The Northman: putting the history in historical fiction

When writing historical fiction, how important is historical accuracy? After all, it's fiction, right? Surely there's wiggle room, isn't there? This week, we study The Northman, an excellent example of historical fiction that brings the harshness of Viking reality to life. There's no need to have watched this film to enjoy today's episode. It's a pretty gruesome, bloody film, and we figured many of you would want to give that a pass so we start the episode with a G-Rated plot summary...this is the source material for Hamlet, so it's a storyline you're already familiar with. The lessons here around worldbuilding are something you won't want to miss! And when it comes to the villains, well, The Northman is burdened by the same problem as Spy Games - the antagonist isn’t antagonising. The result is the same too - no significant conflict or rising tension. This is a powerful lesson in why the middle build should belong to the villain. -M&V.

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