The beauty of historical novels, both fiction and non-fiction, is that they are able to transport the reader to a different time without seeming boring. When reading about history in a textbook format a lot of students fail to grasp how terrifying the situation was for those who lived it, or the changes that the situation brought about. But, you put a book like Number the Stars, The Diary of Anne Frank, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, and others in their hands and suddenly students can clearly see the fear of the Jews in Nazi Germany, or how the captain on a ship was sole dictator when the ship was on the water. A clearer understanding of history and historical events are gained from historical novels.
By the time students reach adolescence they generally have something they are interested in, sports, a career choice, etc., when they find a niche their interest is piqued about, historical biographies and autobiographies give them the opportunity to connect with a great of that niche and learn more about it. The authors of this chapter do warn that readers of biographies should be careful of hidden agendas of authors who harbor a grudge against the people they are writing the biographies about.
It is extremely important for teachers to keep historical novels within the classroom because they not only serve a purpose of great literature, but they serve a way to keep students interested in history (which history teachers should thank English teachers for!). The students, as mentioned in the text, are often surprised to find that they have read historical novels already when the teacher tells them that something they’ve previously read falls into a historical category. I think that is part of what makes the historical genre unique is its ability to transport readers to different times and places often without his or her knowing!!
No comments:
Post a Comment