GENRE 101 – Family Saga

“We are all dying of life.”

John Jakes, North and South

There is a long lasting debate about the term Family Saga. Originally the term Saga referred to the old Icelandic family and hero chronicles that had a lot in common with the modern literary fiction genre, but were considered historical records. The first family novels were probably inspired by the genealogical structure of the old Icelandic Sagas until Family Saga became a genre of its own. The term is also great for advertising the quality and importance of the literary work. Not unlike the term epic which is becoming synonymous with exciting, the term has been adjusted in its meaning to fit the purpose of generating attention. In regards to the work, the distinction between the terms Family Saga, Family Novel or even Family Saga Novel is not of importance.

The Family Saga tells the story of at least two sub-sequential generations in a family or several interconnected families during a set period of time. And with that we have found the two main components of the genre.

Family and Time

The family as a unit is the main character of the Family Saga, the group can literally be considered as one entity, the protagonist. There may be one more accentuated character within the group, but they do not necessarily have to be the protagonist. If the writer works with a big ensemble of mostly stereotypical actors, which may complement or contradict each other, the family receives a greater and deeper personality.

This diversity offers many choices of view point in connection with specific events. The reader can reflect on a certain topic through the eyes of a defined personality: the smart brother, the conniving sister, the wise grandmother or the abusive father, they all react differently to individual challenges, they all face different challenges. Gender and age specific issues are closely connected to historical and cultural conditions.

Gain and loss are crucial elements of the Saga. The life of the family is marred by fundamental experiences and crisis: birth, death, illness and accidents, religious or political fervour, envy, jealousy and outright hatred can turn into theft, treason, murder and any possible deadly sin.

Big family clans are always a welcoming playground for the writer, but there can also be several smaller families instead, that may be associated or antagonistic towards each other. The connection between families may be as simple as sharing the same neighbourhood or competing for the same territory, but it is not limited to that. Individual members of the family can be transferred to another clan. Children from these unions face new singular problems. Interestingly enough, the first generation is often the most compelling, considering they have a longer stage life than the younger generations, it is not at all surprising though. They take up most of the storytelling time.

The conflicts between parents and children provide the story with some of the most dramatic moments. They are usually the first conflicts present within the character arrangements. Children make choices their parents oppose and vice versa. Siblings fight each other horizontally over legacy disputes or romantic interests. Outsiders worm into the clan and corrupt the harmony. Sometimes the fights turn nasty.

The family life has dynamics of its own, but events are the key to the development of the story and enduring conflicts. The Family Saga is after all a chronology of events fixed to a specific group of people.

A very popular approach on the episodical structure of the Family Novel is to have many minor conflicts be violently interrupted by one major event. That is why a Family Novel does not require a main plot to work for the reader. The stories can begin at a set time and end after a set period. There are plots attached to individual lifelines that need to be resolved in some way or the other. Readers may be bonding with one of the character and expect to find out how they fare compared to others.

Most Family Sagas are at the same time Historical Fiction Novels either with or without biographical components. Political events and social developments have a great influence on the standing and fate of the family or members of the family. Then again, fictional characters may meet actual historical figures and influence their decisions in some way, and so do their part in shaping history.

Depending on the era and location there will be different challenges directing the fortunes of the selected group: political unrest, religious prosecution, war, rebellion and renovation, inflation, recession and social decline, technological advancements, epidemics and so forth. There can be many issues around the topics of sex, reproduction and heritage, fundamental questions concerning family survival. Likewise reputation and legal standing are often more important than individual happiness.

The writer has to be knowledgeable of the social and economic mechanisms and the individual risks. An event like the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 may have a similarly impact on contemporary families as the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 had in modern times. Childbearing on the other hand would pose very different risks among some prehistoric culture than it is in today’s western civilization. To be able to predict a development the author does not only have to study history but look at it from a cultural, economical and social view point. Historical Family Sagas require a lot of research and preparation time. Choose a setting you are familiar with and put some work into historical timelines, event timelines and the creation of a family tree. Study history from the perspective of the family unit. Dive deep into genealogical records and small town newspaper archives. The material you can find online is mind-boggling. Remember, that everything may have an impact on the family in focus, and everything can change rapidly.

No matter whether the family has started out as poor or rich, the fortunes are likely to turn several times in the cause of the tale that spans decades. What happens to be a lucky chance for one family may be the undoing of another, even if they are not opposed to each other.

In Love and War by John Jakes the American Civil War in the 1860s favours the Hazards, steel manufacturers from the North, who thrive during the time of war, almost complementary to the befriended Mains Estate in the South falling into ruins. While the Northerners make money by supplying weapons to the army, the Southerners, rice planters by trade, lose their slave workforce and are overrun by outlaws. The way they earned a living before determined their fate during and after the war.

The Anchor and the Witness

The Anchor and the Witness are not prerequisites for the family novel but they are helpful tools to bring structure to it. They are highly recommended.

Over the years family members are born and die. Fortunes turn, dynamics shift and unforeseen events change the entire social landscape. Without the proper literary glue a family novel is always in danger of falling apart at the seams. Characters may be lost by drifting into irrelevance instead of death, unless they can always return to the hive and make themselves visible once more. Locations are especially important in Family Novels because extensive families often have a place of origin, a foundation stone where each family member can find their ancestors. A writer can take steps to bind the individual life-strings into a manageable knot by fortifying the home base. It can be an old castle or mansion, a village or town, it can be a new home that will spawn a new generation. The anchor of the family can even be mobile, providing the time span allows for at least two generations, a wagon convoy roaming the uncharted countryside or a spaceship travelling to distant star systems. It is the place where everyone eventually returns to. It is where all roads lead.

In this location or relative location there may be someone who qualifies as the witness. They do not have to be the protagonist of the story, they do not even have to be a member of the family. They just have to be there throughout the Saga. Often, they are not involved in the events, they rather witness the hardship and struggles of the other characters. They are immune to being removed from the scene. They are the Horatio to your Hamlet: The tellers of the story without knowing it yet.

In The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett the home base is the construction site of the projected Cathedral of Kingsbridge with the adjacent monastery and the growing city. Prior Philip’s vision of building one of the most glorious cathedrals in England is the reason for many fateful events that have direct influence on the families in the vicinity as well as on history. However Philip often seems passive compared to the other characters, he is not a cruel tyrant or an impulsive hothead, but observant, smart and disciplined. He is an initiator, but he never gets targeted directly. Neither is he seriously hurt or ailing during dangerous events and as he is a very healthy individual, seemingly immune to time itself. Reaching the age of 70 in the 12th century was not a common achievement, and Philip hardly even feels his age yet: he is undoubtedly the Designated Survivor. If the novel were a factual historical record, it would probably have been written by Philip or his Higher Self. The anchor and the witness are very clearly defined in this example. They provide the structure of the novel with a much needed stability.

Diversity in Universality

The family is a universal phenomenon. It has always existed and it always will, at least in the mind of any being capable of emotional bonds. There are countless permutations to it and just as many settings. You can write about pretty much any culture or subculture you like. The rich British and American households of the 19th century are not the only playground you can choose from.

Roots by Alex Haley tells the story of an American family, whose ancestor was brought to the States as a slave, over 7 generations ago.

In The Godfather by Mario Puzo, the family has to stand their ground against other even more ruthless competitors in the criminal underworld.

Frank Herbert’s Dune and Terry Brooks’ Shannara Cycle take the Family Novel out into the realms of Science-Fiction and Fantasy. Even in an alternate universe it is important to create the political and social background of a realistic civilization to tell a Family Saga, because the conflicts are the fuel that will keep this vehicle going. Readers of the genre demand historical validity, they are often amateur historians that are interested in the influence of historical events on families of the time. You should honour that claim especially when you create your own universe, because the proof for the continuity errors may just be a few pages away.

Back to Introduction