Writers often write about the past in order to express their understanding of it.
Don't forget their 'reading' of the past will be informed by ideology in the way discussed earlier on the course. And don't forget that any ideological beliefs may be consciously or unconsciously held. Good writers are often sensitive to social trends, political movements, and psychological states before they become apparent to society in general. This is one way in which they might be said to 'anticipate the future'. Writers are not obliged to be historically accurate.