Abstract
In this project, I examine the role of historical fiction in the teaching of history and its relationship to the scholarly debate surrounding the topic of warfare. I analyze scholarship on a particular aspect of the First World War, feminism in Britain, and use this key scholarship to inform my understanding of a narrative presentation of the same historical time and events. The narrative work is a historical fiction novel, Fall of Giants, written by Ken Follett. This novel directly discusses themes of war, and I inspect how it engages with historical accuracies and narrative tone. Specifically, Fall of Giants discusses the feminist movement in Britain, and I aim to analyze how Follett presents the unfolding of the movement during World War One and its relationship to other significant events during the conflict such as pacifist activism. Finally, I argue that historical fiction is a valuable tool when teaching warfare to larger audiences and advances the goal of both the academic and non-academic historians—the accumulation of historical knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge in practical ways.
Advisor
Adams, Beatrice
Department
History
Recommended Citation
Fields, Katie, "Ascent Of Giants: Using Historical Fiction As An Accessible And Comprehensive Format For Teaching History Within The Classroom And Beyond" (2022). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 9709.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/9709
Disciplines
Educational Methods | European History | Other History | Political History | Public History | Social History | United States History | Women's History
Keywords
Historical fiction, academic history, non-academic history, World War One, teaching history
Publication Date
2022
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2022 Katie Fields