned down. So he studied hard and worked with a tutor. The next year he took exams in English and was accepted.

"Success is fine, but so far as I can see,it's what people do when they fail that really matters." - Edward Rutherfurd At this time he began talking about becoming a writer. It was his father who said "Since you like history, you should look at Michener's work. His research is magnificent." After Cambridge he began work on a novel set in the Roman Empire, but discovered he wasn’t ready to handle the difficulty of writing a book. He entered the Book Trade and worked as a traveling salesman but eventually left to write. He began work on a novel about Maya even traveling to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize to do research. But again the project was put aside. For a while he turned to play writing for stage and radio, but his work did not sell. So, it was back to the Book Trade. In effect he ran a small publishing house, a job he really enjoyed.

At around thirty years of age Rutherfurd was transferred to New York. After two years, the business was going badly. He worked under an American boss for a while, but the business started to fold. Thinking he couldn’t make it as a writer and looking to a future in the book business, Rutherfurd went to Stanford Business School. Surprisingly, it was while writing case studies for his business courses that Rutherfurd decided to write again. So after graduating at age thirty-six he began thinking about a new writing project. At the Frick Museum in New York he was suddenly inspired to return to his roots in Sarum. It took three and half years to complete his first novel, Sarum. It headed straight for the bestseller list in Britain and North America.He has published six more books, has two children, and still enjoys the theatre and tennis.

Information for biography came from The Official Website: http://www.edwardrutherfurd.comFor more information see the above website and/orThe Official Facebook Page: [http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Official-Edward RutherfurdPage/282042051882] It's December, so here is an example of Rutherfurd's essay writing entitled "My Best Christmas": http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/ rutherfurd-best-christmas.html

Many years ago, the head of the history department at my school was lecturing the pre-university class. Suddenly the door of the classroom burst open and the junior history master rushed in."You bastard!" he screamed. "You've been sleeping with my wife."Within moments there was chaos. Blackboard dusters - the old wooden-backed ones - were flying. The two men were wrestling on the floor. And then, suddenly, it stopped. The two men stood up, turned to the twenty-two very frightened boys, and told them: "Write down what happened." Unsurprisingly, they got twenty-two conflicting accounts."Now," said the head of the department, "what do you make of your primary sources?"It is thanks to this lesson that I know that absolute historical truth does not exist, except in the mind of God - and of course, in the imagination of the historical novelist! -Edward Rutherfurd, http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/the-history-boys.html

FEATUREDWRITINGOF EDWARD RUTHERFURD Set in the magical landscape of Stonehenge and the cathedral city of Salisbury, Sarumis an epic story of five families - the Wilsons, the Masons, the Roman family of Porteus, the Saxon Shockleys and the Norman Godfreys - through the turbulent course of English history from the Ice Age to the present day. Sarumis the story of English ancestral roots. The family saga sweeps across millennia of settlement. Hwll the hunter, fleeing the rising seas at the end of the last Ice Age, finds refuge on Sarum's high ground. Nooma the stone mason builds Stonehenge for the astronomer priests and witnesses a human sacrifice; thirty-two centuries later, his descendant Oswald Mason builds Salisbury cathedral with its soaring spire, and falls into each of the seven deadly sins. Roman roads, the Celtic hillfort of Old Sarum, a Saxon convent, a Norman castle, a medieval market town, a Tudor country house, Georgian townhouses, Victorian cottages - all appear and live on in perpetuity in Sarum's echoing landscape. http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/sarum.html

BOOKSBY EDWARD RUTHERFURD Sarum (1987) Russka (1991) London (1997)The Forest (2000)Dublin: Foundation (2004)titled The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga in North AmericaIreland: Awakening (2006) titled The Rebels of Ireland: The Dublin Saga in North AmericaNew York (September 2009) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Rutherfurd

EDWARD RUTHERFURDREADALIKES James Michener Edward Rutherfurd and James Michener write thoroughly researched historical sagas that follow the lives of a few families over the history of a chosen locale. Their sagas include informative dips into geology and geography as well as anthropology, politics, and economics. Examples are Hawaii and Poland-- Katherine Johnson on NoveList Morgan Llywelyn Like Edward Rutherfurd, Morgan Llywelyn writes Historical Fiction, focusing on the British Isles and particularly Ireland. Both authors focus on individuals whose destinies are shaped by larger historical events, as in Llywelyn's most recent novel Brendan. Llywelyn's characterization tends to be more in-depth. -- Gillian Speace on NoveList

EDWARD RUTHERFORD READ ALIKES Anna Lee Waldo Waldo's assiduous research, strong plotting, and multiplicity of well-rendered characters will appeal to lovers of meaty historical epics like Rutherfurd's. Although hers are not multi-period Sagas, his fans will appreciate the broad sweep of her storytelling and vibrant geographical settings as in Circle of Stones-- Katherine Johnson on NoveList William Martin A good bet for readers who enjoy Rutherfurd's style but enjoy a non-European setting. He has brought Massachusetts' long and turbulent history to life in a number of novels, each of which can stand alone. The more recent Harvard Yard adds a touch of mystery by having antiquarian bookseller Peter Fallon investigate a legend about a lost Shakespearean manuscript. -- Sarah Johnson on NoveList

HISTORICAL FICTIONTO PURCHASE • Pillars of the Earth Audio CD by Ken Follett This novel of Ken Follett is highly readable. The length of the book may discourage some readers, so the audio book would be preferable. The medieval setting, characters and story line would remain a favorite with most patrons. • Roots by Alex Haley Slavery and discrimination from the 1760s to present day is described through detailed settings, characters and story line. This is an important historical fiction novel that encouraged many to seek out their genealogy.

HISTORICAL FICTION TO PURCHASE Joseph Boyden'sThree Day Road is the story of two Cree friends, Xavier and Elijah, who leave their pristine northern country to end up in the horrific trenches of World War I. Loosely based on the real life of a famous Canadian sniper, the story is told from two first-person views: those of Xavier and his old aunt and only living relative, Niska. The story of the war is told in flashbacks on this journey as Xavier recovers from morphine addiction. Boyden is a natural storyteller. Both the Native tales of the north and the grim accounts of the war in France and Belgium have the ring of truth. Eventually, Elijah seems to feed on the death all around him while Xavier begins to question the sanity of the war and his friend's growing madness. Not for the squeamish reader, this is a powerful novel that takes a new angle on a popular subject. -Mark Frutkinon Amazon.ca

HISTORICAL FICTION TO PURCHASE Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell's epic novel of love and war won the Pulitzer Prize and went on to give rise to two authorized sequels and one of the most popular and celebrated movies of all time. Many novels have been written about the Civil War and its aftermath. None take us into the burning fields and cities of the American South as Gone With the Wind does, creating haunting scenes and thrilling portraits of characters so vivid that we remember their words and feel their fear and hunger for the rest of our lives. In the two main characters, the white-shouldered, irresistible Scarlett and the flashy, contemptuous Rhett, Margaret Mitchell not only conveyed a timeless story of survival under the harshest of circumstances, she also created two of the most famous lovers in the English-speaking world since Romeo and Juliet. - Amazon.com

HISTORICAL FICTION TO PURCHASE The Scarlet Pimpernel is a classic play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution. It was first produced as a record-breaking play in an adaptation by Julia Neilson and Fred Terry.The novel was published soon after the play's opening and was an immediate success. Orczy gained a following of readers in England and throughout the world. With the demand high, she wrote a number of sequels over the next 35 years.The success of The Scarlet Pimpernel, in novel and play form, allowed Orczy and her husband to live out their " lives in luxury and comfort. The play was performed to great acclaim in France, Italy, Germany and Spain, while the novel was translated into 16 languages. - Amazon.com Available for download on a Kindle for $0.00

SUBGENRESOF HISTORICAL FICTION • Prehistoric Epics, Ancient Civilizations, and Precontact Native Americans • Settings drawn from archaeological and anthropological research • “provide a sense of lost wonders and setting that seem more exotic than those in eras with well-documented history” Keeper of the Stone - Margaret Allen

SUBGENRESOF HISTORICAL FICTION • Sagas • Series spanning decades or centuries • Offer opportunity for character development, allowing reader to connect to people/families • Often involve romance and/or adventure The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough • Asia, Africa and the Antipodes Shogun- James Clavell

SUBGENRES OF HISTORICAL FICTION •The America’s • Focus on ‘new frontiers’; moving to a new land that is not yet ‘civilized’ • Focus on North America and Australia North America to 1800 Redcoat– Bernard Cornell (Philadelphia, during the American Revolution) Nineteenth Century Gone with the Wind–Margaret Mitchell

SUBGENRES OF HISTORICAL FICTION • Classics (of Historical Fiction) Three Musketeers– Alexander Duma The Last of the Mohicans - James Fenimore Cooper • Epics • Focused on a specific geographical location • Covers centuries or millennia The Covenant– James Michener

Westerns The Cowboy Camp by Rita McWhorter A panoramic landscape from the Delaware Mountains in Culberson County in West Texas. Guadalupe Peak is seen in the background. The foreground features working cowboys resting in camp at the end of the day. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/Western_art/cowboy_camp.htm

WESTERNS - DEFINITION Saricks defines Westerns as novels set in the western United States that "depict the image and feel" of the times from the end of the Civil War to the start of the 20th century. Historical accuracy is not as important as the adventure element.

WESTERN - CHARACTERISTICS ~ Frame of vivid landscape description in the west U.S., from the Civil War to 1900, but often a sense of timelessness. ~ The traditional hero is a loner, using brain rather than brawn to right wrongs, before he moves on. ~ Plots may be complex or simple. Themes may include surviving the landscape, lawlessness & the rising of the west. ~ Tone is often elegiac & nostalgic. ~ Often fast paced action. ~ Dialogue of rich jargon.

WESTERNS - FRAME > Landscape is the frame to the point that it becomes a character. > The landscape is a paradox since it is dangerous but beautiful. The west seems open to infinite possibilities. The terrain and men that live there are shown as larger than life. This adds a heroic and mythic dimension to the story. > The frame of the West in the late 1800s seems specific. However, there is a lack of further details. This vagueness adds to the timelessness of these novels.

WESTERNS -TONE/MOOD Tone in Westerns is usually one of nostalgia for that place and time that will never come again. An elegiac mood is often set for these knights of the west. There may be undertones of anything from humor to darkness. Today's Westerns may have more gritty violence such as in Tombstone by Matt Braun.

WESTERNS - STORY LINE Western storylines may often follow a formula, but they usually involve serious issues. Morality and justice "directs the story line" as the hero restores order. The possibility of death is ever present from the land, animals and people. After a ritual gunfight the hero may even die, which is uncommon in other genres. "No, the bad luck comes on the people who are with me, but never on me." Luck by Max Brand

WESTERNS - CHARACTERIZATION Characterization is a major element of Westerns. The classic lone hero is almost mythic as he fights for justice, then moves on. Real historical figures such as Buffalo Bill Cody may be featured (This Old Bill). The heros in modern westerns are idealized but may have "human frailties". Secondary characters include sidekicks, often stereotypical Indians or women. "Call me Shane." Shane by Jack Schaefer

WESTERNS - PACING The action in Westerns "increases the speed at which we read" these smaller books. The novels themselves are "not necessarily fast-paced". Saricks states that the "creation of mythic elements in The characters, description, and plot may slow the pacing". In traditional Westerns the dialogue may be spare and the pace fast.

WESTERNS - STYLE/LANGUAGE The language expected in a Western is spare but colorful. Jargon regarding "weapons and horses" is used. The description of the rugged landscape may be lyrical at times. Style or format is straightforward, traditionally. "Short stories are popular" and recently graphic novel Westerns have been published. "The battle lines, according to the scouts, were drawn and a fight appeared certain." Standing Elk by Craig Dressler

WESTERNS: KEY AUTHORS Saricks lists the following as key authors of the Western genre: Don Coldsmith, Steven Overholser Larry McMurtry (Literary Fiction), Loren D. Estleman (Mystery), Robert B. Parker (Mystery), Elmore Leonard (Crime Thrillers) Classic Authors: Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, Max Brand, Will Henry Jack Schaefer's "Shane" and Owen Wister's "The Virginian" • known for these single titles, but influential in the formation and popularity of the genre (The Reader's Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction pages 322, 323)

WESTERNS - AUTHOR PROFILE A name that comes almost immediately to mind when considering the Western genre is Louis L'Amour. He has earned the following recognition for his work: Western Writers of America's Golden Spur Award North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award Hondo and Flint are voted places in the 25 best Western Novels of all time Western Writer's of America's Golden Saddleman Award His books have been translated into over fifteen foreign languages and are sold in English in almost a dozen countries.

Born Louis La Moore in Jamestown, North Dakota on March 22, 1908, Louis had many life experiences that provided inspiration for his writing. As a child he had contact with cowboys and soldiers. When he was 15 a faltering economy caused his family to leave the Upper Northwest. From there he worked many jobs includeing: skinning cattle in Texas, baling hay in New Mexico, working in mines in Arizona, California and Nevada and working in saw mills and lumber yards in Oregon and Washington. He also had a career as a boxer For a time he hoboed around the US. He circled the globe as a merchant seaman on steamships, visiting England, Japan, China, Borneo, Arabia, Egypt, Panama and the Dutch East Indies. Louis loved books and learning. Throughout his life he made good use of the local library and sometimes went without food so he could purchase books for his own collection. He more than made up for his Grade 10 education with personal study.

Louis always wanted to be writer and began with poetry, which didn't pay very well. He switched to writing for magazines selling his first short story "Anything for a Pal" to a pulp magazine called True Gang Life. He wrote in many genres, but at first was best known for his Adventure stories. In 1942, just months away from his 35th birthday, Louis joined the US Army. He returned to the US to a changed market. Editors were looking for Mysteries and Westerns. Because of his his previous experiences a friend in the publishing business encouraged Louis to write Westerns. Read Louis's first published short story: "Anything for a Pal" at http://www.louislamour.com/firstchapt/anything4pal

Louis' popularity began to increase with the 1953 release of Hondo. This film starring none other than John Wayne was based on the short story "Gift of Cochise" (collected in War Party). Saricks says, "Even though he died in 1988, Louis L'Amour remains one of the most popular Western writers, with good reason: his adventure-filled Westerns still thrill readers." (The Readers' AdvisoryGuide to Genre Fiction, p.322) Since his death Bantam Books has continued to release the work of Louis L'Amour. Over one hundred million copies of his books have been sold. Many of his collections of short stories have become hardcover best sellers. picture from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045883/picture

ONEDAY I WASSPEEDINGALONGATTHETYPEWRITER, ANDMYDAUGHTER - WHOWASACHILDATTHETIME - ASKEDME, "DADDY, WHYAREYOUWRITINGSOFAST?" AND I REPLIED, "BECAUSE I WANTTOSEEHOWTHESTORYTURNSOUT!" . . . LOUIS L'AMOUR Information for biography and quote came from the official website: http://www.louislamour.com/ Check it out for lots more information! . Picture from: www.novelhouse.com/Louis_LAmour.htm

FEATUREDWRITINGOF LOUIS L'AMOUR Hondo "Two men. One woman. A land that demanded courage--or death... He was a man etched by the desert's howling winds, a big, broad-shouldered man who knew the ways of the Apache and ways of staying alive. She was a woman raising a young son on her own on a remote Arizona ranch. And between Hondo Lane and Angie Lowe was the warrior Vittoro, whose people were preparing to rise against the white men. Now the pioneer woman, the gunman, and the Apache warrior are caught in a drama of love, war, and honor. " from: http://www.louislamour.com/novels/hondo.htm picture from: http://www.fictiondb.com/author/louis-lamour~hondo~91343~b.htm

OTHERWORKSBY LOUIS L'AMOUR • Sackett series • In fictional story order (not the order written). • Sackett’s Land • To the Far Blue Mountains • The Warrior’s Path • Jubal Sackett • and 13 more... Hopalong Cassidy series Originally published under the pseudonym "Tex Burns". • The Riders of High Rock • The Rustlers of West Fork • The Trail to Seven Pines • Trouble Shooter • Collections of short stories • War Party (1975) • The Strong Shall Live (1980) • Yondering (1980; revised edition 1989) • Buckskin Run (1981) • Bowdrie(1983) • and many more... Bibliography taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_L'Amour

LOUIS L'AMOURREADALIKES Lee Child Fans of Louis L'Amour who are willing to break into another genre shouldn't overlook Lee Child. Looking for compelling tales of justice featuring a loner hero, descriptive landscapes, and gunplay used only as a last resort? Child's Jack Reacher will fit the bill. The first in the series is Killing Floor -- Shauna Griffin on NoveList Lyle Brandt Readers who enjoy L'Amour's fast-paced Western stories books for adults about revenge and outlaws may also enjoy Brandt. Try Justice Gun -- NoveList

Nancy E. Turner If you like fast-paced Western stories books for adults featuring frontier and pioneer life, you might like both L'Amour and Turner. Try Sarah's quilt: the novel of Sarah Agnes Prine and the Arizona territories, 1906. - NoveList Douglas Clyde Jones Douglas C. Jones' Westerns combine historical accuracy with strong storytelling, though Jones rarely ventures further west than Arkansas. His stories of settling the West are filled with action and adventure and a touch of humour, and are marked by respect for Native Americans and their traditions. Try Shadow of the Moon. -- Shauna Griffin on NoveList

SUBGENRESOF WESTERNS • Native Americans • conflicts between indigenous groups and the ‘invading’ culture Panther in the Sky – James Alexander Thom • Indian Captives • individuals captured and often adopted into the tribes, and those who search for them Dances with Wolves – Michael Blake

SUBGENRESOF WESTERNS • Merchants and Teamsters • stories of suppliers to the West Canyon Passage – Ernest Haycox • Wagons West and Early Settlement • settlers who travelled to the ‘untamed’ West Northwest Passage – David Thompson • Mines and Mining • stories of gold and silver fortune seekers The Empty Land – Louis L’Amour

S UZANNE H AYES M ICHELLE C OOK G AIL C OLLETTE