Historical novels undergo several transformations as they are written, read, critiqued, and adapted. Authors include story elements in ways that serve narrative construction, while readers encounter these elements as unique visitors to story worlds created at the intersections of the texts and their imaginations. Critics may situate historical novels alongside others of their kind and in the wider milieu, while filmmakers, television producers, and theatre directors may adapt them with different audiences in mind. Scholars of history and literature naturally want to understand the historical contexts of these novels, but it can be difficult to reach this data under so many interpretive layers. Green's book proposes several methods for doing so by analyzing the layers from greater to lesser complexity; from literary tourism, to adaptation, to critical review, to the writing of a novel itself and by proposing various methods for deconstructing these layers.
Journal of American Folklore
MacCath-Moran, Ceallaigh. “Review of Stories of the Past: Viewing History Through Fiction by Chris Green.” Journal of American Folklore 138, no. 548 (2025): 230-232.