The Historian

The narrator of The Historian is an unusual protagonist, in that she is both unnamed and often sidelined from the central action. The events mostly take place in the past—thus, the novel is not only about Historians and the Search for Truth but is itself a quasi-historical document—which the narrator reads in a series of letters. She is central to the plot and to the main themes of The Perils of Inheritance and Historians and the Search for Truth. As the titular “historian,” it is the narrator’s task to put pen to paper, organizing and recording all the events. The purpose of this role, however, is to remain as objective as possible, as well as impersonal. In assuming the duties of the titular character, she herself is often elided.

The narrator is a teenager for much of the book, traveling with her father throughout Europe as she listens to his story. While she describes herself as obedient, she reveals a streak of burgeoning independence and then outright disobedience as the novel develops. At first, she just “decide[s] to do a little exploring by myself” as they travel (38). Later, she researches Dracula on her own and fibs about her time in the library.