|
The Value of Fiction |
|
|
|
|
When done really well, fiction leaves its audience thinking they know what the medieval world was really like. If the work is accurate, that's wonderful; but alas, novels and films have been known to present a skewed version of events and to perpetuate common misconceptions about the Middle Ages.
Of
course, most readers realize that much of the dialogue and the
private moments of real historical figures that are captured in text
or on film are only speculation. They may be aware on some level that
events are open to interpretation, and that what they read or see is
just one of many versions of "what might have happened." Yet even
readers who are acutely aware of these facets of historical fiction
often ignore any question of accuracy concerning general historical
background, settings and costumes, and the details of daily life,
accepting as given that this much, at any rate, is authentic. This
may be the most dangerous pitfall of using fiction as a doorway to
the past.
In order to enjoy the experience of fiction, we can (and should) suspend disbelief, and suspend as well any analysis of its veracity as history--while reading the story or watching the film. But once you close the book or leave the theater, it's time to think again.
Even the most carefully-researched historical novel can contain errors of fact, and the sad truth is that many such novels aren't carefully researched to begin with. Unlike a historian writing a scholarly treatise, novelists don't have to support every assertion with documentary, archaeological or even secondary evidence in order to get their work published;* they just have to write a good story. And films are so notorious for lacking accuracy that some moviegoers take particular delight in counting the mistakes.
Furthermore, scholarly views of the medieval world are constantly evolving; what was considered a fairly accurate picture of the Middle Ages in, for example, the 1970's may be rendered much less authentic by the research and new evidence uncovered in the last twenty years. You will sometimes find authors standing on the shoulders of earlier writers and passing along the erroneous or outdated details of their predecessors, with very few readers ever the wiser.
Next Page > Evaluating Fiction > Page 1, 2, 3
*Unfortunately, the same could be said of much popular history that gets published, as well. (back)
More at the Medieval History Site
Site
Map
FAQs
Quizzes
Reviews
Daily
Features
More about the Knightly Newsletter
