posted
Well, I know awards exist for different genres--westerns and historical romances are the only two I can think of--can anyone name others?--and that major awards such as the Pulitzer Prize have been awarded to historical novels.
But does any award judge historical accuracy equal or above literary merit? If there isn't an award specifically for accuracy in historical fiction, is there some sort of list with a grading system, to "could have actually happened in that time and place" (even with fictional characters) to "Not Even" (even if based on real life characters)?
posted
There's (or there was) a "Sideways" award for alternate history, but that's not quite the same thing. (I hope I've got the name right.) But that's not quite what you're talking about.
Sounds like a good idea, though, grading historical novels. Say, one star for "this couldn't possibly have happened" to five stars for "this is as close to being there as we can get."
posted
Given the fact that publishers seem unable to grade a manuscript based on: Has Been Written In These Exact Words And Published By Another Author, I hold little hope they'll go to the trouble to grade for historical accuracy.
However, READERS will latch onto inaccuracies with gleeful venom.
posted
Obviously publishers don't, and some stories achieve popularity without accuracy. All the more reason there should be awards for accuracy, maybe coupled with literary merit, as the inaccurate ones will claim they needed to write it that way to make some great literary statement.
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