Literary works—novels, poetry, plays, even movies—or pieces that are dependable
(i.e., historically accurate) are often more interesting than textbooks. The following sugges-
tions are works that can supplement, though not supplant, your text. The choices are often
personal, but also included are general websites that give you a broad array of material. As
you consider these alternate resources, bear in mind the content you have studied in class,
making connections as appropriate.
What’s the point? Certainly, you have enough on your plate already. Perhaps a study
group could pick a literary work, an artist or an artistic movement, or a piece of music and
have members present one every few weeks. Everyone in the group would benefit without
having to do all the work alone.
What to look for: Examples that make clear the importance of points of view and cli-
mates of opinion or that flesh out a particular period or event. Two samples follow. Each
is meant to be a starting point for AP European History; that is, each makes you consider
how history is written, by whom, and to what end.Example 1
Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time, a novel. This book, a mystery, serves as an introduction
to historiography and to effective analysis and communication skills. A discussion or essay
topic might include these prompts: (1) Use examples from the novel to support the following
quotation: “The truth of anything at all doesn’t lie in someone’s account of it. It lies in all the
small facts of the time. An advertisement in a paper. The sale of a house. The price of a ring.
The real history is written in forms not meant as history.” What examples of true history can
you find in the novel? (2) Using The Daughter of Time as your frame of reference, give examples
of four historical biases regarding King Richard III [England]. Two must be positive and two
must be negative. If you like reading Shakespeare, or watching a production of a play, consider
comparing Tey and Shakespeare’s portrayals of King Richard III. Keep in mind each author’s
purpose.Example 2
Watch the two most famous film versions of Shakespeare’s Henry V—one with Laurence
Olivier and one with Kenneth Branagh. Each deals with the same historical events, but
the Olivier version was made during World War II and has propagandistic purposes and the
Branagh version, made in the post-Vietnam era, demonstrates modern antipathy to war.
How does each film—through its version and vision of historical events—demonstrate
authorial (or in this case, directorial) voice or intent?Using Literary Works in European History
‹^283
28_Bartolini_Resource_281-300.indd 283 25/04/18 5:55 PM