ABSTRACT
The historical novels analyzed in this study purport to be authentic texts that should be accepted as historical “truth.”l Many were written as the life story of an amateur authorthe outpouring of his or her heart. Other authors assert their reliance on personal memories and describe experiences firsthand-even if the author did not experience them personally but only read about them in various sources or heard about them from others. In this manner, the text is presented as a primary expression of the author’s historical experiences and recollections. Inasmuch as the story is told from a personal perspective, “good faith” is one of the defense mechanisms-perhaps the principal one-employed to counter the claim that novels offer an incomplete, distorted, and false story. Many writers might honestly believe that their story is personal and distinctive, flowing from their own wellsprings of memory and their knowledge, and fashioned with no ulterior motive. Yet this is not the case.
