If I had a pound for every time a person questioned what the purpose of teaching history is, I would be a rich man. There are many good reasons to teach history, but I believe one of the most powerful is to inspire writers to write good and compelling fiction.
According to King Solomon, there is nothing new under the sun. This is especially true in literature where ideas and stories are perennial. I do not think that this is a bad thing because good literature speaks to the human condition. We can see it clearly in modern literature and how it constantly draws on ancient myths, legends, and history.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
An excellent example is the commercially and artistically successful Warhammer books. Games Workshop is one of Britain’s most successful companies, whose success in selling miniatures lies directly in their well-developed and varied intellectual property. If you want to wind them up, call it “the fluff”!
Throughout their lore, you can see references to Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Greek, and Roman history recast in a science fiction setting. The writers are clearly well-read and well-educated, leading to thrilled customers and massive sales.
Of course, the entire fantasy genre owes a massive debt to J.R.R. Tolkien, whose Middle-earth has inspired adaptations and replications from tabletop games and computer games to films, music, and books. Although profoundly influential, the Professor was standing on the shoulders of giants. His work drew closely on his day job as an Oxford professor with a wide range of academic interests.
Bringing Drama Into the Classroom
At Portals to the Past, we work hard to bring history to life for children using a variety of interactive methods. These include object handling, direct teaching, and my personal favourite: acting. By doing so, we enrich the child’s understanding of the topic, getting them to understand not just what being a churl might mean, but also what that might feel like.
In my Ancient Greek talk, I use suspense and drama to communicate to the children what it might have felt like to be Theseus creeping through the Labyrinth, seeking out the Minotaur to end Minos’ cruel dominion over Athens.
The Fertile Ground for Creative Writing
The proof of this approach lies in the children’s outcomes, and one of the best perks of this job is receiving fan mail from school children who loved their day. We regularly seek out feedback from schools to learn about our impact on learning.
This impact is clearest when children are asked to write their own Greek myths or other pieces of creative writing, perhaps about Beowulf or life as a Viking. I deeply enjoy reading these and seeing how our sessions have helped expand, develop, and enrich their historical understanding.
Storytelling has always been important, and that will never stop being true. Commercially or personally, the ability to create a narrative is vital to success. However, it is wrong to imagine that the story germ can grow on bread and water alone; it needs the rich and fertile ground of characters like Beowulf, Anansi, Reynard the Fox, Achilles, and Thor.