Historical novel as a type of historical discourse

In the present article the historical novel is considered as a type of discourse having its own specific features such as chronotope, correlation between historical accuracy and imagination, stylization and emotional colouring. One more discourse element has been pointed out that is polemic. Two historical novels of the 19th century have been analyzed: «The History of Henry Esmond» by William Makepeace Thackeray and «The White Company» by Arthur Conan Doyle.