Monday, June 13, 2011

What Do You Think?

I believe literature and history go hand-in-hand.

Anyone who has read Charles Dickens has not only learned historical facts about that era, but also felt the emotional heartache of the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution. Oliver Twist is one example of the cruelty to children during that era. Consider Mark Twain's version of the 'Old South' in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. What about Edith Wharton? Do you not feel the pinch of the restrictive corset while learning of the hypocritical Victorian Era by reading Wharton?

Of course, not all literature has something to do with history, but a great deal of it does. Do you agree with me? If so, please let me know one or two of your author examples. If not, I'd love to understand why.

2 comments:

  1. A lot of great literature (the long-lasting, thought-provoking kind) has involved historical settings and realities. I think it's natural that we reflect our own contemporary reality in our writings. Generations from now our books will be seen as examples of our era!

    Of course, then there's sci-fi, which is more timeless, and fantasy also. ;o)

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  2. I couldn't have said it better than Carol.
    Great thoughts.

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