The Historical Novel: An Essay

Sir Herbert Butterfield (1900-79) was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge and an admired historian. The Historical Novel, published in 1924, was Butterfield’s first book and originated as one of his undergraduate essays. The text is an engaging study of the interrelation between the historical novel and the study of history. It looks at the style of historical writings, their engagement with evidence, and the effects of history’s fictionalization upon the reader and history itself.