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Historical Westerns
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Historical Fiction by Bob Turpin
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About the Old West
About the Old West
By Bob Turpin
Can Historical Fiction Save the Old West?
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Can historical fiction renew interest in America's Old West?
When was the last time you saw a person, especially a
young person, sitting quietly on a park bench, or in a laundry
room, or on a sun-deck wearing a one-piece bathing suit and
dark glasses reading a magazine or book to pass time?
When was the last time you saw a person, especially a
young person, sitting quietly on a park bench, or in a laundry
room, or on a sun-
dark glasses reading a magazine or book to pass time?
When you are in a doctor’s or dentist’s waiting room, a
beauty parlor, or elsewhere do you see a young person holding a book and reading, or is that person holding a palm-
I am a historical-
While it is true that historical fiction can be a big departure from pure history, history in most cases, is a very stiff and boring subject to many people. Consider:
• History is a telling (reporting) of accounts loaded down with facts, dates, and descriptions of historic events. It is the “telling” of a process not a “showing” of the process.
• Historical fiction on the other hand is a showing of the process rather than just a telling because the author narrates with imagination how things might have been. The stories, instead of being a boring list of events, come alive with fast-flowing action, colorful dialog, and detailed descriptions so readers can almost smell the gun smoke and see the flashing blade of a deadly Bowie knife in action as they read. This can only come from a writer's interpretation of the incidents and knowledge of the Old West and its people.
Here are some interesting facts about historical fiction:
• ts stories include some of the Old West’s most unusual real-life and interesting characters and events.
• Even though historical fiction is mostly fiction, it reads more like nonfiction because it blends genres and laces everything together with a generous amount of pure history and fiction.
• Good historical fiction makes it difficult for the reader to distinguish between the real western figures and the fiction figures.
• The dialog used in historical fiction stories depicts Wild West characters as they truly were.
Does historical fiction promote or deter interest in our Wild West history?
All I can say is, it’s possible it will do both. The people who want facts, pure and simple without any garnishment, won’t like the added components found in historical fiction. Then, there are other people who like the garnishments found in historical fiction. They like the combination of history (historic dates, places, and events) coupled with fiction because the fiction keeps the action flowing fast and furious with scenes that are clouded with gun smoke and have the scent of sudden death in the air.
Interest in historical fiction seems to be diminishing
It seems that today’s youngsters and many adults are more interested in stories about vampires, werewolves, and aliens from outer space than in the history of our country. I feel this is partly because historic events were presented to our youngsters in a dull manner, while the vampires, werewolves, and aliens presented excitement and challenges not only in movies and videos, but also in electronic games.
Can interested be renewed in our American Old West?
I don’t know but I think so if it was presented to adults and youngsters in an up-to-date, modern-day way which they can relate to. What I would like to see is historical fiction filling the pages of printed books and electronic readers with exciting stories that tell the reader about days of yore, including true-to-life stories about:
• Cowboys, Indians, and the Old West.
• Outlaws and killers who usually met their fate at the hands of hardened, vengeful lawmen or an unfeeling, vengeance-seeking posse who carried their ropes already tied with a hangman’s knot and their eyes searching for a tall oak tree.
• Men and women who helped our country to be what it is.
Then taking these stories and using them as a base for creating electronic games portraying events of the Old West. What could be more exciting than electronically reliving and fighting the challenging but bloody battles fought between cowboys and Indians, shootouts between heroes and outlaws, cowboys breaking horses, herding and branding cattle, fighting coyotes, and more.
I can easily imagine electronic devices keeping our youngsters (and some of our adults) challenged for hours as they relive, battle, and learn about the historic events that were instrumental in the founding of our country. Historical fiction used in this manner could be an interesting, exciting, viable way of saving the Old West.
Bob Turpin is a historian, researcher, and a leading authority on the Old West. To learn more about outlaws, lawmen, horse thieves, and other forgotten characters of the Old West, visit Bob's website at http:www.historicalfictionbybobturpin.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Turpin
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