Historical Fiction Reading Project

Due Date: ______

How is historical fiction different from history texts and historical documents?

What can we learn about history from historical fiction?

How reliable is historical fiction? What factors influence its reliability?

British history is a popular topic for historical fiction novels. Read the historical fiction novel of your choice from the list below and think about the questions listed above. Only one student may read each novel, but a wide variety of choices exist. Verify no one else has chosen your novel before you begin. Create a project (see reverse after novel list) based upon the novel that demonstrates your understanding of one or more of the above essential questions.

· Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Mists of Avalon. (King Arthur)

· Burgess, Anthony. Nothing Like the Sun. (William Shakespeare)

· Chadwick, Elizabeth. The Winter Mantle. (Anglo-Saxons, Norman Conquest)

· Cornwell, Bernard. The Winter King. (King Arthur)

· Devlin, Mary. Murder on the Canterbury Pilgrimage: A Geoffrey Chaucer Mystery (Geoffrey Chaucer)

· Dunnett, Dorothy. King Hereafter. (historical Macbeth)

· Gardner, John. Grendel. (Anglo-Saxon period/Beowulf)

· Gardner, Laurien. Plain Jane: A Novel of Jane Seymour. (Jane Seymour, third queen of Henry VIII)

· George, Margaret. The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool Will Somers. (Henry VIII)

· Gregory, Philippa. The Other Boleyn Girl. (Anne Boleyn, second queen of Henry VIII)

· Gregory, Philippa. The Queen’s Fool. (Medieval Judaism, Queen Mary I)

· Gregory, Philippa. The Virgin’s Lover. (Queen Elizabeth I)

· Gwaltney, Doris. Shakespeare’s Sister. (William Shakespeare)

· Miles, Rosalind. I, Elizabeth. (Elizabeth I)

· Morgan, Philipa. Chaucer and the Doctor of Physic: A Medieval Murder Mystery. (Geoffrey Chaucer)

· Morgan, Philipa. Chaucer and the Legend of Good Women: A Medieval Mystery. (Geoffrey Chaucer)

· Pargeter, Edith. A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury. (War of the Roses)

· Penman, Sharon Kay. Here Be Dragons. (Medieval Wales, Llywelyn the Great)

· Penman, Sharon Kay. The Sunne in Splendour. (War of the Roses, Richard III)

· Penman, Sharon Kay. Time and Chance. (12th century, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine)

· Penman, Sharon Kay. When Christ and His Saints Slept. (12th century, Empress Maude and Stephen of Blois)

· Rutherford, Edward. London: The Novel. (history of London spanning two milennia)

· Rutherford, Edward. Sarum: The Novel of England. (10,000 years of history through the eyes of five families—wow!)

· Seton, Anya. Katherine. (Katherine Swynford, mistress of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster)

· Tremain, Rose. Restoration. (Restoration period)

· Wearing, J.P. The Shakespeare Diaries: A Fictional Autobiography. (William Shakespeare)

· Weir, Alison. Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey. (Elizabeth I, Jane Grey)

· White, T.H. The Once and Future King. (King Arthur)

Think about the essential questions in italics. How was reading this novel different from reading historical documents or nonfiction? What did you learn about history? How reliable was the novel you chose? You will need to research in order to determine these factors. Create a project answering these questions according to understandings you gleaned from reading and research. You are not limited to these ideas, but you should check with me before proceeding if you do not use one of the following ideas. Project ideas:

· Create a board game. Players should be able to learn about the book by playing your game. You will need instructions, a game board, player tokens, dice (or spinner), question cards (or similar). You might wish to include money appropriate for the times, such as Monopoly-type money.

· Create a computer game. Players should be able to learn about the book by playing your game. Include instructions for installation and playing.

· How would the historical figures involved feel about the novel? Construct a play or story in which a historical figure from the novel confronts the author.

· Create a newspaper describing events in the novel. You must include news stories of various types, ads, and opinion columns/letters to the editor.

· Create a scrapbook compiled by a character in the novel with images, quotations, and other important artifacts the character would have saved.

· Create a wiki. Include your analysis of the novel’s historicity.