I'm interested in examples of fiction that resembles cinema verite or social realist film. Descriptive, perhaps not as focused on character development so much, but more on the realities that a character faces for a period of time, which does not necessarily resolve in a positive or satisfying way at the end. I'm particularly interested in knowing about examples of historical fiction like this. Historical fiction seems always to focus on a moment or a lifetime with a triumphal arc–how the protagonist survived a critical moment in history, or transformed a nation or community, or found love, etc. I'm thinking about writing about a historical figure whose life story is really fascinating but seems, the more I think about it, to show the fundamental futility and disappointment of their situation, and I'm wondering whether there's a way to capture this effectively in a novel.
by PalpitationLopsided1