Discuss the novel as historial fiction. How much license may an author take in recreating past events, especially those so significant to a country's national identity?
Historical fiction would be defined as a fictional (untrue) story based upon historical events. Authors are able to take huge license in this genre because they are creating the story using facts in terms of background and setting. The easiest way to explain this license would be to consider Abe Lincoln as a vampire hunter..... absolutely laughable.
Authors do, however, need to stay true to the story time period and events they're portraying. Historical fiction is often seen as revisional history, but it isn't..... the word fiction eliminates that process. Readers do, however, tend to believe what they read in the same way they believe what they see in the movies. Thus a true author will do everything in their power to portray the truth behind the fiction.
