Abstract

This introduction to the special issue on contemporary ethnic historical fiction considers recent trends in the field, as well as the critical history of this popular genre. Over the last two decades, historical fiction, particularly by writers of color, has gone mainstream, gaining large audiences as well as critical admiration. These works challenge the conservatism of the genre, both formally and thematically. Combining historical research with speculative elements, these works tell new stories about US history, centering on the lives of those too often sidelined or ignored in mainstream version of American history and in literary fiction. These various formal and thematic features suggest a distinctive generational moment, shaped by the nation's changing demographics and shifting political conditions. Contemporary ethnic American historical novelists focus simultaneously on the past and the present, bringing current preoccupations—such as the omnipresence of white supremacy, the unresolved trauma of war, and the demonization of refugees and immigrants—to light through their detailed re-creation and reimagining of historical events. In this way, contemporary ethnic American historical fiction operates as a means of representing, and attempting to work through, national traumas.

中文翻译：

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引言-历史小说与1960年代：调解过去并重塑未来

摘要

本简介介绍了有关当代民族历史小说的专刊，其中考虑了该领域的最新趋势以及这一流行类型的批判历史。在过去的二十年中，历史小说，尤其是彩色作家的历史小说已成为主流，赢得了众多观众的好评和赞赏。这些作品无论从形式上还是主题上都对这一类型的保守主义提出了挑战。这些作品将历史研究与投机元素相结合，以美国历史的主流版本和文学小说中经常被边缘化或忽视的人们的生活为中心，讲述了有关美国历史的新故事。这些各种各样的形式和主题特征暗示了一个独特的世代相传的时刻，这是由该国不断变化的人口统计数据和不断变化的政治状况所塑造的。当代美国种族历史小说家同时关注过去和现在，通过他们详细的重新创作和重新构想，使当前的关注，例如白人至上的无所不在，未解决的战争创伤以及难民和移民的妖魔化，成为现实。历史事件。这样，当代美国种族的历史小说就成为代表和试图克服民族创伤的一种手段。