Final answer:
The statement that a historical novel can range from a book like Homegoing to a peer-reviewed textbook on the Roman Empire is FALSE. Historical novels are works of fiction with a past setting, possibly including real historical figures or events, unlike academic history textbooks which provide factual information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The historical novel does not encompass everything from a novel like Homegoing to a peer-reviewed textbook on the Roman Empire. The statement is FALSE. A historical novel is a genre of literature where the plot takes place in a setting located in the past. An author may use real historical figures and events to enrich the story, but the main stories and protagonists are often fictional. On the other hand, a peer-reviewed textbook on the Roman Empire is an academic work that aims to provide factual, researched information and is not considered a novel.
Historical novels can certainly convey a sense of authenticity and can offer a connection with the past, enhancing our sense of national identity as seen during the Romantic Period. Works by Friedrich Schiller and Sir Walter Scott demonstrate this effect by inspiring national pride through stories of heroism. Additionally, authors like Kjartan Fløgstad and Victor Hugo have created historical fiction by placing fictional characters within real historical contexts, as seen in Grense Jacobselv and Les Misérables.
However, these works are distinct from scholarly histories, which rely on extensive and collective research by historians and archaeologists. Fiction writers have some creative license to fill in gaps or envision alternate narratives, as long as they don’t contravene established facts, such as changing major historical events or anachronistically introducing technology where it wouldn’t belong.