▁and ▁a ▁later ▁Russian , ▁Leo ▁Tol sto y . ▁However , ▁the ▁m eld ing ▁of ▁" histor ical " ▁and ▁" f iction " ▁in ▁individual ▁works ▁of ▁literature ▁has ▁a ▁long ▁tradition ▁in ▁most ▁cult ures ; ▁both ▁western ▁trad itions ▁( as ▁early ▁as ▁An cient ▁Greek ▁and ▁Roman ▁literature ) ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁Eastern , ▁in ▁the ▁form ▁of ▁or al ▁and ▁folk ▁trad itions ▁( see ▁myth ology ▁and ▁fol kl ore ), ▁which ▁produced ▁ep ics , ▁nov els , ▁plays ▁and ▁other ▁fict ional ▁works ▁describing ▁history ▁for ▁contemporary ▁aud ien ces . ▁ ▁Introduction ▁De fin itions ▁differ ▁as ▁to ▁what ▁constit utes ▁a ▁historical ▁novel . ▁On ▁the ▁one ▁hand ▁the ▁Historical ▁Nov el ▁Society ▁defines ▁the ▁genre ▁as ▁works ▁" written ▁at ▁least ▁fifty ▁years ▁after ▁the ▁events ▁described ", ▁while ▁critic ▁Sarah ▁Johnson ▁del ine ates ▁such ▁nov els ▁as ▁" set ▁before ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁last ▁[ 2 0 th ] ▁century ▁... ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁author ▁is ▁writing ▁from ▁research ▁rather ▁than ▁personal ▁experience ." ▁Then ▁again ▁Ly nd a ▁Adam son , ▁in ▁her ▁pre face ▁to ▁the ▁bibli ographic ▁reference ▁work ▁World ▁Historical ▁F iction , ▁states ▁that ▁while ▁a ▁" gener ally ▁accepted ▁definition " ▁for ▁the ▁historical ▁novel ▁is ▁a ▁novel ▁" about ▁a ▁time ▁period ▁at ▁least ▁ 2 5 ▁years ▁before ▁it ▁was ▁written ", ▁she ▁also ▁suggests ▁that ▁some ▁people ▁read ▁nov els ▁written ▁in ▁the ▁past , ▁like ▁those ▁of