STITTSVILLE - Writer David Mulholland was
there to outline his view of the role of historical fiction in the conveying of
history. And while he accomplished this in his formal presentation, it was his
own personal story that came out in response to questions from those present
that elevated the occasion to a memorable status for the two dozen in
attendance at this October monthly meeting of the Goulbourn Historical Society
in Stittsville on Saturday, Oct. 16.
Growing up in Arnprior, Mr. Mulholland
went on to become a copywriter at CKOY radio in Ottawa, an Ottawa Citizen
reporter, a syndicated country music columnist, a speechwriter, a television
show researcher, a stand-up comic at Yuk Yuk’s and since 2001 a writer of
historical fiction. He loves music, virtually all kinds, not just country
music, and demonstrated a wide knowledge of literature, heartily endorsing
Barry Unsworth’s book “Sacred Hunger”, a book about the slave trade which was
the 1992 co-winner of the Booker Prize and which he called a stunning piece of
work.
But enough about the personal
Mulholland. He was guest speaker at the meeting to explain his view on how
history and fiction interact and how historical fiction plays a role in helping
people better understand the context of historical facts.
He himself has written two historical
novels, McNab about the Laird of McNab who controlled settlement in a township
named after him at Arnprior, and Duel, a book about the famous last duel at Perth. He has now begun
research on another historical novel based on the founding of Bytown and
Philemon Wright’s Wrightville or Hull.
He feels that this will take him at least five to seven years because of the
scope of this undertaking.
To Mr. Mulholland, facts
related by historians do not tell the whole story not just because some facts
are missing or left out but because there are things that are simply beyond the
scope of the historian’s view. These related to what people were thinking at
the time, thoughts that Mr. Mulholland feels can be reasonably deduced from the
historical record of the times and can be introduced into the story to add to
its telling.
Even though an historian can
record and point out facts, it takes historical fiction to account for why the
historical facts take place, Mr. Mulholland asserted. He cited the viewpoint of
two other writers of historical fiction, Roy MacSkimming and Margaret Atwood,
in justifying his approach to the writing of historical fiction. Both of these
writers, in their historical fiction writing, respect the historical record and
do not alter facts.
Mr. MacSkimming, for example,
in his book about Sir John A. Macdonald, respects the historical records for
public events such as elections but invented conversations pertaining to
private events. But while certain scenes were invented, these scenes are always
located in a plausible historical setting based on the premise of what would
Macdonald have said in such a circumstance given his life and times.
Ms. Atwood, in her book
“Alias Grace” about a 16 year old maid servant Grace Marks who was convicted of
killing her employer in 1843, did not alter any solid facts available, although
some of these facts may now be viewed as inaccurate. But her basic premise was
that every major element in the book had to be referenced in the written record
of the time but if there were gaps in this record, then situations could be
invented.
Mr. Mulholland said that
historical fiction serves a purpose in giving a reader a broader understanding
of why events happened like they did. Historical fiction is dramatized history
presented through characters whereas historians tend to interpret historical
facts.
In his McNab book, Mr.
Mulholland did this by inventing a character who was the Laird’s bagpiper. The
historical record about Scottish clans reveals that such clan leaders like the
Laird had such personal bagpipers. Mr. Mulholland uses the bagpiper to explain
the Laird’s viewpoint in the book.
Mr. Mulholland can be
contacted at author69@hotmail.com.
His website is at www.davidmulholland.ca.