Final answer:
The author develops the character using historical context by depicting them as reading novels as a form of entertainment, a popular pastime consistent with the period.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question revolves around how an author develops a character's persona using historical context in a piece of literature. In historical novels, authors often portray their characters in a manner that reflects the time period in which the novel is set.
Therefore, the correct completion for the paragraph according to the excerpt provided would reference a character trait or habit that is indicative of that historical era. Considering the options provided, the author develops the narrator’s character through historical context by portraying the narrator as reading novels as form of entertainment, a detail consistent with the historical period in which novels were indeed a popular form of entertainment.
Writers can craft characters that either blend in with the factual setting or stand out against a historical backdrop, creating a compelling, realistic storyline as seen in the works of Victor Hugo and Kjartan Fløgstad.