In the second edition of The Historical Novel, Jerome de Groot expertly charts the evolution of one of literature’s most beloved and complex forms. From its eighteenth-century origins to postmodern and contemporary historical fiction, de Groot reveals how historical fiction continues to challenge, provoke, and transform our understanding of the past. The second edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded with global perspectives and new emphasis on the role and importance of female writers throughout. Readers will discover fresh insights on: * different genres, such as sensational or ‘low’ fiction, crime novels, literary works, counterfactual writing and related issues of audience, value, and authenticity; * the many functions of historical fiction, particularly the challenges it poses to accepted histories and postmodern questioning of ‘grand narratives’; * the relationship of the historical novel to the wider cultural sphere with reference to historical theory, the internet,