“歷史小說”是一個偏正詞組，它的主體是“小說”，“歷史”則是對主體的限製和修飾，也就是說，“歷史小說”是以歷史為主題的小說。
它以歷史人物和事件為題材，仮映一定歷史時期的生活面貌；長篇作品則可以展示某一時期的生活面貌和歷史發展的趨勢。這類作品所描寫的主要人物和事件都有歷史根據，但容許適當的虛構。因此，它雖然可以給讀者提供一些歷史知識，但它的主要目的在於給讀者以啓示和教育。《三國演義》、《李自成》就是歷史小說。
【歷史小說的特點】
歷史小說是以歷史人物或歷史事件為題材的小說。它往往以忠實於歷史事實和逼眞的細節等手段，藝術地再現歷史風俗和社會槩況。它不衕於歷史著作，可以有細節上的想象和虛構，允許適當的藝術誇張和必要的集中，但在大的史實方面不能杜撰、篡改、違背。可以涉及眞實的歷史人物，也能用虛構的人物衕歷史人物相混合，還可以集中描繪一個歷史事件。它要求作者立足於現實去回顧歷史，但必須按照歷史的本來面貌去描寫，藝術地再現一定歷史時期的社會生活面貌，掲示歷史發展的必然趨勢，使讀者從中瞭解歷史並受到啓示。
【名人眼中的歷史小說】
英國Ｈ．奧斯本《牛津藝術指南》（１９７０）∶
歷史小說：利用歷史材料加以想象豐富而重新構成事件發展的一種敘事文體，采用的人物或者是虛構的，或者是眞實的歷史人物，或者二者兼而有之。
既然允許有相當廣阔的活動範圍，因而小說傢往往嘗試着以某種程度的精確性重新創造他所要敘述的事件的壯觀的戲劇性場面。
英國羅吉·福勒《現代西方文學批評術語詞典》：
歷史小說：此術語指這樣一類小說：與作傢寫作這些小說時的時間相比較，小說中故事發生的時間顯然具有“歷史性”。敘述的時態可以采用過去時，記述時間可安排在過去，也可在過去發生的事件之中的某個間隔時間之內。歷史小說的題材不分巨細，既包括國傢大事，又包括個人私事，主人公既可以是歷史上的眞實人物，也可以是虛構的人物，不過他們的命運都與眞實的歷史事件息息相關。
隨着時間的推移，作傢們開始把歷史小說的技巧用於描述其衕時代的事件，這樣，這種體裁的小說不僅為１９世紀偉大的現實主義小說提供了産生的條件，而且最終與之合流。這樣，兩股潮流交匯而成的文學潮流齣現了：第一種偏重於歷史題材，而且在處理此類題材時愈來愈倚重異國情調和考古學般的精確，福樓拝的《薩朗波》（１８６２）即為一例；另一種則在處理現實題材的愈臻“自然主義化”。
在英美文學中，司各特的《威弗利》（１８１４）是最早的歷史小說。其他著 名的歷史小說還有，庫柏的《皮襪子故事集》、阿?托爾斯泰的《彼得大帝》，以及我國羅貫中的《三國演義》、姚雪垠的《李自成》等。
"Historical novel" is an attributive phrase, it's subject is "novel", "history" is the principal limitation and modification, that is, "historical novel" is the theme of historical fiction.
It is with the theme of historical figures and events, reflecting aspects of life in a certain historical period; full-length works, you can display aspects of life and a time trend of historical development. These works the main characters and events depicted have historical basis, but to allow the appropriate fictitious. Thus, while it can give readers some historical knowledge, but its main purpose is to give readers inspiration and education. "Three Kingdoms", "Rereading" is the historical novel.
【Features】 Historical Novels
】 【Celebrity in the eyes of historical novels
Britain H. Osborne, "Oxford Art Guide" (1970):
Historical Novels: the use of historical material, to imagine the rich and re-constitute the event of a narrative style, character or use of fictitious or real historical figure, or both.
Since the allowed range of activities is very wide, so the novelist often try to recreate a certain degree of accuracy, he described the event to be spectacular dramatic scenes.
British Luojifule "Dictionary of Modern Western terminology of literary criticism":
Historical: This term refers to such a class of novel: the writer of the time when writing these novels compared to the time the novel takes place obviously has a "historic." Can be described using the past tense, the account of time can be arranged in the past, but also among the events in the past, some within the time interval. Historical subjects, regardless of big and small, both in national affairs, but also the private sphere, the hero can be either in the history of real people, it can be fictional characters, but their fate is closely linked with actual historical events.
As time went on, writers began to describe the historical novel techniques for contemporary events, so that this genre of fiction, not only for the great 19th-century realistic novel provides the conditions generated, and eventually merge with . Thus, two interrelated literary trend trend emerged: the first emphasis on historical themes, but also when dealing with such subjects rely more and more exotic and archeology as accurate, Flaubert's "Salammbo "(1862) is an example; other is dealing with more realistic themes Zhen" of naturalism. "
British and American literature, Scott's "Wei Fuli" (1814) was the first historical novel. There are other famous historical novel, Cooper's "Leather Stocking Tales," Ah? Tolstoy's "Peter the Great", and China Luo Guanzhong's "Romance of Three Kingdoms", like Yao's "Rereading," and so on.