Based on True Events A Glance into the Nonfiction Novel Genre

â€Å"The best nonfiction recognizes the impossibility of perfect representation, the dream of the 1:1 ratio,† (Sharlett). What Jeff Sharlet means in this quote is that facts cannot be perfectly represented, regardless of any type of imagery or descriptions, so a good nonfiction work uses only what is needed to get the message across. Beginning in the 20th century, many nonfiction writers would even look towards fiction for the resources to describe what was considered impossible to describe (Taylor). One way writers have been able to do this is through nonfiction novels. A nonfiction novel is a narrative, of book-length, that unfolds actual events and actual people written in the style of a novel (â€Å"Nonfiction Novel†). This style of a novel implies that the book being spoken of can be looked at as art as well as fact (Sharlett). In the mid 1960’s, a nonfiction novel journey began, beginning with the narrative journalistic qualities of Truman Capote, continui ng with the story telling of such authors as Norman Mailer, and then continues to stay constant throughout present day literature with works like Katherine Boo’s display of immersion journalism. Truman Capote is said to have invented this new genre in 1966 with, what some call his finest work, the book In Cold Blood (â€Å"Truman Capote†). In Cold Blood details the 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, his wife, and two of their children (Wikipedia). Even before the murderers were captured, Capote decided to travel to Kansas and writeShow MoreRelatedInterpretation of the Text13649 Words   |  55 PagesLiterary genres To interpret a literary work, one needs to know something about its genre. The distinctions between genres of literary works are flexible and loosely defined, often with subgroups. The most general genres in literature are (in a chronological order): epic, tragedy, comedy, novel, short story, and creative nonfiction. They can all be in the genres of prose or poetry, which shows best how loosely genres are defined. This correlation is shown in Fig. 1.1. Additionally, a genre such asRead MoreChinese Cinderella3586 Words   |  15 Pagesovershadow all other ac hievements? †¢ Why is it so difficult to move beyond childhood hurts? The pain felt by Adeline is acute and permeates almost every scene in the book. The story is, at times, a catalogue of one unhappy incident after another. Some events that display her anguish are particularly violent, cruel and senseless, as in the episode when her duck, PLT, is killed by the dog (p.94 onwards). Others show the power of cruel words to truly destroy the child’s own sense of self worth. Adeline isRead MoreEssay on Silent Spring - Rachel Carson30092 Words   |  121 Pageswas to become an important late twentieth-century genre, science as literature. On the New York Times bestseller list for eighty-six weeks, this volume earned Carson enough royalties to enable her to retire from government work and focus on the projects that most interested her. After completing the third and final volume of her biography of the sea, The Edge of the Sea, and a handful of smaller projects, Carson was pro mpted by a series of events to write the book that would make her one of the