Writing Backwards: Historical Fiction and the Reshaping of the American Canon

Contemporary fiction has shifted away from setting works in the present to historical fiction, particularly for writers of color. Alexander Manshel's book "Writing Backwards" explores the dominance of historical fiction in the contemporary canon and its implications for American literary culture. He examines how historical fiction has evolved over the last half century and considers recent challenges to the historical turn in American fiction.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 21 November 2023
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Contemporary fiction has never been less contemporary, with midcentury writers tending to set their works in their own moment. However, for the last several decades, critical acclaim and attention have fixated on historical fiction, particularly for writers of color. Even as the literary canon has become more diverse, cultural institutions have celebrated Black, Asian American, Latinx, and Indigenous novelists almost exclusively for their historical fiction.

Writing Backwards, by Alexander Manshel, explores the dominance of historical fiction in the contemporary canon and its implications for American literary culture. Manshel investigates the most celebrated historical genres, including contemporary narratives of slavery, the World War II novel, the multigenerational family saga, immigrant fiction, and the novel of recent history, alongside the literary and academic institutions that have elevated them. He examines novels by writers such as Toni Morrison, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Colson Whitehead, Julia Alvarez, Leslie Marmon Silko, Michael Chabon, Julie Otsuka, Yaa Gyasi, Ben Lerner, and Tommy Orange in the context of MFA programs, literary prizes, university syllabi, book clubs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Manshel studies how historical fiction has evolved over the last half century, documenting the formation of the newly inclusive literary canon and the challenges it still faces. He also considers recent challenges to the historical turn in American fiction, such as the backlash against the "white savior" narrative and the emphasis on diversity and representation.

Writing Backwards offers new insight into how institutions shape literature and the limits of historical memory. It challenges readers to think critically about the ways in which historical fiction is produced and consumed and to consider the ways in which it perpetuates or challenges dominant narratives. Ultimately, the book provides a valuable contribution to the field of literary studies and offers a fresh perspective on the role of historical fiction in contemporary literature.

Weight: 534g
Dimension: 147 x 224 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231211260