The oldest known work of historical fiction, fragments of an ancient Egyptian text known as Voyage of Unamūn (also known variously as the Story/Report/Misadventures of Wenamun), dates to the 11th century BCE and was long believed to be historical fact rather than fiction. As with many other ancient texts, though (such as the 4th century CE Historia Augusta), modern scholarship suggests that it is indeed a work of fiction:
While several other early novels of historical fiction are acknowledged by scholars (such as Luó Guànzhōng's much-revered 14th century CE novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms), historical fiction as we know it today is largely a product of the 19th century, and of one author in particular: Sir Walter Scott.
Scott was born in Edinburgh (Scotland) in 1771. He first saw print as a poet and translator (The Chase, and William and Helen: Two Ballads, from the German of Gottfied Augustus Burger, 1796). But it was his first novel, Waverley; or 'Tis Sixty Years Since (an historical novel set during the Second Jacobite Rebellion of 1745) that brought him fame and fortune. Published anonymously in three volumes on 7 July 1814, the First Edition of 1000 copies sold out within two days of publication, becoming the most successful novel published in the English language up to that time.
Within the next five years Scott published a further eight novels set in 17th and 18th century Scotland (upon which his modern critical reputation is largely founded), the best known of which probably are Guy Mannering (1815) and Rob Roy (1817). Because Chronicles of the Canongate (1827), Scott's first and only collection of short fiction, was the first prose work published under his own name (his previous 22 prose works having been published anonymously, such as Waverly, or pseudonymously, such as Rob Roy), the novels published from 1814-1826 generally are known collectively as the Waverly novels (i.e., "by the author of Waverly"). Well-known works from this phenomenally productive and successful 13-year period include Ivanhoe (1819) and Kenilworth (1821). Later publishers often would publish all of Scott's prose works as the Waverly novels:
The enduring popularity of these first great works of historical fiction in the English language have ensured that many have remained almost continuously in print, and several have been turned into movies.
Ivanhoe remains especially popular. Made into an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated movie (starring Elizabeth Taylor) in 1952, it also has been turned into a comic book as well as serving as the source for a popular manga series:
But such fiction was not entirely a product of English authors, as we shall see in tomorrow's post....
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