Historical Novels

Hi
How much historical information do you need to squeeze into the first few pages to set the scene for the book?
Who is who, where and why etc.?

How do your favorite historical novels handle it?

Llew,

I am only a few chapters into The Perfect Prince. The writer, Ann Wroe begins the story in the middle, what do they say? En media res? The first scene introduces a young adult, "Prince Richard." She then backs up, briefly going into the history of the York/Lancastrian claims, beginning with the early death of Henry V. And I mean very brief, as in a sentence or two per generation, from Henry VI and Richard of York, the reign of Edward IV and the imprisonment of his two sons by Richard III before the ascension of Henry Tudor. all this in a page or so at most. He then begins to back up to tell the various stories of this boy named Piers, where he went, who he might have been, where he came from, and that goes on for the rest of a chapter. That is as far as I have read. My daughter and son-in-law tell me the writer never draws a conclusion as to whether the child/young man is actually Prince Richard of York or a pretender, taking the stand that is doesn't matter historically. The young man, whoever he was, was a nemesis or Henry VII, from his first appearance until his death. The 3rd-person-omniscient flashback was very effective. It didn't try to tell the whole story, just the barest minimum necessary to intrigue the reader and make the story coherent.

I'm not presenting my attempt as a good way to handle the problem. I have been told that I need to get rid of the italics to designate flashbacks, and that is probably good advice, but please take a look at the opening chapter of Ailcy's Legacy on my website to see how I am attempting to deal with necessary backstory. I would appreciate any advice you can give me.

Ann

Hi Ann
Thanks! That was very helpful.
I'll get onto your web site and have a look.
Best regards

Hi Ann
oooops Where do I find your web site?
It's not in your signature or your profile!

There should be a little www icon at the bottom of the posting area, but in case :

Http://www.annjoiner.com

Ann

Hi Ann
Brilliant! I've put all the historical stuff into italics, it looks good. Alerts the reader to be aware that it is not part of the current story.....
I like your book, how far have you got?
Cheers

Not as far as I would like. I get bogged down in the history. I am determined to stick to the truth of the history as best I can, and the genealogists keep coming up with new info about the family members.

I liked the italics to set off the backstory, too, but there are many who have criticized it, saying that it's a distraction, so you might want to consider that.

What I am definitely keeping from that first chapter is making Elizabeth the family storyteller. It's a quirk in her personality that her children find annoying, just as my children roll their eyes when I do the same.

Ann