History has the unique ability to be presented through the different viewpoints of people with different backgrounds and different levels of education. History also has the ability to be taught using different presentational techniques in order to present the historical information. The techniques that historians and teachers can use include reading historical fiction novels, watching film documentaries, and using a history textbook. Each teaching technique used to present the historical information contains advantages and disadvantages which may question a techniques validity and accuracy. Michael Shaara’s historical fiction novel The Killer Angels and the Ken Burns’ film documentary “The Civil War” were both effective in presenting the history …show more content…
There are many advantages and disadvantages for portraying history in this way for the representation of the Battle of Gettysburg and the civil war. Advantages of this type of presentation of information in a historical fiction novel include the fact that the first person viewpoints allowed the reader to feel empathy towards the characters. This empathy is felt by the reader because the reader has the ability to spend so much time connecting to the narrator’s life and to get into their head. The readers are allowed to “enter” the head of the protagonists and all emotions that the characters feel are instantly felt by the reader because of that connection. The first person viewpoints also allow readers to understand the logic and motivations of the characters in the story. Michael Shaara started out the story by stating, ““This is the story of the Battle of Gettysburg, told from the viewpoints of Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet and some of the other men who fought there” (Shaara xiii). This statement made it clear that this novel made a strong attempt to portray the Battle of Gettysburg in the highest possible manner accounting all of the different people that were historically significant. Disadvantages of historical fiction novels includes the fact that some authors may fail to identify and tell the reader that parts of the story have been changed and the fact that some parts may not be completely accurate. It is also found to be very difficult for authors to describe the protagonist clearly and honestly while being unbiased in a novel. Michael Shaara confronts these possible disadvantages by creating a “To the Reader” page, in which he discusses how he did not consciously change any of the actual facts and he