Far and Away: The Search for
I receirrcd a side arrar of
Unusual Historical Fiction
CARRIE LOFTY sharcsherjomnE futo the rcaln qf nnasnal settirtE.f.or
histaical xouelt.
In tlte abrcnrcsof' a deunt tixte ntarhin4 frlion rcntain.rtlsentoil ttttrd-\' rcLridt
.for diting olhcrems.- Tom Nolan, actor and writer
\\'iren I sat dos.n to \\idte this article. I first necded to dir.est rnlseif
of preconceptions that developed after srudf ing uousual settings
in leistorical romallce. The rcrrrance genre is proscribed bv narure,
clefined by the Romance Wtitcrs of America (RWA) as har,-ing a) a
cenffal story about "two indrviduals fallhg in love and sttuggling tcr
make the relarion-ship rvork," ancl b) an encling s'herebv the lovers
"are re.u'nardeds'ith emotionai jusdce and unconditional lote."
Be1-ond drese rrvo basic pnnciples, there exist no other restrictions
and no t.ritten prohibition aqainst stories set .in unusual tinre-t or
places, and in fact manr.' such romances hase been publi-sherl or-er
the last thirF vears.Readerexpectarionsregardinu emotionai content
bieed into a preference fbr
and familiat plot structr.rresdo, leo',,vever,
recognizable settings.
Although some roffrance readers are as concerned u'lth historical
accuracy as any reader of historical 6crion, nranr place gteater value
cin the abilri' to relate to characters and their dereloping rofilance.
Because of rhis, the genre of histotical romance cr-cles thrcugtr
proionged fixatiot.rs on parricular periods, be it American Old \\'est
settings pc;pular in the late 1980s and earh'1990s, or Regencr"r:ra
setdngs that have been the staple of tomantic fiction for the last
ten lears. "The Regency has thc 'to;z1ry' of the nobiliq' rhat lends
itself to the Cinderella stor\;" saYsromance author B\'tl-rc Giftotd,
whose InnocenceUnuuled is set in medieval Flanclers. "The Scottish
f{rghlands and the American West immediately bring to rnind certain
archetypes: warrior, lonet, oudaw, man of honor," she saYs."N{ote
unusual settinqsmar'leave a readerguessinga-sto t'hat kind of storr-
(and hero) to expect."
Those historical romance authors. such as mt'self-,s-ho har-echosen
to reflmre outside of tried-and-rrue sertilgs can tind the road tr rockr'
one, and the understanding drac one s.'rites "unusual historicals" is
fhirlr cleat-cut. Settings outside of England crrthe United States mark
the first dir.ergence from "usual." Any no'r'el set after 1900 is also an
outl.ier, as are novels with non-Christiaa protagr:nists. Sornetirnes the
difference can be as subtle as a rorflaflc€ set in the Jtearsbef.re the
American Revolution. The r\merican setting is nothing bizarte, but
rhe choice of tirne period is distinctir-out-of-step s'ith dre maior:in'of
romances that linger in the OId \\'est. Conr-erseli'.urban-set \\'esterns
- sar-,with San Francisco as the iocale - also challenseconvctrr'ion.
In the realm of historicai fiction publishing. tl-redefinition of s'hat
consdrutesan unusual setting or eta is lessundetstood. \\'hen I cailed
on Hi.storical Novel Sociew mcmbets to ansrr"'erquestions tbt this
22 THEMAGAZTNE
SOLANDER, 13 NO 1 MAY2009
NOVELSOCIETYVOL
OFTHEHISTORTCAL
articic.
respon-\es.Some authors delined
"unusrral" br rhe setdng alone,
rvhile others cited ficdonalizing
the live:s of obscure historical
figr"ues, <;r the promineoce of
atvpical professions or plotlines.
Self-iclcntifi-ing as "unusual"
seemeci tcl hoid a great deal of
clour among the historical ircdon
authors s'ho respondcd to mr-
surre], and this iack of consensus did nnthing to l-relp me gather a
conr-incing pottrait of s'hat the tetm means to the gcnr-e
I decided to investi.gatear'rddefine thc state of the genre for myself'
Wlrat makes iristorical liction unusual? Wirat matket fbrces are at
w'otk? Is thete aal conseosus about rvhat is npicai?
I askerl mi' respondetts url'tatconsdrutcs the status quo in historical
fiction. Ilanr cited the ciominance of Cir-il \\'ar aod Tudor England
as settings.but this assumprion does not holcl true amonll bestsellers,
Accorcling to Pzbli:Lrcri Il: rtkly,r since 2tl(Xl, onlv nvo nor-elscontaining
historical elements h:rr-eranked among the top terr bestsellersin the
Uniteci States: r-oung adult author Gernlcl Nlorris's Tltt l-iane'r.re: Her
'I'he
Knryht (medieval Englantl) and Elizebcth liostova's Histoilan
(multiple lcicales throushout the 20'r' centuq). On an international
scale, Carkrs Fi:clz Zat(tn's The Sladnn' o./ the Wind (post Spanish
Civii \\iar Barcelona) has sold roughh' ten million copies s'r:rldwide.
making it one of the bestsellingnovels of all time
Trends rou'ard non-Tudot and non-Cir-il \'irr setdngs are also borne
out s-ith an exarninaiic.rn oi rhe Hi-storicalNorcl Socienrspublicarion
Hi.rtoint/ Norc/.rRetitn'(HNR). Anrons the editors' top picks for
2008-()9,numerous time periods anci locales hare beerr tepresented
in the 1'ear'.sbest llction offer-ings,rnclucling one Biblical setting, nvo
Egvpti:rn, tr.r.'oGreeli, fcrur Roman, four medieval European, and
three colonial Latin.\merican. as well as uumerous novels set in eatlv
n:odern Eulope ancl 19'r'-centun Englancl and Uniteci States.
The most plentit'ul cateqor\- among the IINR edrtors' picks pror-ed
to be books set betq'een t90L| and i945. In recent tears, earL.t' 20"''
ceflturr historical ficdon inr-ariablr- dealt widr \\brict \\ar II, and
s'Luie these t\\-enr\-six ncnels did inclucle rzrieci examinarions of
n:artime and Holocaust tilemes, thcir taden' extends rvell be,rond
those catastrophic periocls. Brazil, Spain, Canada, icelnncl, Russia,
Indja, and Armenia, not to mention vatjous locations u'ithin the
burueoning pou.'er of the tlnited Statcs, are all representcd, as ate
thcmes flom quiet seltlcliscor-ert' to genocide, making this era ripe
s'idr varien-.
Perhaps that r-arien-is s'hat makes the pcriod-ler/undcrrepresented.
:\ novel set in i920s Russia has [tde in cornn:tori \\'ith on€ set ln
1930s Canada, 'trfiereas novel,t dea[ng u'ith Tudor colrrf intrisue mil\-
statt t() blend into onc another, no nrxtter their indiviciual srengths
or differences. With the ead,v20'h centur)', the sariery of topics allotws
 I-NDUS'I'K
;1 great deal of leewal' to authors, rvhile - as another genemtion interpersorral interpretations as offered up in E. L. Doctorow's 2005
iuccumbs to old age - readers ate prepared to take this period PEN /Faulkner rvinnins TbeA:latrh ancl Charles tlrzzier's 1999 debut
seriousl\.as a Iegitimate serting for historical nor-els.This process s-.i11 Cold )Iaanttin, t,hich l'as also adapted into arr Academv .trr'ard-
continue as uorks set aftet \\\\TI begrn to be classedas histcirical, s'inrring film oi dre same name. This apparent feminization of
er-idencedb-v dre six post-1945 nor"els drat rnade the HNR editors' iristorv dicl not so unnoticcd by m1'r:espondents,suggesting that the
1008-09lists. flervcst de finition of rvhat makes an "unusual" historical mav be that
ir fearuresprimarih- mnlc protagonists.
So ii varietr, is s.ell representedamong nerr teleases,r'hr rre rtre
discussing unusual historicals at ali? Karen Nlercu4-, auth(x of
B$r
the Madagascar-set adventute Jtrarrye/yVnderfzil, suggests that the In an C)ctober 2008 study conciucted
eristence of such rarieh- does not guarantee siunificant salcs or THORI'I I br Hall and Partners for Break \[edia,3
reader appror-al. "In the '70s and '80s, Ilr Thont Bird.;, both book
and miniseries, was huge," saysA{ercurt', "but 1'oudidn't seea sudden
Bi R D S lifn-ir:ur percent oi rnen betu.een
eishteen antl thirq-four reported that
surge in novels set in Australia. Shaganwas lruge in print and on TV, {.,il,,,, C,ft,,,r/, thev do not read books. By contrast,
-.,i/,
let rou didn't seea spate of Japanese-set rvorks." For casualreaders :# accordrng to The Xav \'ork 'fines,i
oi h.istorical 6ction, perhaps the "best of " lists made b1' edrtors are ' n'o*.n arL' eslirlated rr> makc up
S
less rclling than the books that capturc the t'ider irnagination and tap betw'ecn sc'\fenf)' to eightl' percent
into existins preferences, creating a communitl' of of the book-buving puhlic. Reading
readersrvho might not othenvise dip into the genre. clubs, g,herc ngr"els gain popularifi
through intense rvord of mouth.
In parricular, one book that has corne to dominate garned populariq, 1r".uu." of Opraht
nuch of popular histotical 6ction, and serl'ed as Book Ciub and the l!{crther and Daughter Book Club.
.r definition of "starus quo" among manv of ml Acccrrdingto an AP/Ipsos sur\€\- conducted -n 2007,u
'[be
:espcrndents, ts Other Bo/e1'nGirl bv Philippa \\:omen rrake up nearh all rhe mernbership of these
Gregorr-, ptrbiisbed in 2001. Subsecluend'r' adapred discussion groups. Tirc emergencc of these groups
lnro tlvo films, one of which grossed more tban has prompted publishcrr:sto change horv they market
S-5 million rvoddu,ide, and follot'ed bv five sequels, histcrricai fiction. )?ar oi'llibndert bl Getaldine Brooks
Ti;e Other Boleln Cirl has been creditecl wirh reviving and 'l-lteBirili oJ I 'enrcbv Sarah Dunnant, as examples,
:istorical 6cdon in dre United Statcs, panicularlr- both conrain hisror:icaland hterarl questions intended to
.1moog women. Historical fiction uansFornred fronr facilitrte book-club discussions.
flichael Shaara's 'l-beKiller Anglr - heawi\' centered
, ,n male protagonists ancl rvartime e\-ents- to norels But docs this uull poinr to changcs.in the content of
,,: court intrigue, personal betrarals, sex, and the irisrorical hction? Yes, q{ren u'e examine sutistics accumulated in
.rrama of [.t-c. that -sameAP/Ipsos sun'er'. First, wnmen zccount for etghry percent
of all liction sales,an<{thev read books of all kinds in a ratio of nine
il'leile estimares susgest tirat Gregon-t books number more than to lir-e or-err:ren. Secoud,the onh-categoriesu,here nten read rrrore
:irree rnillion print copies in the United States alone, the shock than s'omen are specificallv bioetaphl and histotr-. To apptoach
..i'er-eof her success ensured that other nor.els of Tudor Englan,J the examination fiom the other side, according to the Cbiu,goSNn
:olloted. HBO'.s series "The Tudors," ."r'hich rarher salaciouslJ' 'I-irte.t,'rontance sits arnong science fiction and fantast' as rhe onh'
ietails the fictional espk:its of a loung Henn- \'-III, brought this seg.lrrelrtsof publisiring to increase salesin 2008 Thus if the prirnan'
:cpular theme into lir-inq rooms, as did muluple big-buciget mories booli-bur ing popuiation, namel\ s'<;men,has demonstrateda lack oi
:rbouf the life of Queen Elizabeth L Tudor Engiand has becrtme interest in non-fiction historical accourts and an increasedinterest in
ror historical fiction u'hat the Regenct era is for histodcai toralance. romance. ir mi.qht e:cplainu'hi' historicai fiction published in the last
\ot onlr is dre Regencr poised benr.een the free-s'heeLingGeor.4an decade has skervedtoq,ard personal drama and ftmale protagonists.
reriod and the strict moralin- of the \rictorians, but unspoiled, pre-
Industrial landscapes and conveniences such as indoor plumbing It is, cluite simpl1',what's seiling;.
:'Lndtoothbrushes make it an icleal tomantic setring. The Tudors, br
coritrast, offer a high dcgree of political mcchanizarions, su'eepinu \'et er-en ()n this subject. nr) eas\-consensus e.sists.\\'hen asked
cists of complicatedlvjnrerconnectetlcharaclers,and colrrts packecl n-hat perccir-ed rules exist in historical {icuon publjshing, Donald
'.i-ith minor plai'ers rvhose varied perspecrives malie for endless Miclrtrel Platt, author of &ocurttoru,a novei of 17o-century Spain
i-ersions of familiar events. There is a certain srittiness, too, both and Amsterdam, cited an irrdusttv preference fbr female authors
rnetaphodcallr' (grasping ambitions) and literallr- (personal hlqicne) witlr fema.leprota.qonists.He calied For" ...a revilal of the so-called
:har seems to compliment historical fiction readers' demand for Golelen Age of historicals u-irhout gender preftrence br- agents
';nflinching accuac)', as opposed to the nearlr sanjtjzed r.ersion of and publishing l'rouses." But author Zo€ Archer, rvhose fbur-part
i'ristory presented in historical romance. "tslades of the Rose" series rvill begin publication with Kensington
in 2010. insists rhis pcrceir-ed gender shift has to do rvidr reader
The Arnerican Cir-il \\hr remains a popular seftlng as l'ell, but the conclitioninq.She sars,'A male readerdoesn'tlearn the samekind ol
:-,rcusha-sshified from cletails about battles and gcnerals to rrrore fexibiliw rvith his identilication process, since l-risneeds ate met by

SOLANDER,THE MAGAZINEOF THE HISTORICALNOVELSOCIETYVOL].3 NO 1 MAY 2OO9 23

 are cofldiri{)nedearit to ldcnnn onir-
withrrhire or F-uropeanprorasoilsts,
so drat, s'hen a protagonistof co.lor
is represented, ther. might feel a
senseof drsconnect."
This nerverst1.leof historical 6ction,
one aimed at a f-emale:rudrcncc,is
no lcss accurate.After all. I tdte
histodcal ronance. t-hich is geared
rcn- much to\\ ard the female reader,
and I pride mr-self on tire ebilin
to b[errd accuracv lnd narrlt.ir-e.
Accuracr. n{) mattet the storJ-,
remains tbe bedrock oi historical
'I-/:t
fiction. Christine Ttenq author of dre f<>tthcoming OneenJ
Dollwcker. said, "I think what is so attractivc about historic:rl lictron
tbr readers is that it rs escapism taken to the next level. Not onlv can
l-ou forqet abr>ut the pressures of the rr',rrid around rou f<rt a q'htle,
\-ou can completeh- lear-e r-our o\-n time period. Thai atmosphere is
important iirr qetring the reaclcr transportecl backxzrd in thc tlrst fes-
pages.",-\ thirst tbr demrl and transportrl-c accurac\- fuels rl.rcgcnre.
Respecteil scholars -"uch zrsAlison \\'eir. rrl-ro made irer fictional debut
in 2001 ttith Itruoctnt' Tnilor: ,1 Xolz/ oi Lrrdl .lanc Gtz.;', sr-rcccssfulh:
venfure into the t'orld of imagination 'ancl clialngue becausc their
academic credentials give them the clout tho'nced to compcte in the
markeqplace. Readers of historica] ficdon expect good storJtellirrg,
ves, but u'ith the highest possible degree o[ rescarch precision.
usr.raisertinqs - sucir ;rs $-ere$-oir-esin 19-1-lGeimanr.. rir ar'l alternrlts
\rictonan era as presenred in her l'.rxlk -\larder c:.-,\[t4qirk; - insists
that rh.isconnection ro the modern dar'.is essendal to good historical
fiction, no matter the setf,rg 'i\i.y ston' thath u,ell researched,
tightlv plotted, and sonrehol incorporates todal''s probiems $Tithout
sacrificing historical accurac,v is a glood stotl'."
Thus, although I beqan rr'riting this article rvith the certainry 1u'oulcl
be ablc to identit\' a dcmarcarion bcnveen n''hat consritutes the usu^l
ancl the unusual in historical trction. rhat has not happened. Instead, I
discotered that despite perceir-ed - ancl. on occasion, actual - readers'
prefcrences lbr particr-rlar eras and locale s. the genrc itseli is alive with
difierence and the espectation drat bourrdaries can and n-ill be pushed.
Ser-elal rcspondents trrenuoned r\'Iichelle }Ioran'.s Nellrrtil as a prime
e rarnple r:f horv assumed para,ligms can shift ruth the success of a
single book. All readets ash for .in r{:turfl is an unparalle}ed devot-ion
to accuracv becausc, much like the cxpectation of a happy ending
.in romance or a q'ho-done-it solvecl nt the conclusion of a mvst€tv.
ilstorical fiction requires no other characterisdc.
N otes
tml -
t h np :, . txl:publisherss'eekh'.com ;' rrtic le':C.1,6-i.1396-l-lt
2 lrrtp:,',,blog.s-ired.comT'business/
6lcs7'onlineadrertising.pdt-.
3 lrtrp:1;'n-ns',nrtirncs.ctim/199i/03/1 ,-/brst1'tess,,'somen-bu\-fiction-in-
bulk -and-publshets-takc-notice.irtrnl?sec= & spon= &pagc$?fi ted=all.
4. [rnp: / / u'wsrmsnbc.msn.com / 1d/ 203816] 8/ /
5 htqr:,//smrrrthestarphoenix-com/opinion/op-ed/Bodicc+rippets*enio
*Publishcr/ 1448868/ storr--htnrl
vinq* rccession'1-busting*salcs

Hos'er-er-, the deliberate dccrsion to \\-rite zrltcrnate historics or to

infuse hisrrxical Iiction s'ith paranormal clenrents is a leqitimate
CtiriiL l-rt'1lt enfikti l.nr /)/d!t(r'.; de.gvtia Ltislrtt-in'itl: a tJusi.rou Old
pursuit - to r point For c\irmple, an alternntc histort that postulates
L['i'.tlrtriltn't tnd il-,t iatPortunrcaj legurdto po-;i-[ie|lm rrtvt4'. \\hat
r-icron- fbr the Confederarc Stares of America u'ould still require
tah ol'Il:'ili -l*trll and ltis
a Scoundrel \\hnts. /.rr,!trLl,adr,enturotr.t
accul?cv ri.ith regar.d to armanrents, unifcrrnrs, armr protocol, and
rlau.qrtna;h$ lot e. yte d Dt'ceniter 2008 Zabra DelnL md Scoundrel's
troop molernerlts, po[tical dccisions, and other events preceding the
Iiss..liatutittg a Cd.rti/irtil nnrit,r nrtnk 'tild an apiun mldid, n,'i//Jal/ott in
break u.ith kr'rorvn historl,. ()r, rvith tegard to paranormal elctnents,
I anti ary 2 A | 0. 5 tr cari ilrtJ\- con f unusuaI lt i $ on ta k. bk2qsp
ot-rt tt.
the historical customs, dress, rnechanizations, and technolagy r.vould
need to be accutate except for an author's intentional "hveaks."
One example of this is T'fu Dark Qreen by Susan Carroll, in rvhicir
Catherinc cle \ledici is portrn'ed as an acnral proficient in the dark
arts. Thc s,-rrrld of 16*^cenrul' Florence rs rneticulou-.ll recre:tted,
aod the facts ot the time ate not negatecl ot made ant'less tmPortant
bl the inclusicin of nragical elL'tncnts.Readers cnn get on board t'ith
one or t\\i.) dcliberate alterarions - that susperrsion of disbelief - as
long as thct''rc not asked to forgive sloppt tescarch loo.

Some arithors find their idcas best expressed w-ith die addition of a
litde alternatir,-e history but others are keen ro tlemonstrare parallels
to modern-claY e\reflts, socinl changes, and poiicv decisir>ns. While
Tudor England and the Civil \{ar are prime csamples of thc historical
Fction mirinstream, the process of demonsttating these parellels can
be easicr s'hen s'orking in lcsscr-knos-n settinqs Broos Carnpbell.
rr.hose]Iattv Grar-es serics is sct in the Caribbe:rn in 1800. purpose iulh
Iocated rhe st<>riesin that era to drarv polirical parallels. "I chose that
time and place borh becalrsc it u'as obscure and because American
tbreign pol.icl seems to har.e rernarned remarkabh'consisteut bctrr'een

24 THE MAGAZTNE
SOLANDER, NOVELSOCIETYVOLr-3NO 1 MAY2009
OFTHE HTSTORICAT