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When does contemporary fiction become historical fiction?

Historical vs Contemporary Fiction (An #AuthorToolboxBlogHop Post)

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When does historical fiction become contemporary fiction (or vice versa)?

This question came up in a Facebook group recently. How do we classify historical vs contemporary fiction? Is a novel set in 1979 historical fiction? Or contemporary fiction? That got me thinking … and searching.

When do you think a contemporary novel becomes historical fiction (or vice versa)? Who decides? #WritersLife #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop Share on X

Who gets to decide whether a novel is historical or contemporary fiction? It could be:

  • Libraries (if they classify by genre)
  • Bookstores (who usually classify by genre)
  • Writing organisations (especially those with genre-based contests)
  • Authors (especially when they’re self-publishing)
  • Readers

Most libraries I’ve visited organise fiction by author surname, not by genre, so that’s no help.

Bookstores often classify by genre.

But each store has different classifications, and it’s not always easy to tell what’s what. It doesn’t help that bigger stores usually classify a Christian historical romance as Religious rather than Historical (and if a book featured an African-American character or was written by an African-American author, it might be classified as African-American fiction, not Religious or Historical).

I checked Amazon, but couldn’t find any definition of historical.

That’s not to say it doesn’t exist. I just says I couldn’t find it. If you know where Amazon has a definition of contemporary vs. historical, please add it in the comments!

Amazon use the BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) codes, and I couldn’t find any definition of historical on their site either.

Amazon also isn’t helpful in that publishers self-classify—which is how we find novels in the nonfiction categories, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz in the Australia and Oceania category. (I can only assume someone mixed up Austria and Australia …)

How do writing organisations classify historical vs contemporary fiction?

American Christian Fiction Writers have Contemporary and Historical categories in their Genesis and Carol Awards. They define Historical as “up to and including the Vietnam era”. The Vietnam war ended in 1975, so I guess that’s ACFW’s current definition of “historical”.

In contrast, the Romance Writers of America RITA Award and Romance Writers of Australia Ruby Award both classify “historical” as set before 1950. If you’d asked me, I think this is what I would have said—but I’m equally happy with a 1975 or even 1980 date.

With more recent historical fiction, I expect the time setting to be deliberate. For example, Pamela Binnings Ewen has written several legal thrillers set in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She’s writing about things like women’s rights and women in the workplace, so the time setting is important. They would be different stories if they were set in the 1990s or 2010s—no matter whether the stories were labelled “historical” or “contemporary”.

In general, I expect contemporary stories to be set today—this year (or last year).

I expect characters in contemporary novels to have smartphones and Facebook and GPS and the Uber app (unless they’re philosophically opposed to smartphones and Facebook and GPS and Uber … which could make for a fascinating story).

If the novel is “contemporary” and doesn’t have these things, then I need to be clued in pretty quickly that the novel isn’t set today.

When does historical fiction become contemporary fiction? Is there a fixed date? Or is it up to the publisher (or reader)? #HistoricalFiction #ContemporaryFiction Share on X

I’ve recently reviewed West of Famous by Joni M Fisher, which was set in 2010. That worked for the story, but also worked because the opening made it clear the story was set in 2010. (And yes, there were a couple of plot points that wouldn’t have worked as well in 2019). In that respect, the story was actually historical … even though 2010 is hardly a long time ago.

But what about a story written and published in 2010 that I’m only reading today? Personally, I say that’s a contemporary story. Why? Because it was contemporary when it was written and published.

Using that same logic, Jane Austen was a contemporary novelist, because she was writing about the issues of her day. So were Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie.

So I consider a contemporary story as one that is written and published in the time in which it is set (whether that’s today or two hundred years ago). And a historical story is any story where the author is consciously looking back in time by at least a couple of decades.

What about you? When do you think historical fiction becomes contemporary fiction (Or vice versa)?

 

When does contemporary fiction become historical fiction?

How to Write a Christian Novel: Defining Your Genre 9

Step Four: When is your novel set?

The key question to ask in writing a historical novel is: Is the time period an integral part of the plot? If not, consider a contemporary novel. Successful historical novels are almost always set in a time of social, political or religious conflict. Perhaps this is why there are relatively few novels set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I: this was a period of relative calm between the religious turmoil of the early Tudor period and the political upheaval of the English Civil War.

Research is vitally important in any historical period. There will always be a reader who has read everything about this period and who will point out all the inaccuracies and anachronisms in their review (I admit: sometimes this person is me). Sometimes this reviewer will be a historian who writes an essay-review detailing the factual errors and citing the original Latin scrolls in London’s National Archives (I’ve read this review—and the author’s unsuccessful attempts at rebuttal).

Wedded to WarWonderland CreekThrough Rushing WaterYesterday's StardustGlamorous IllusionsStardustBefore the Scarlet DawnCourting Morrow LittleThe Frontiersman's DaughterThe Fire in EmberA Tailor-Made BridePaper Roses

However, this does depend on genre to a certain extent. An author writing genre romance will be forgiven for not including all the historical details (but the ones she does include should be correct). An author writing historical fiction and holding herself out as an expert should check and double-check all facts against reputable sources (i.e. not just Wikipedia.com or Victoriana.com).

There is an element of worldbuilding in historical fiction, as the author has to introduce the reader to a different culture and (often) a different set of values. The further back in time and the more foreign the location, the more difficult this worldbuilding will be.

One fault I find over and over again is authors getting the language wrong when writing outside their own culture. This is especially the case when Americans write about England—they have a tendency to inject Americanisms into the speech of their English characters (which can be a problem in contemporary fiction as well). I find it less of a problem when non-Americans write about America, probably because so much Christian historical fiction is American that we all have a good idea about the historical and cultural context.

Popular historical periods in fiction include:

Scotland (1300-1600)

Americans in particular seem to have an enduring love of Scottish highlanders (probably based on the success of the Outlander books and the sight of Mel Gibson with a broadsword in in Braveheart).

Tudor England (1485-1603)

I loved this period when I was about seventeen. Several authors are bringing it back for a new generation (perhaps due to the popularity of The Other Boleyn Girl). Personally, I’m over it. I’m especially over Anne Boleyn, because it’s all been done before (and we all know the ending). The religious issues make it a fascinating period, but I’d like to see more from the lives of the everyday people. Or anyone who isn’t a Boleyn (and calling her Nan Bullen doesn’t make it any better).

Colonial America (up to 1783)

Covering the first American settlers up to the War of Independence or Revolutionary War, and dealing with the difficulties of settling a new country and the struggle for independence from England.

Regency England (1811-1820)

This is a popular period in general romance, but one that has not yet been fully explored in Christian romance (and some of the authors who have written in this period show a woeful lack of understanding of the basics, to the point where I can’t take them seriously as a reader. For example, it’s called the Regency because the King had been declared unfit to rule and his son ruled in his stead as the Prince Regent).

Victorian England (1837-1901)

Victorian England was a period of huge social change through migration as a result of the Industrial Revolution, the Irish Potato Famine, and the colonisation of Australia and New Zealand. Authors writing in this era include Jennifer Delamere, Kaye Dacus and Australian authors such as Amanda Deed and Carol Preston.

American Civil War (1861-1865)

Gilbert Morris saturated this period with his 60-book House of Winslow series, but there are still a large number of novels set either during the war or just after (e.g. Jocelyn Green and Elizabeth Camden).

Gold Rush (1848-1911)

The Californian Gold Rush started in 1848, and miners moved north and east through the United States and Canada over many years, including the Klondike Gold Rush in Canada’s Yukon Territory in 1896-1899. Tracie Petersen and Deeanne Gist have both written about this era.

Westerns/Frontier Fiction (1850-1880)

Set west of the Mississippi River, usually in the time of wagon trains (although some westerns feature the coming of the railroad. This is currently a very popular time setting for romances from authors such as Karen Witemeyer, Carol Cox and Mary Connealy.

Gilded Age (1877-1900)

The period following Reconstruction, when the rise of the railroads and wealthy industrialists hid serious social problems. Often set in among the Four Hundred, those families considered most worth knowing in New York high society, or among the society leaders in a smaller community. Siri Mitchell and Judith Pella both have books in this period.

Edwardian England (1901 to 1910)

This is a period that is rising in popularity, as a result of the success of Downton Abbey. For examples, see Carrie Turansky and Murray Pura.

Generally speaking, historical novels cover periods up to an including World War II, with anything more modern being considered contemporary fiction. I don’t entirely agree with this view. I wasn’t alive during the 1960’s, and my memories of the 1970’s are filled with sunshine and sandpits, not the impact of the Vietnam War, the American Civil Rights movement, or the rise of women in the professional workplace. This is a period that is ripe for the attention of novelists, and more are focusing on this era (e.g. Pamela Binnings Ewen).

Do you write contemporary or historical? When is your story set? Is that the most appropriate setting?

Next week we will discuss the next step in defining your genre: stand-alone or series?