Historical novels are a literary sub-genre widely known around the world, capable of taking you to travel to distant places and times. In this article, I have compiled 5 iconic historical novels for you.
Historical novels can take us to another medium and to another time. A good historical novel has the potential to take us out of our reality. It introduces us to an unknown culture, exotic food, unforgettable landscapes and impressive heroes.
Historical novels are a sub-type of narrative that recreates a historical period and presents non-fictional characters and events like other novels with fictional plots. This sub-genre emerged in Europe in the 19th century within the framework of romance and spread rapidly all over the world.
That's why we have prepared a compilation of five iconic historical novels, starting from prehistoric times and extending from the Middle Ages to feudal Japan and ancient Rome.
Cave Bear Clan (Jean Marie Auel)
This novel tells the story , who was separated from her tribe due to the earthquake. It must survive and be accepted into another tribe. The problem is that this tribe is the tribe of Neanderthal. Therefore, it will only be accepted by some members of the tribe after proving its worth while others try to harm it.
This historical novel is the first book of the Sons of the World epic published in 1980. Story makes readers feel prehistoric. In the last phase of the Ice Age, especially Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals tell that they lived in conflict by competing for resources and regions.
The author not only documented some of the most important hypotheses regarding the early years of human existence, but also documented some theories about how our ancestors managed to survive. In other words, many hunting and gathering techniques, traditions, building techniques etc. belonging to primitive societies in the novel. features are discussed.
Ben Claudius (Robert Graves)
From the historical novels, Ben Claudius is a classic. It has become a classic because of the autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, who was the fourth emperor of Rome in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Thus, the work specifically recreates the period of the Roman Empire from the assassination of Julius Caesar (44 BC) to the assassination of Caligula (41 BC). Therefore, it is a representational novel about the greatness, cruelty, and heresy of many of the rulers of the Roman Empire.
Cesar
Written by Robert Graves in 1934, this work is regarded as one of the best historical novels of the 20th century. Because it offers you a story that presents various literary genres and deals with different situations throughout history. This story is full of betrayals, heartbreak, humor, madness, even wars. In this way, it accurately conveys the life of a troubled period in classical Roman history and its characters that marked the period.
Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follet)
The plot of this novel revolves around the construction of a magnificent Gothic cathedral. It tells the stories of many characters directly or indirectly related to the construction of the temple. It reveals the lives, hardships and deaths of generations from builders to kings.
Written by the famous writer Ken Follet, this novel has achieved great international success. Therefore, the author started a trilogy. The author takes us back to the Middle Ages of England, the dramas between kingdoms and nobles, a world of fascinating conflicts. It is about a chain of stories that match very few historical novels.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Patrick Süskind)
This novel tells the story of a young man, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, who is obsessed with an extraordinary nose and finding the perfect scent. This obsession leads him to climb the social ladder with great determination, making him a famous perfumer. It creates perfumes with fantastic capacities that can create moods such as sympathy, love, or affection. However, young virgin women need body fluids to create these scents. To obtain these scents, they must kill women.
This story, written by Patrick Süskind in 1985, takes place in 18th century France. It is a very accurate description of the period. He tells us about a period when the streets of France coexist with the wonderful scents from perfumers and the nauseating smells coming from the sewers on public roads. While perfumes were used by the high society living in the courts, ordinary people had to endure the smell and miasma that occurs every day.
Shōgun (James Clavell)
This novel is about the fascinating story of the meeting of the western and eastern worlds. It tells the story of an English sailor captured by a Shogun in the early 17th century. Sailor throughout history, from being an infamous prisoner in the service of the great Shogun to a samurai turns into a.
Thanks to this character, two different worlds that are not alike, like Western and Eastern cultures, come to an agreement. This is achieved by accepting the differences and respecting the philosophy and spirituality of feudal Japanese at that time.
Shógun is a novel full of adventure and philosophical thoughts written by James Clavell and published in 1975. It is a novel that we will especially recommend to people who are in love with Far Eastern culture and want to learn more about the life of samurai.
.
