EVALUATING HISTORICAL FICTION

• Does the book tell a good story? In your opinion, what makes the story effective or ineffective?




• Is fact blended with fiction in such a way that the background is subordinate to the story? How does the author balance fact and fiction throughout the book?




• Is the story as accurate and authentic as possible? Why or why not?




• Does the author provide background information in an afterword or author's note that will help readers distinguish between what is fact and what has been fictionalized? How does the inclusion or exclusion of such a note affect the reading experience?




• Does the story accurately reflect the values and norms of the culture depicted? In what ways?




• Does the author avoid any contradiction or distortion of the known events of history? If so, how? If not, how do distortions or contradictions affect the story?




• Are background details authentic, in keeping with accurate information about the period? Offer examples to support your answer.




• Does the story accurately reflect the values and spirit of the time? In what ways?




• Are different points of view on the issues of the time presented or acknowledged? Describe the varied points of views presented. If varying points of views are not presented, does their absence affect your impression of the book? In what ways?




• Does the dialogue convey a feeling of the period without seeming artificial? Does it reflect character as well as setting? Provide examples of dialogue to support your answers.




• Is the language of the narrative appropriate to the time, drawing figures of speech from the setting? Offer examples to support your response.




• Does the theme provide insight and understanding for today's problems as well as those of the past? What modern problems are illuminated by the historical narrative? How does the author draw connections between the past and the present?