Question

Select the correct answer. In what way is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Contest” a work of historical fiction? A. It focuses on the popular Greek mythic hero Policles and cites examples of his bravery. B. It describes the former Roman Emperor Nero and recreates ancient Rome and Greece. C. It accurately portrays how international singing competitions were held in ancient Greece. D. It gives a factual, tru

Answer 1

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Contest" is a work of historical fiction because B. it describes the former Roman Emperor Nero and recreates ancient Rome and Greece.

A work of historical fiction is a text that is set in the past and portrays the social and cultural conditions of that period. In the case of "The Contest", the story is set in the times of the reign of Emperor Nero (54 to 68 AD), the last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. "The Contest" can be considered historical fiction because it has a historical figure as the main character and the author recreates Ancient Greece and Rome to narrate the events. However, Conan Doyle also includes elements of fiction in the story; in other words, he does not always presents factual, true-to-life depiction of events that took place during Nero's reign.