Truth in Fiction
I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but there are people out there who actually don’t read fiction. People who enjoy non-fiction more than novels. Can you imagine?
Okay, so maybe this is not a news-flash to you. And of course, I’m jesting to an extent. I’m actually keenly aware of the anti-fiction reader. I’m aware because my husband is one of these people. And this post today springs from a conversation we had over dinner recently—well, an “unreasonably heated debate” might be more accurate. It went something like this…
Anne: “I’m curious—why is it that you don’t ever read novels?”
Husband: “Well, they’re not real. Why bother?”
Anne (voice raising): “Well, a novel can possess TRUTH without being factual. The essence of what it teaches—what it communicates—doesn’t change because it didn’t actually happen in real life.”
(Disclaimer: If you’re wondering if our dinner conversations are always this deep, I have to assure you…no. Just the other day we devoted a substantial amount of time to discussing what our dog Murry might say if he could talk.)
Bursting with truth...
Several days after that conversation, I still find myself wondering why on earth I should feel so eager to defend the novel. Or why I should be so dumbfounded by my husband’s reaction. Sure, I’ve read plenty of non-fiction books—with some I’ve even found myself engrossed in the pages, and eager to learn. But it’s the truth behind the fact that pulls me in. Not the facts themselves.
Judging by my reaction to our friendly debate, I have to admit and conclude that fiction plays a massive role in my life. I find this both totally normal, and slightly disturbing. On the one hand, it’s harmless. I love to lose myself in other worlds, other times, other stories. What’s wrong with curling up in a chair, and bursting with anticipation (and caffeine) as I lovingly open the binding into a new and fascinating (albeit fictitious) world? What’s wrong with experiencing sadness—true sadness—when a perfectly woven tale reaches its end? Nothing…I don’t think. But then I wonder…
Why is it that I learn through characters? I’m comforted through characters. I even aspire to the same qualities as characters. Shouldn’t I feel more inspired by reality than fiction? What am I more invested in the actions of the imaginary? So often, I wonder how beneficial it is to pursue a Life in Pencil, when so much of that life is inspired by people, events, and stories that don’t exist. Stories that are literally a collection of pencil strokes (or keystrokes) in someone else’s imagination.
But I always return to my original argument—my original thesis. Fiction works for me. It speaks to me. And stories shape me…showing me how to erase one piece of my life and re-write another. These characters of mine mold me and encourage me to develop new qualities, and to craft my own story. And the meaning I take away from my favorite stories continues to shift and change as I allow my own life to shift and change as well…in pencil. In the end, fiction shapes me because it carries grains of truth. And for me? That truth is just as “valid” as biographies, memoirs, or historical accounts. Fact or fiction, I’m looking for truth.
Are you a novel junkie like myself, or a lover of non-fiction? Or are you so well-rounded that you read both equally?
Anne (now possibly embarrassing us in front of other restaurant diners): “Are you kidding me? The beauty of a novel is that the events DID happen somewhere—to someone. Because they’re essentially real. And it’s our investment in the character that makes the truth of a novel and its message all the more moving.”
January 28th, 2010 at 6:47 am
I’m with you all the way, Anne. I have an insatiable appetite for fiction. My husband shifts between the two easily; my dad reads non-fiction almost exclusively.
I do enjoy some non-fiction (Michael Pollan, Tracy Kidder, essays by Barbara Kingsolver, for instance), but, even when I was teaching history, I shared your conviction that sometimes Truth is revealed more profoundly through fiction.
Great post.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:03 am
I’ve heard it said that as one gets older, non-fiction becomes more appealing. That has been true in my case. Although right now I’m reading one of each: Commitment, and Olive Kittridge. Both have completely grabbed me. I don’t think I could ever deny one genre in favor of the other.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Jennifer, I just finished Olive Kitteridge and am moving onto Committed next week! Great minds think alike
I am equal reader of fiction and nonfiction — I’d guess about a 50/50 split. I am a HUGE believer that we relate to the world through stories and learn through stories — whether those stories are true or false doesn’t matter. I think both fiction and nonfiction have something to teach us about ourselves and the world. In fact, sometimes a well-drawn fiction character is far more intriguing than a real-life person (although you HAVE to read Jeannette Wall’s “Half Broke Horses,” a “true-life novel,” because her grandmother is such a character!).
January 28th, 2010 at 9:18 am
Non-fiction scares me. I loved reading The Letters of Abraham Lincoln but kind of felt like I needed to write a paper on it when I was done. A presume a good non-fiction writer could take you away to new places and introduce you to new people.
But fiction–is so much fun!
January 28th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Wonderful post. I do not read as much as I would like to or as much as I should given that I am trying very hard to carve a career as a novelist. That said, I love the novel. I lose myself in characters, in the arc of a well-conceived story. And I agree wholeheartedly that there are grains of truth in fiction, grains that honestly don’t manifest sometimes in non-fiction.
This post is particularly timely for me because for the past ten or so months, I have been blogging, writing true things about myself. I have not been able to find much time for my true love – fiction. But the other day, I holed myself up for a few hours without internet and wrote a couple chapters of my next book. I got utterly lost. I met a new character I didn’t know I had in me. I was so happy after writing fiction. It was a different type of happiness than what blogging gives me. So, indeed, fiction – I am realizing – is my passion. I will always prefer to read it and to write it, I think.
Enough about me! I really enjoyed this post and thank you for making me think.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
I have to quietly admit that I’m with your husband on this one. I read 90% non-fiction because I love learning about real people. Right now I’m reading the book by the woman who is the medical adviser for the TV show “House”, a collection of strange medical cases and how they solved them. I also love the Malcolm Gladwell books because they make me think about the world in a new way. Of course I LOVE a good memoir because each one shows me how we all adapt to our specific life circumstances and survive/thrive anyway. I can appreciate a good long novel sometimes but it has to be really really good to keep my attention. Can’t beat the real life stories!
Judy
justonefoot.blogspot.com
January 28th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Even though I myself am married to a non-novel reader, I am still shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, when I encounter people that just don’t read novels. I understand if non-fiction is more your thing as long you are also open to fiction. I mostly read fiction and memoir but I am open to all books and have read, and will continue to read, all kinds of books.
I was once in a book club – that was all men except for me – and as we sat around at our first meeting coming up with a reading list I was unceremoniously shut down when i suggested a novel. Their reasoning? “If I’m going to read a book I want to learn something and you don’t learn anything from novels.”
Needless to say, I was flabbergasted.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
What I love about fiction is that it brings to life truth thay may not have otherwise been uncovered. Before you can read the truth in nonfiction it must happen, be remembered, be written (this is where most truth slips away – no one writes about it), and be published. Whereas with fiction a talented writer can choose to bring truth to the page without such nitpicky prerequisites.
Not to mention, the truths in a novel sink into me more when they are delivered through the richness of fiction.
January 29th, 2010 at 7:38 am
yes, much prefer fiction to nonfiction. I like the fact that fiction is constructed from the creativity and imagination of the author. Storytelling on the written page is an admirable art. And if the author can capture my imagination too, compelling me to turn page after page in pursuit of the next tearful hello, next love note, next moment of rejoicing, then all the more wonderful!
January 29th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
What a great post!!! I read mostly fiction (I have to ignore reality somehow!), but I do love certain non-fiction as well. My 8YO daughter is an avid reader, and every time she reads a story, the following conversation takes place:
“Mom, could this story really happen?”
“Well, maybe, but probably not.”
“But it could?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“So it’s non-fiction.”
“No, it’s fiction.”
“OK, so could it be realistic fiction?”
(me, sighing) “Sure.”
Every. Time.
(Found you through the neighbor posts!)
January 29th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
I am compulsive about reading novels or short stories. I have to be immersed in one at all times. There’s something about escaping into a story that is a kind of relief over the everyday stresses we face. I also think that your conversation with your husband is typical of men and women. I think men turn to nonfiction for truths (since throughout history, so much time has been devoted to their dramas) and women turn to fiction (because the capacity to imagine lets us in). I have to say, though, each week, the New Yorker gives me a great dose of nonfiction to get me by.