learning history though TV

    So ever since I started writing reviews on this blog, I keep getting questions that almost all relate to the same subject. But before I tell you and answer the questions, I need to make something clear:

    I am NOT a film critic. I actually don't know how to write a review and I also have incredibly bad taste in films. My cinematographic knowledge is very limited, but on the other hand, I know history. And I don't want you to understand from this that I'm a historian. OF COURSE NOT. I don't do analyses in like, very, very in-depth. I actually just gather information from sources I can find. Ok, with that being said, let's move on to the questions, here are some of them:

What is the most historically accurate period drama? Is the [insert name here] series accurate?  Did [insert character name here] really exist? When is that show set it? 

    As you can probably see, all those questions relate to the same subject, history. And the answer to all of those questions, in a nutshell, is "RESEARCH". Here's how you can do it too:

• Find a subject you like
• Start off just by googling about it
• Read as many articles as you can

    At this point, you should have an idea about the subject and then you can start watching a film or TV show.

• Find a series or film that relates to your subject
• Don't believe everything you hear or see on TV and make sure to check the facts
• Don't rely only on one source, find different materials where you can get information
• Study on categories (ex: famous people, economics, politics, geographic discoveries, machine development, etc)
• Take notes and write key-words
• Try to analyze famous figures, to understand why they did certain things (ex: Queen Victoria had a nice personality and she did that because...)
• Take quizzes
• Try to find sources that are closer to the actual truth (ex: royal journals)
• You can even try to teach someone else
• Learn fun facts about different people or subjects
• Ask questions to your history teacher
• And finally, summarise the whole thing. 

                                    

source: memegenerator.net

    I think that the last two steps are the most important. I mean sometimes, you will have questions and you won't necessarily find the answer in books or online. And probably the closest historian that you can ask is your history teacher, so don't hesitate. Of course, study what they're teaching as well, study a different subject in your free time. 

    I believe you should summarise all the information that you've gained in order to make the learning process more effective. And also, don't write every single fact or thing, write what you believe is helpful.

    And in the end, I have only one more thing to say. Period dramas are just a form of entertainment, not learning history.