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University of Virginia

Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction

University of Virginia via Coursera

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Overview

Class Central Tips
A unique and exciting introduction to the genre and craft of historical fiction, for curious students, aspiring authors--anyone with a passion for the past. Read classics of the genre, encounter bestselling writers of historical fiction, and discover your own historical archive while interacting with a global community of interested readers.

Syllabus

  • Course Roadmap
    • In this module Professor Holsinger poses a working definition of historical fiction and sets expectations for the course content and assignments.
  • What is Historical Fiction?
    • In this module Professor Holsinger details the history of the historical fiction novel through the 18th and 19th centuries.
  • Poetry and Exile in Ancient Rome: Jane Alison
    • In this module author and professor Jane Alison interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s at UVa to discuss her experience writing “The Love Artist.”
  • Two Centuries of Historical Fiction
    • This module reviews the history of historical fiction looking at major works and authors from the 18th and 19th century including The Leatherstocking Tales, William Wells Brown, and Charles Dickens.
  • 19th Century Historical Fiction
    • This module dives into the works of Anna Katharine Green and Professor Holsinger provides an overview of the forces that are effecting the craft of historical fiction.
  • Seminar with Katherine Howe
    • In this module author Katherine Howe interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s Historical Fiction class to discuss her book “Deliverance Dane.”
  • Seminar with Geraldine Brooks
    • In this module author Geraldine Brooks interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s Historical Fiction class to discuss her book “Year of Wonders.”
  • Seminar with Mary Beth Keane
    • In this module author Mary Beth Keane interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s Historical Fiction class to discuss her book “Fever.”
  • Seminar with Yangsze Choo
    • In this module author Yangsze Choo interacts with the seminar class students of Professor Holsinger’s Historical Fiction class to discuss her book “The Ghost Bride.”
  • Dialogues in Historical Fiction
    • This module consists of a series of interviews with authors and Professor Holsinger. Authors include: Michael McKeon, Eva Stachniak, David Robbins, Matthew Pearl and Andrew Taylor.
  • Assignments and Wrap-Up
    • This module has the two voluntary assignments for the course: Identifying a Historical Archive and Writing Historical Fiction. The module also contains the closing remarks video of Professor Holsinger.
  • Resources
    • This module includes the course readings, a list of archival resources, and an overview of the authors included in the course.

Taught by

Bruce Holsinger

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Reviews

4.5 rating, based on 11 Class Central reviews

4.6 rating at Coursera based on 594 ratings

Start your review of Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction

  • Anonymous
    Prof and UVA go to great lengths to present an exciting, interesting, comprehensive course. Provides an excellent into to the genre, followed by outstanding interviews with first-rate authors. The genre was relatively new to me (previously not a historical fiction reader), so I discovered many wonderful authors. I'm currently reading several and returning to the interviews when I finish. Prof and authors contribute to the forum, too. Outstanding course!
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    Deanna
    This was one of the best courses I've taken through Coursera!

    I am a voracious reader, and I love both historical fact and historical fiction. This class got me thinking about historical fiction in a new way. It also introduced me to lots of new authors (as if my to-read list needed to be longer! ha ha)
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