Do you love reading historical fiction? Are you curious about how writers go about imagining and creating stories set in past eras? 

In this course, you will gain insight into historical fiction’s ability to evoke “the otherness of the Then and There, in ways that speak to our real Here and Now,” which is a quote from Emma Darwin’s book, Get Started in Writing Historical Fiction. We will read selected sections of her book, then we’ll play with brief writing games and watch video clips that illustrate the points Darwin makes in those sections. 

Note that this course is not designed to turn you into a writer of historical fiction; instead, it offers you, as a reader, a glimpse into the writer’s creative process. Our reading, games, video-viewing, and discussions will encourage us to: question why writers and readers are drawn to historical fiction; consider various writers’ approaches to imagining and researching the past; understand how a writer helps a reader see historical characters-in-action and hear their distant voices; gain awareness of historical stories’ different structures, shapes, and sub-genres; and appreciate how writers “keep the beast under control” (Darwin).

This course will combine lecture with class discussions.