The Historical Narrative In The Light Age

Historical novels have always been widely welcomed.The core issue of this article is to explore the unique value of historical novels in the light age.In this dissertation,John Williams’s Augustus,Robert Harris’s Cicero Trilogy,and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome are analyzed as examples to discover the value of historical novels and to discuss the question "What are good historical narratives".After analyzing the artistic styles,the themes,and author’s intentions,I shall point out that the all the three writers had researched and fully grasped the historical facts and all the three novels were well told and beautifully written on the basis of real history.On this basis,Augustus and Cicero Trilogy both reflect the appeal of reflecting on reality with the help of ancient history.Augustus shows the contradiction between personal desires and public needs.In Cicero Trilogy,Robert Harris wrote an allegorical novel based on the history of ancient Rome to show about contemporary political reality all around the world.The novels provide readers with a unique perspective,especially the Masters of Rome,allowing us to experience the truth,language and ethics of the Roman period to think about our existence and meaning.In addition,there other issues related to historical novels are involved,like the authenticity of historical novels and the relationship between history and literature.In this essay,I shall argue that there are three values of historical novel which served as the return to truth and memory,display of ethical significance and a unique perspective to examine our current living conditions.