What do you think of when you hear people discussing “period literature”? Probably
Regency England and everything that goes with it: balls, high-waisted gowns,
dashing gentlemen… Basically, it is the world of Bridgerton that comes to mind. And
perhaps this Netflix drama is the reason why period literature is making such a
comeback, but is there more to it than that?
Period literature is a general term used for books that are set in the past and address universal themes. What marks them as different from historical fiction however is that historical events don’t move the plot forward because they are not dependent on the historical period they are set in. Therefore, you could move the characters into a different historical setting to their own with only minor changes needed for everything to make sense.
On the other hand, in historical fiction the incorporated history, which must be accurate for the book to officially be part of the genre, is fundamental to the plot, the characters and their actions. What unites these two genres however is that they are both able to speak indirectly to the present day.
Nowadays, historical fiction is a very well-established literary genre that is easy to
find in bookshops, libraries and even classrooms. However, this was not the case at
the turn of the twentieth century, when Henry James described the genre as “fatally
cheap.” Nevertheless, the genre developed massively over the past hundred or so
years and now works of historical fiction win literary awards left, right and centre. In
fact, three of the five works of fiction nominated for the 2023 National Book Award
come under the umbrella of historical fiction and works of historical fiction can
constantly be found in Waterstone’s list of Bestselling Fiction Books.
What is interesting to me however is that what I find the most appealing about
historical fiction is lacking from period literature. I like it when historical fiction gives a voice to those excluded traditional historical accounts as I find it brings the events to life and gives me the chance to question some of what I have been told.
On the other hand, authors of period literature maintain a larger distance
between their plot and characters, and the historical events of the day. This often
leaves us with a romanticised, even sanitised, view of historical periods. Taking the
Netflix adaptation of Bridgerton as an obvious example, we are presented with a
depiction of Regency England that accepted people of different races at all levels of
society.
Whilst it is true that at the time there was a significant Black population in
England occupying positions as servants and musicians as we see in the show,
Bridgerton’s representation of race not mattering among upper-class, aristocratic
circles is very anachronistic. Whilst this isn’t automatically a problem in itself,
especially as Bridgerton very much presents itself as a work of fiction, it does make
the specificity of the experience of the non-white population of Regency England
seem irrelevant, and it creates a false image of the period as a period where race
held little sway over social mobility.
Perhaps, however, it is exactly this romanticisation of history that draws readers to
period literature. It is true that historical fiction can often be quite heavy, telling stories that are filled with less-than-ideal happenings and often being so long that
they are quite literally heavy enough to be used as doorstops! Period literature is
therefore ideal for readers who want to escape to the past without being forced to
accept that people faced just as many, if not more, hardships then as they do now. I
personally don’t think that there is anything wrong with wanting to read period
literature for this reason, because isn’t all fiction a form of escapism in one way or
another?
At the end of all this I am left with the feeling that whilst period literature is seeing a
growth in its popularity in general, it will take several years before it is widely
accepted as a literary genre that is capable of winning esteemed awards.
Nevertheless, this shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying the genre since its
significance to the literary world is only going to increase if it continues to grow its
reader base.
