What is the difference between literary historical fiction and “woman with her back turned on the cover” historical fiction? In today’s episode of Modern Readers, we’re discussing the literary landscape and rise in popularity of the historical fiction genre. We explore the definition of historical fiction, significant time periods, craft vs. plot, and “literariness” to understand whether a historical book is literary or a really entertaining read—or both! Plus, we share Novel Pairings episodes and book recommendations to pair with our nuanced conversation. If you enjoyed today’s episode and want more conversations similar to this nerdy genre deep dive, you should check out our Patreon community where for just $5 a month, you can access weekly bonus episodes just like this one. At our $10 Literature Scholar level, patrons have access to classes and our virtual book club, where we’ll be discussing The Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat this month. To join, visit patreon.com/novelpairings. For more updates from Novel Pairings, make sure to follow us over on our Instagram or subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter.  Timestamps Recent Reads - 2:13 What is Historical Fiction? - 10:23 What makes a text Literary Historical Fiction? - 23:19 Novel Pairings Historical Fiction Episodes  The Remains of the Day (Episode 6) Beloved by Toni Morrison (Episode 9)  Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Episode 98) Books Mentioned Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls How Can I Help You by Laura Sims Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson The Fraud by Zadie Smith Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel Phillipa Gregory (try The Other Boleyn Girl) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Life After Life by Kate Atkinson Atonement by Ian McEwan Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell