Historical Fiction Conventions In Beloved

Prior to writing a novel an author has access to many other well written novels that fall into the genre they intend to write. Nevertheless, the author can write using a sort of general template for that genre or they can develop the novel with a personal priority in mind. The historical fiction novel, Beloved, by Toni Morrison is written outside of the conventions of the genre, although it is, yet a well written novel. In the novel Beloved, the author, Toni Morrison, deviates from the conventions of historical fiction as she narrates the plot through the perspective of different characters with an objective of allowing the reader to experience the plot through characters. Morrison also writes in a way that the historical events are out of
This occurs numerous time throughout the text, although there are two particular spots that are significant to the overall text, chapter 20-23 and the tragedy of Sethe’s infanticide.
A common trend that is observed while reading Beloved is the unique way in which Morrison tells a story. In contrast to a classic fiction novel that tells the story with one narrator, she often develops the plot through the perspective of the various characters in the novel. The novel begins from the perspective of a general narrator, though as the plot progresses, she ventures to develop the plot from varying perspectives. This is a recurrent technique used when a past experience is being described. One of the most significant parts where this technique occurs in the text is chapters 20-23. In these chapters the affections that are developed for Beloved are expressed through the words of Sethe and Denver, while in Chapter 22, the reader gets a taste of Beloved’s thoughts. These are told through each individual character’s stream of conscience. In chapter 20, Sethe
This applies most directly to characters like Paul D. and Sethe because of their experiences through slavery, but each character, that is alive at the time the book is written, has a chance to express their past in their own words. The overall purpose of Morrison developing the plot through the eye of different characters is to allow the reader to understand each character by experiencing how they think and why they think in certain ways. It is also important to note that the stories aren’t told in the order as they occur. If she were to write in chronological order, starting from the experiences in Sweet Home to the days after Beloved disappears, the plot would not be so interesting. The novel, as it is written, keeps the reader reading and anticipating; even if all of the questions that surface while reading are not answered at the conclusion of the novel. From the beginning, we know that Sethe committed infanticide, although the motive for it was not justified until nearly chapter 20. The stories are told, in what seems to be a random order, however, they come up as the character has a rememory, or as the character is sharing their story with another character within the novel. The significance of the stories being communicated to the