Essay: What makes Cyrano de Bergerac a historical romance rather than
a realistic evocation of a time and place? What are some of the ways
in which Rostand works The Three Musketeers into his story line?
Some Definitions:
Historical fiction – a work that makes use of historic personages or
events in a fictitious narrative. True-to-life elements may be added to
lend a sense of authenticity to the work, but in serious examples of
this genre, historical events, processes, and issues are central to the
story line rather than providing peripheral or decorative touches.
Historical works are often vehicles for their author’s insights into
historical figures and their influences or into the causes and
consequences of historical events, changes, or movements.
Romance – a term that has been used at different times to refer to a
variety of fictional works involving some combination of the
following: high adventure, thwarted love, mysterious circumstances,
arduous quests, and improbable triumphs. These narratives were
concerned with knightly adventure, courtly love, and chivalric ideals.
The term of romance broadened considerably over time, especially in
the twentieth century. The term has been used to refer to any
fictional work that features the supernatural, some sort of quest or
“impossible dream,” intense love, and unusual subjects and events.
Romanticism emphasizes the subjective experience, innovation,
imagination and the individual.