The American Library in Paris - Fiction and the Study of American History

Aug 27, 2026

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Program notices for The American Library in Paris, including opening hours and closure dates from October through May, lead into a scholarly discussion on how historical fiction functions in the teaching of American history. A questionnaire approach captures diverging academic and public views on whether historical novels serve as indispensable reading or as superficial escape from facts. Responses analyze motivations of young readers and arguments from book buyers, ultimately weighing instructional value against literary appeal in classroom contexts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages35

Reading Time54 min

AccessFree to download

The American Library in Paris

Library opening hours and closure notices

Fiction and the Study of American History

Question on the historical novel and its use in teaching

。01 3s0,5e11s20 Ex libris. Paris:American Library in Paris,1923-[1925] https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.$b199672 HathiTrust www.hathitrust.org Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives http://w.hathitrust.org/access_use\#c-by-nc-nd-4.0 This work is protected by copyright law(which includescertain exceptions to the rights of the copyright holderthat users may make,such as fair use where applicableunder U.S.law),but made available under a CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivativeslicense.You must attribute this work in the mannerspecified by the author or licensor (but not in any waythat suggests that they endorse you or your use of thework).Only verbatim copies of this work may be made,distributed,displayed,and performed,not derivativeworks based upon it.Copies that are made may onlybe used for non-commercial purposes.Please checkthe terms of the specific Creative Commons licenseas indicated at the item level.For details,see the fulllicense deed at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0. Generated on 2020-03-04 09:44GMT / https://hdL.handle.net/2027/uc1.$b199672 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives / http://ww.hathitrust.org/access_use\#cc-by-nc-nd-4.0 DURING OCTOBER TO MAYINCLUSIVE Creative. Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives /http://Mw. hathitrust.org/access_use\#cc-by-nc-nd-4.0 # The American Libraryin Paris will be open WEEK-DAYS 10 a.m.to 10pm. S UNDAY S 2 p.m.'to 7 p.m. 第 Generated_on 2020-03-04 06:44 GN/https//hdL.handle,net/2027/uc1.$b199672 THE LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED:Saturday,November 1,All Saints Day.Sunday,November 2,一一一Tuesday,November 11,Armistice Day. ostisaeb Google ALLIANCE FRANCAISE 101,Boulevard Raspail A.一The Complete Course of French Studiesof the Ecole Pratique de Langue Francaisewillreopen on November 3.It includes,every week:Sixteen hours ofpractice,including translations from English intoFrench;thirteen lectures;one visit tomonuments or interesting places. 贰 B.一The Evening Courses take place fivetimes a week,on Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday and Friday.from 8 to 10 p.m. The Wednesday session is entirely given to thestudy of Commercial French. For explanatory leaflets and detail.apply toDirector Robert DUPOUEY101,Boulevard Raspail Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives / http://Mw. hathitrust.org/access_use\#cc-by-nc-nd-4.0 Fiction and the Study of American History MYRON R.WILLIAMSInstructor in English,The Phillips Exeter Academy AQuestionnaire(that popular device bywhich the authoritativeness of the au-thor is supposed to be multiplied bythe number of correspondents among whom thelabor of composition has been divided)—a ques-tionnaire on the value of fiction in the teachingof history elicits strange results.Opinions rangefrom those which regard fiction as indispensablecollateral reading,in some cases even as a fairsubstitute for history itself(e.g.“Kenilworth”,"Henry Esmond","TheCloister andthe Hearth")to those which scorn such use ofiction as foment-ing superfciality,a kind of blithe aviation overthe felds of fact.In order to make somethinglike steerage-way,it seems best to limit specu-lation at once to these two questions:"Thehistorical novel—what is it?”and"What usecan be made of it in teaching history,even morespecifically,American history?” Generated on 2020-03-04 06:44GMT / https://hdL.handle.net/2027/uc1。$b199672 A composite reply from the academic worldwould read something like this:"The half ofthe world that reads historical novels nowadaysis the half of the world that formerly read epicsand tales of the gods.They look at literatureas an avenue of escape from the realities of thepresent or the immediate future.Primarily,theyarethe young and unsatisfed or the old and dissa-tisfed.The relish of life as it is and a curio-sity for constantly more and more of the samething(which is realism)is not theirs;romance,idealism become the realities

FAQs

What time is the American Library in Paris open during the October-to-May period?

The library lists weekday opening from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday hours from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., with specified holiday and closure dates.

Why does Myron R. Williams use a questionnaire to study the value of fiction in history teaching?

A questionnaire is presented as a device intended to multiply authority through multiple correspondents, producing varied results about historical fiction’s role in education.

How do younger readers justify reading historical novels even when they are not mainly about enjoyment?

Their reasons include wanting stories about soldiers and pioneers, seeing what life was like in places such as Plymouth or Salem, and learning history through narratives that remain comparatively interesting and accessible.

Aug 27, 2026

Upload by Sarah