This is a work of history in fictional form—that is, in personal perspective, which is the only kind of history that exists.

Oates is asserting that even when a narrative presents itself as “history,” it is inevitably shaped by viewpoint—selection, emphasis, memory, and the teller’s position in time. Calling the work “history in fictional form” suggests a novelistic method used to convey truths about an era or event that may be inaccessible through official records alone. The second clause—“personal perspective, which is the only kind of history that exists”—pushes a skeptical, almost historiographic claim: there is no neutral, God’s-eye account, only situated testimonies and interpretations. The quote thus defends fiction’s legitimacy as a vehicle for historical understanding while also questioning the objectivity traditionally claimed by historiography.