Does historical fiction have an obligation to be factually accurate?

cynic

We have discussed about memoirs being "spiced up" to be more saleable. And if truth is indeed such a grey concept. What about historical fiction?

Does historical fiction have an obligation to be factually accurate? It is "fiction" after all. Does it need to be true to its place & time, or is it okay to take a few creative liberties? What are your thoughts on this?

jhsurti

My personal belief: It should be factually correct to be labelled as "historical" fiction. The author may take liberties with what he thinks transpired in the form of conversations or the aspects that we don't know much about. But since he categorises it as "historical", the space and time and events must comply with what is in the known history. Else it no more remains historical.

soothsayer

I look at it differently. Historical -so key core facts would remain but the fiction part- Yes that is fiction so one does not have to stick to facts

anisojaru7981

Factually historical fiction should be correct. Historical facts should not be distorted

cynic

I agree. Why call it a "historical" if it is not factually correct. Similar to myth fics, the author can take creative liberties to fictionalize interactions and thought processes.

divey

The word fiction means author can take creative liberty with the subject, so its not necessary to be completely correct. But yes major facts should be stuck at and not to be tampered with, that way it lends far more authenticity to the whole thing

DYates

Tough one! I can see both sides of the spectrum, but given that we are talking about fiction, I have to come down on the side that allows liberties to be taken. To me historic fiction merely means that it's set some time in the past. Now as to how far back it has to be, is subjective. If some one writes a story set in the 1800s or before, it meets my criteria for historical fiction. The 20th century ... perhaps anything set a hundred years or more ago would classify as "historic"? That would make it a sliding window. So at the time that Conan Doyle wrote the Holmes stories they would have been contemporary, but today they would be historic!

manmohit76

Historical fiction strictly speaking has not to be an absolute truth.. The fiction genre gives enough space for the author to take some liberties with the facts.. Though it is desirable that basic theme should not be distorted and liberties can be taken with finer details.

vaimurthy

it has to be factual for actual events. Author can take the liberty to put his imagination in screenplay or script.

tuli08@

Accrding  to me , hiostorical facts should not be distorted. The major characters in the historical fiction books are mostly fictitious...so the author has a large playground anyway. Even if the characters are hostorical, one should take liberty with the conversations not with facts.