Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction

A unique and exciting introduction to the genre and craft of historical fiction, for curious students, aspiring authors--anyone with a passion for the past. Read classics of the genre, encounter bestselling writers of historical fiction, and discover your own historical archive while interacting with a global community of interested readers.

• Course Roadmap
• In this module Professor Holsinger poses a working definition of historical fiction and sets expectations for the course content and assignments.
• What is Historical Fiction?
• In this module Professor Holsinger details the history of the historical fiction novel through the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Poetry and Exile in Ancient Rome: Jane Alison
• In this module author and professor Jane Alison interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s at UVa to discuss her experience writing “The Love Artist.”
• Two Centuries of Historical Fiction
• This module reviews the history of historical fiction looking at major works and authors from the 18th and 19th century including The Leatherstocking Tales, William Wells Brown, and Charles Dickens.
• 19th Century Historical Fiction
• This module dives into the works of Anna Katharine Green and Professor Holsinger provides an overview of the forces that are effecting the craft of historical fiction.
• Seminar with Katherine Howe
• In this module author Katherine Howe interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s Historical Fiction class to discuss her book “Deliverance Dane.”
• Seminar with Geraldine Brooks
• In this module author Geraldine Brooks interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s Historical Fiction class to discuss her book “Year of Wonders.”
• Seminar with Mary Beth Keane
• In this module author Mary Beth Keane interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s Historical Fiction class to discuss her book “Fever.”
• Seminar with Yangsze Choo
• In this module author Yangsze Choo interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s Historical Fiction class to discuss her book “The Ghost Bride.”
• Dialogues in Historical Fiction
• This module consists of a series of interviews with authors and Professor Holsinger. Authors include: Michael McKeon, Eva Stachniak, David Robbins, Matthew Pearl and Andrew Taylor.
• Assignments and Wrap-Up
• This module has the two voluntary assignments for the course: Identifying a Historical Archive and Writing Historical Fiction. The module also contains the closing remarks video of Professor Holsinger.
• Resources
• This module includes the course readings, a list of archival resources, and an overview of the authors included in the course.