The family saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives and doings of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time. In novels (or sometimes sequences of novels) with a serious intent, this is often a thematic device used to portray particular historical events, changes of social circumstances, or the ebb and flow of fortunes from a multiple of perspectives. Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... A novel sequence is a set or series of novels which share common themes, characters, or settings, but where each novel has its own title and free-standing storyline, and can thus be read independently or out of sequence. ...

The typical family saga follows generations of a family through a period of history in a series of novels. A number of sub-genres of the form exist such as the AGA saga. The AGA Saga is a sub-genre of the family saga. ...

Successful writers of popular family sagas include Susan Howatch, R. F. Delderfield and Philippa Carr. Susan Howatch (born 1940) is an author. ... Ronald Frederick Delderfield (February 12, 1912 - June 24, 1972) was a popular British novelist and dramatist, many of whose works have been adapted for television and are still widely read. ... Eleanor Alice Burford (September 1, 1906 - January 8, 1993), Mrs. ...

Examples of family sagas of literary note include:

• Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
• Buddenbrooks - Thomas Mann
• The Courtneys, The Courtneys of Africa, and The Ballantynes series of novels - Wilbur Smith
• The Forsyte Saga - John Galsworthy
• Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
• The House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende
• Jalna books of Mazo de la Roche
• The Kent Family Chronicles and The Crown Family Saga - John Jakes
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• Roots - Alex Haley
• The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough
• Holes, a novel by Louis Sachar
• The Lymond Chronicles and The House of Niccolo Renaissance-set novel series by Dorothy Dunnett.

In cinema: Jacket of the first UK edition of Brideshead Revisited Brideshead Revisited, the Sacred and Profane Memories of Capt. ... Evelyn Waugh, as photographed in 1940 by Carl Van Vechten Arthur Evelyn St. ... Buddenbrooks book cover Buddenbrooks was Thomas Manns first novel, published in 1901 when he was twenty six years old. ... Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann (June 6, 1875 – August 12, 1955) was a German novelist, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate, lauded principally for a series of highly symbolic and often ironic epic novels and mid-length stories, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist... Wilbur Addison Smith (b. ... It has been suggested that Soames Forsyte be merged into this article or section. ... John Galsworthy (August 14, 1867 – January 31, 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. ... Go Tell it on the Mountain is the most famous novel by James Baldwin. ... James Baldwin, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955 James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an African-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist, known for his novel Go Tell it on the Mountain. ... The House of the Spirits DVD cover The House of the Spirits is a 1993 dramatic movie starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, and Antonio Banderas. ... Isabel Allende Llona (born August 2, 1942) is a Chilean-American writer, who is considered one of the most popular novelists in the world today. ... Jalna is a novel by the Canadian writer Mazo de la Roche. ... Mazo de la Roche (1879-01-15 – 1961-07-12), born Mazo Louise Roche in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, was the author of the Jalna series of novels, one of the most popular series of books of her time. ... The Kent Family Chronicles (AKA The Bicentennial Series) is series of eight novels by John Jakes written to commemorate 200th anniversary of USA. The books tell about different members of the Kent family and their connection with history. ... John Jakes (born on March 31, 1932) is a writer of fiction. ... One Hundred Years of Solitude (Spanish title: Cien años de soledad) is a novel by Gabriel García Márquez which was first published in Spanish in 1967 (Buenos Aires: Sudamericana), with an English translation by Gregory Rabassa released in 1970 (New York: Harper and Row). ... Gabriel José García Márquez also known as Gabo, (born March 6, 1928) is a Colombian Nobel laureate in literature novelist, journalist, publisher, and political activist. ... Roots was a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haleys work Roots: The Saga of an American Family, his critically acclaimed genealogical novel. ... Alexander Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an African American writer (though he was also proud of his Irish and Cherokee ancestry). ... The Thorn Birds is a 1977 best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, an Australian author. ... Colleen McCullough (born 1 June 1937) is an internationally acclaimed Australian author. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Louis Sachar Louis Sachar (IPA: ), born March 20, 1954, is an American author of childrens books. ... Dorothy Dunnett (August 25, 1923 – November 9, 2001) was a Scottish historical novelist. ...

• The Best of Youth, La Meglio gioventù
• While not regarded foremost as a family saga, the Star Wars film series by George Lucas amounts to a fantasy-based family saga revolving around three generations of the Skywalker family: Shmi Skywalker, her son Anakin and his twin offspring Luke and Leia. (In addition, subsequent generations of Skywalkers appear in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.) Anakin and Luke are the central figures of the series, which chronicles Anakin's rise from slavery to a powerful Jedi, then his fall from grace, his existence as Darth Vader and ultimately his redemption by Luke.

The Best of Youth, (La Meglio Gioventù in Italian), is a 6 hour film directed by Marco Tullio Giordana that originally aired in Italy in 2003 on RAI, the state television channel, in four 90 minute parts. ... George Lucas at the German premiere of Star Wars Episode III in Berlin George Walton Lucas, Jr. ... Shmi Skywalker (72 BBY - 22 BBY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, the mother of Anakin Skywalker and paternal grandmother to Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. ... Anakin Skywalker (41 BBY – 4 ABY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. ... Luke Skywalker (b. ... Princess Leia redirects here. ... Splinter of the Minds Eye, 1978 The Expanded Universe (also known as the EU) encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. ... Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (right) & his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (left), from The Phantom Menace. ... Darth Vader (occasionally referred to as Lord Vader or simply Vader) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, and has a principal role in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Revenge of the Sith. ...

See also

• Family life in literature