The Invisible Line Between the Historical Fiction Genre and Classic Literature

This month the Historical Fiction Heart Book Club is venturing away from the historical fiction genre...or are we?

The book club crew are currently voting from a shortlist of five classic literature novels to read in January/February.

I would argue that for the reader, the experience of reading classic literature is almost identical to that of reading historical fiction.

While classic literature is set in the time that the author lived, for us, as modern day readers, we still get that whirlwind sensation of being transported back in time that we love about the historical fiction genre.

So what makes a novel a 'classic'?

Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, defining a novel as a classic can be subjective, but generally speaking a novel is considered a classic when it represents a genre or has made a significant contribution to literature/society.

Think the types of books that you were made to read in High School. That list usually includes a few classics.

So this month we will be reading one of these masterpieces:

1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

3. Frankeinstein by Mary Shelley

4. Persuasion by Jane Austen

5. Travels With My Aunt by Graham Greene

Which of these masterpieces would you choose?

Find out more about the Historical Fiction Heart Book Club here or join the fun through our Facebook Group.