When teachers or academics recommend a particular historical novel as a teaching/learning strategy for an undergraduate unit or classroom activity, they enter into a very problematic and contested domain. But most teachers or academics would agree that the first consideration should be meeting their students at their point of need. It is likely that many students will have been exposed to, or will have read, historical novels generally and/or Australian historical novels. Some may be aware of the changes that have come over the historical novel, and the Australian historical novel specifically, since the onset of the postmodernist and postcolonial paradigms.

At this point, teachers or academics might themselves that their principal concern here is not to teach literary criticism but rather to provide students with a potent teaching/learning strategy in their History curriculum. In short, I argue for the use of historical novels as a pedagogical device in the History classroom. That is not to say that if the opportunity arises, points of understanding of literary criticism cannot be developed from these opportunities. I argue, however, for the use of historical novels with a strong plot — a plot that will capture and sustain the attention of History students.

Rejecting the plot portraying an untidy reality

Recently, some literary commentators have begun to lament the loss of plot in many novels. Lev Grossman goes on to write that ‘a good story is a dirty secret that we all share.