Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [3261]

The other characters all existed, saying and doing pretty much what I have them saying and doing. I have moved about history only twice. First, the news of the unpleasantness of Little Big Horn was not published on June 27; actually, the press delayed the story until July 6—in order not to shadow the national centennial on the Fourth. Second, Tom Sawyer was published in serial form in the Spring of 1876; book publication did not follow until December. I have moved the publication of the book to the beginning of 1876 so that Mark Twain could say all the things that I have him saying (and indeed he said or wrote during this period) to Charlie. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 3261

Note

The detail about publishing delays emphasizes the interplay between fiction and real historical events, illustrating the author’s manipulation of timelines for narrative cohesion.