The purpose of reading a historical novel in a history course is to give you a greater feel for the past than you normally get from your textbook and course lectures. Although the narrative, dialogue, and characters in a historical novel are fictitious, a good novelist will present historically accurate descriptions of past events and help you to imagine the experience of what it was like to live in a different time and place. Examples of historical novels frequently assigned in history courses are Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels; Charles Dickens, Hard Times; Alexander Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich; and Richard Wright, Native Son.

When reading a historical novel,

• Pay close attention to details like clothing, food, modes of transportation and types of housing. How did people in the book live their everyday lives differently than people do today? Determine the historical context of the novel. What larger historical events were happening at the time, and how does this history intersect with the narrative of the book?
• Think about how the characters in the novel experience the events surrounding them. How do the characters interpret their times, and what does this tell you about the past?
• Enjoy the story! Although your instructor will probably not test you on the plot of the novel, historical novels are often well-plotted books with colorful characters that you might not have discovered on your own.
• Follow your instructor’s directions. Because many instructors base writing or discussion assignments on historical novels, it is important that you pay close attention to what your instructor asks you to do.