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creative nonfiction and historical fiction
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From: Monica R. Edinger <edinger>
Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 06:02:29 -0500
One of my big interests is in the teaching and learning of history so I've been particularly fixated on historical works for children, fiction and nonfiction alike. All year long I focus my fourth graders on considering what it is to write both. We began the year studying immigration and focused on the telling of true stories. We thought hard about writers did this creatively, but truthfully. We were fortunate to have Jackie Briggs Martin visit our school and were very inspired by her book, The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, a great example of creative nonfiction. Jackie tells the story of this Arctic expedition with absolutely exquisite language and also with great respect for the true events and people involved. My students and I continually referred back to this book as they created their own picture books of immigrant oral histories. We had many other picture books as well focusing on immigrant stories, but Jackie's, despite being on another topic, was our touchstone because it provided us with such a great model of how to translate a true story poetically and beautifully into a picture book text.
As the year went on we crossed the line into historical fiction. For the past few months we've been reading and discussing what this fictional genre is and what makes it good. This past week I began reading aloud Kathryn Lasky's Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, one of the Dear America books. We are deep into a study of the Pilgrims and it is easy to point out Lasky's use of primary sources my students have already encountered (notably Mourt's Relation and Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation). We can discuss what is fact, what is fiction, and where she got her information. We've also got piles of nonfiction books on the Pilgrims in the room and look at those, considering how well and honestly the Pilgrim story is presented. Many that might be considered "creative nonfiction" in my mind are across the line into historical fiction territory.
Someone commented that children enjoy the Dear America books and have no trouble understanding that they are fiction when this is pointed out by an adult. I beg to differ. Children actually are still convinced they are real and can resist strongly the idea that they are not. I've used them in the context of our study of historical fiction so my students come to the books knowing they are fiction. However, a colleague told me her 6th grade daughter recently read A Journey to a New World and was absolutely convinced that Patience was real (the problematic epilogue did it) and was furious when finally convinced by her mother that this wasn't the case.
I know some authors and editors might bristle, but I see certain historical books, both creative nonfiction and historical fiction in the center of a Venn diagram. More alike than different. The answer for me is to try to teach my students to be careful and critical readers and not to assume too much. That is a rather large burden for 9 and 10 year olds, but necessary nonetheless.
On another note, I'm attempting to write about a compelling historical character and am struggling between creative nonfiction and historical fiction myself. I want it to be nonfiction, but am using a style that makes some readers think it is more fiction. This discussion has been very helpful as a result.
Monica
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Thu 04 Apr 2002 05:02:29 AM CST
Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 06:02:29 -0500
One of my big interests is in the teaching and learning of history so I've been particularly fixated on historical works for children, fiction and nonfiction alike. All year long I focus my fourth graders on considering what it is to write both. We began the year studying immigration and focused on the telling of true stories. We thought hard about writers did this creatively, but truthfully. We were fortunate to have Jackie Briggs Martin visit our school and were very inspired by her book, The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, a great example of creative nonfiction. Jackie tells the story of this Arctic expedition with absolutely exquisite language and also with great respect for the true events and people involved. My students and I continually referred back to this book as they created their own picture books of immigrant oral histories. We had many other picture books as well focusing on immigrant stories, but Jackie's, despite being on another topic, was our touchstone because it provided us with such a great model of how to translate a true story poetically and beautifully into a picture book text.
As the year went on we crossed the line into historical fiction. For the past few months we've been reading and discussing what this fictional genre is and what makes it good. This past week I began reading aloud Kathryn Lasky's Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, one of the Dear America books. We are deep into a study of the Pilgrims and it is easy to point out Lasky's use of primary sources my students have already encountered (notably Mourt's Relation and Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation). We can discuss what is fact, what is fiction, and where she got her information. We've also got piles of nonfiction books on the Pilgrims in the room and look at those, considering how well and honestly the Pilgrim story is presented. Many that might be considered "creative nonfiction" in my mind are across the line into historical fiction territory.
Someone commented that children enjoy the Dear America books and have no trouble understanding that they are fiction when this is pointed out by an adult. I beg to differ. Children actually are still convinced they are real and can resist strongly the idea that they are not. I've used them in the context of our study of historical fiction so my students come to the books knowing they are fiction. However, a colleague told me her 6th grade daughter recently read A Journey to a New World and was absolutely convinced that Patience was real (the problematic epilogue did it) and was furious when finally convinced by her mother that this wasn't the case.
I know some authors and editors might bristle, but I see certain historical books, both creative nonfiction and historical fiction in the center of a Venn diagram. More alike than different. The answer for me is to try to teach my students to be careful and critical readers and not to assume too much. That is a rather large burden for 9 and 10 year olds, but necessary nonetheless.
On another note, I'm attempting to write about a compelling historical character and am struggling between creative nonfiction and historical fiction myself. I want it to be nonfiction, but am using a style that makes some readers think it is more fiction. This discussion has been very helpful as a result.
Monica
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Thu 04 Apr 2002 05:02:29 AM CST
