History as a Partner in Story – Part III: Its Reach

The Tentacles of History

Like an octopus with tentacles reaching out in every direction, history has a tendency to suck its neighbors into close range where they become prey to her appetite. The book The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events by Bernard Grun is an example of how this works. It’s timeline of history is shown from a lateral perspective. Each century and even decade portrays the major historical events in the nations of the world in a side-by-side overview.

As writers, in the stories we create, our characters are affected by what’s going on in other parts of the world even if they never leave their local environ. The more informed we are of the larger context, the more potential we have for nuanced and well-rounded characters and scenarios.

One section of the story I’m working on takes place in the 1790’s, centered mostly in London. This was a complex period of history. Transitions were bubbling up all around the world. Haiti, then known as Saint-Domingue, was experiencing the largest slave revolt since Spartacus, which was around 1900 years earlier. The effects of the American Revolution were beginning to change the dynamics between nations. The French and English East India companies were vying with one another for control of trade in various colonies. Napoleon Bonaparte was rising to power and the nations of the world were in the midst of a war that would last decades.

The English perspective provides rich insight into the international events of that period as well as a textured storyline for my main character. She, being adventurous and unconventional, is chock full of potential for the possibilities presented. I would enjoy connecting her with another culture, perhaps through business or romance, maybe both. I’m thinking India would be a great cross-cultural experience for her in that period. So much was changing there and the strata of cultural nuances were multilayered. The potential for strong tension between characters in their respective cultures would be an energy that may naturally move the story forward.

This of course means more work, yet the added texture would be worth the effort. The requirement for that bulk of research would be hefty. The dedication of time and energy would be substantial, which for me is a win/win since I love research and doing so would add value to the story.

History really isn’t a linear path snaking it’s way into the future. It’s a net with millions and millions of nodes connecting vital relationships and supporting individual stories with an entire cast of characters, living and nonliving, geographies in flux, ancestries encroaching into the present. History is a living being, submerged in the depths of human existence, stretching its tentacles into the farthest reaches.

What is the reach of History in your story or in the story you’re telling?

Writing Prompt for the Week: History’s Net