The nonfiction genre encompasses a number of categories. Truman Capote claims to lớn have invented the genre with his 1966 novel, In Cold Blood, the true crime story of the murder of a rural Kansas family. Capote spent six years researching and interviewing neighbors, friends & the two convicted murderers. He tells the story from the different points of view of the characters and avoids including his own opinions or false information, though after publication he was criticized for lack of objectivity và including facts that were later proven khổng lồ be false. While it is always the goal for nonfiction writers khổng lồ be objective, authors frequently địa chỉ in conversations or thoughts in a way that supports the story, though it contradicts the goal of total objectivity. News reports vị not fit into this category because reporters bởi not have the license khổng lồ be creative. A news report must contain facts và have recorded evidence khổng lồ back up everything they say.
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Types of Nonfiction
There are three different types of nonfiction writing: expository nonfiction, argumentative nonfiction, and narrative nonfiction. The difference between the three is not in the validity of the information provided, but in the manner in which it is presented.
Narrative nonfiction tells a chronological story, complete with real characters, setting & plot. It draws on the writer"s own life experiences is often used in combination with informational (expository) passages lớn provide the reader with a deeper understanding of the story. Expository nonfiction is informational writing used khổng lồ explain, describe & inform readers about a specific topic. Expository writing requires research to ensure accuracy. Argumentative nonfiction is persuasive or opinionated writing where the writer makes a claim and gathers evidence lớn back up their argument through research.What"s Okay for Fiction, but Not for Nonfiction
Making Things Up
In fiction, there is no demand for fact checking. While it can be helpful, it is not necessary because a fictitious novel can 3d anything & everything. In a nonfiction novel, however, fact checking is imperative. The trick with writing a nonfiction novel is to lớn balance the truth with creativity. Because of this, it is up to the writer khổng lồ make sure the events captured cannot be countered or disproven. If it can be disproven, especially if the information is about a person still living, the writer can be sued for libel, which is the public defamation of a person.
Being Indirect
In fiction, it"s okay to be indirect, lớn let the readers work their own ways through symbolism & abstractions. However, readers of nonfiction expect the writer lớn be more direct about time, truth, và other information.
Inserting Opinion Over Fact
In fiction, the writer does not need khổng lồ worry about truth và therefore paints whatever opinion of the story he or she chooses. However, in nonfiction, it is vital that the writer understand the information that he or she is providing, và therefore, how best khổng lồ present the information. It is up lớn the writer to show the information & tell the readers what khổng lồ think about the information.
Famous Examples
In Cold Blood describes the true events of a family murdered and the events that followed. What made this novel so famous is that it is told from the killers" points of view. Capote visited the killers in jail for several years to get their stories, developing his novel from their interviews. The purpose of his novel was to depict such horrific events in a new light, by creating a relationship between reader & killer, establishing even a sense of empathy for the killers.
Due khổng lồ Capote"s self-proclaimed brilliant new genre, his novel và its "real-life events" depicted came under much scrutiny. After fact checking his novel, mistakes were eventually discovered in the way the true events were described. Though no legal action was taken, it is imperative that both the writer and editor catch any aspect of the nonfiction novel that can be disproved.
Another famous nonfiction novel is Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, written by Eric Schlosser in 2001. In this novel, investigative journalist Schlosser scrutinizes the effects of fast food in America. Schlosser intertwines historical & present-day facts with grotesque and witty descriptions to get across his main point--that fast food is ruining the nation. The novel"s popularity eventually led khổng lồ a screenplay and then a movie in 2006.
Other Famous Nonfiction Novels
Hiroshima (1946) by John Hersey. Synopsis: Journalist Hersey documents six survivors" accounts of the day the first atomic bomb hit the đô thị of Hiroshima. The Diary of a Young Girl (1952) by Anne Frank. Synopsis: Taken from the Dutch writings of Anne Frank"s diary, in which she describes her life in hiding from the Nazis in World War II. Why We Can"t Wait (1964) by Martin Luther King, Jr. Synopsis: MLK explores the historical events leading up to lớn the Civil Rights Movement. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) by Maya Angelou. Synopsis: Angelou"s autobiography capturing her và her brother"s struggle through childhood. A Brief History of Time (1988) by Stephen Hawking. Synopsis: Hawking, a world-famous scientist, examines the science of cosmology, which is the exploration of the universe"s origin. A Child Called "It": One Child"s Courage to Survive (1995) by Dave Pelzer. Synopsis: Pelzer describes in gory detail his experiences with his childhood abuse, one of the worst documented cases of child neglect and abuse in California to date.Summary
A nonfiction novel depicts real-life events in a creative và literary way. The writer uses literary techniques lớn establish drama và intrigue, but keeps the story true và accurate. This requires the writer to lớn execute extensive fact checking & direct language. While Truman Capote is famous for creating the genre, many novels have been written throughout time and utilize many techniques of nonfiction.
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Definition
Nonfiction is a genre in literature in which real events are depicted using story-telling techniques. Though the people and situations written about are true, the writer has creative license with how khổng lồ tell the story. This makes the genre"s definition rather flexible. Many nonfiction novels are written in such categories as biographies, historical events, travel, science, religion, philosophy, và art.
While some critics argue nonfiction has been around for centuries, Truman Capote claimed lớn have been the creator of this genre with his 1966 crime novel In Cold Blood. Whether or not Capote created the genre, he did give it a name. He claims the genre was inspired by his idea khổng lồ integrate narrative journalistic reportage và creative writing techniques. However, unlike journalism, his idea of nonfiction would rely on creative writing lớn tell factual events, and rather than imbedding himself into the story, he would imply his credibility through his use of empathy và truth of the events.
What"s Okay for Fiction, but Not for Nonfiction
Making Things Up
In fiction, there is no demand for fact checking. While it can be helpful, it is not necessary because a fictitious novel can cosplay anything & everything. In a nonfiction novel, however, fact checking is imperative. The trick with writing a nonfiction novel is to balance the truth with creativity. Because of this, it is up to the writer khổng lồ make sure the events captured cannot be countered or disproven. If it can be disproven, especially if the information is about a person still living, the writer can be sued for libel, which is the public defamation of a person.
Being Indirect
In fiction, it"s okay khổng lồ be indirect, to let the readers work their own ways through symbolism and abstractions. However, readers of nonfiction expect the writer lớn be more direct about time, truth, & other information.
Inserting Opinion Over Fact
In fiction, the writer does not need to lớn worry about truth và therefore paints whatever opinion of the story he or she chooses. However, in nonfiction, it is vital that the writer understand the information that he or she is providing, và therefore, how best lớn present the information. It is up lớn the writer to lớn show the information and tell the readers what khổng lồ think about the information.
Famous Examples
In Cold Blood describes the true events of a family murdered và the events that followed. What made this novel so famous is that it is told from the killers" points of view. Capote visited the killers in jail for several years to get their stories, developing his novel from their interviews. The purpose of his novel was to depict such horrific events in a new light, by creating a relationship between reader và killer, establishing even a sense of empathy for the killers.
Due khổng lồ Capote"s self-proclaimed brilliant new genre, his novel & its "real-life events" depicted came under much scrutiny. After fact checking his novel, mistakes were eventually discovered in the way the true events were described. Though no legal kích hoạt was taken, it is imperative that both the writer và editor catch any aspect of the nonfiction novel that can be disproved.
Another famous nonfiction novel is Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, written by Eric Schlosser in 2001. In this novel, investigative journalist Schlosser scrutinizes the effects of fast food in America. Schlosser intertwines historical & present-day facts with grotesque and witty descriptions to get across his main point--that fast food is ruining the nation. The novel"s popularity eventually led khổng lồ a screenplay và then a movie in 2006.
Other Famous Nonfiction Novels
Hiroshima (1946) by John Hersey. Synopsis: Journalist Hersey documents six survivors" accounts of the day the first atomic bomb hit the đô thị of Hiroshima. The Diary of a Young Girl (1952) by Anne Frank. Synopsis: Taken from the Dutch writings of Anne Frank"s diary, in which she describes her life in hiding from the Nazis in World War II. Why We Can"t Wait (1964) by Martin Luther King, Jr. Synopsis: MLK explores the historical events leading up khổng lồ the Civil Rights Movement. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) by Maya Angelou. Synopsis: Angelou"s autobiography capturing her và her brother"s struggle through childhood. A Brief History of Time (1988) by Stephen Hawking. Synopsis: Hawking, a world-famous scientist, examines the science of cosmology, which is the exploration of the universe"s origin. A Child Called "It": One Child"s Courage lớn Survive (1995) by Dave Pelzer. Synopsis: Pelzer describes in gory detail his experiences with his childhood abuse, one of the worst documented cases of child neglect and abuse in California khổng lồ date.Summary
A nonfiction novel depicts real-life events in a creative và literary way. The writer uses literary techniques lớn establish drama và intrigue, but keeps the story true & accurate. This requires the writer khổng lồ execute extensive fact checking và direct language. While Truman Capote is famous for creating the genre, many novels have been written throughout time và utilize many techniques of nonfiction.