The Fiction Of Literature And Literature

Literature; it has compelled us, entertained us, educated us, and drove us to madness. It has served as life instruction, by using the characters as the lesson plan. It is sometimes blunt, sometimes ugly, and in Truman Capote’s case, is so gruesome that we do not dare forget it.

In literature, there are genres. Two main genres are fiction and nonfiction. Fiction is a work of art that is not real or based on the facts. “‘Fiction’ refers to literature created from the imagination” (“What is the difference…?”). It can explain a story in a different point of view, maybe in a way that is out of the norm. Fiction is basically just nonfiction in an exaggerated way. Though fiction may not be based on the facts, it can still resemblance a sense of real life events. “Fiction may base on stories on actual historical events. Although fictitious characters are presented in a fictitious setting in stories and novels, yet they may have some resemblance with real life events and characters” (“Fiction”). Literature is meant to

Book are magnificent things. Fiction books are created with such details, they only hold small or no real life facts or events. In contrast, nonfiction books do the complete opposite. Nonfiction books contain facts or events from the past that occurred, they are also incorporated with details to make the story more interesting, to give it more imagery, feel, and a better tone. When an author does so, they manage to make the book have a “timeless quality,” which is incredibly important to a nonfiction book. An author is capable of getting this quality in their books by incorporating the facts or events, alongside rhetorical strategies to give life and meaning to their book. Not every author can manage to do this, although, the author by the name of Erik Larson did so, in his book, The Devil in the White City: Murder,

Writing has always been the primary vehicle for social commentary and reform. From Upton Sinclair’s damning exposure of the meat processing industry in The Jungle, to George Orwell’s grave warning concerning communism in Animal Farm, to William Goulding’s disturbing look at human nature post World War 2 in Lord of the Flies, countless authors have attempted to expose flaws in their society through writing. Rome, as a growing republic, and later as a sprawling empire, was consistently rife with corruption, abuse of power, and the degradation of morals. Writers like Sallust, Juvenal, and Tacitus saw these social flaws as opportunities, whether to drive social or political change, or to increase their influence, or just to make a statement to the government and the Roman people. However, these three writers each took a different approach to his commentary. Through comedic hyperbole and satire, Juvenal looked to expose the moral degradation of Roman women in Satire VI. On the other hand, Sallust focused on political corruption in the late Roman Republic, using the history of the Jugurthine War as a lens by which to observe the corruption he despised. With yet another approach, Tacitus aimed to criticize despots like Emperor Domitian and to denounce imperialism through the biography of Agricola, the Roman general who conquered Britain.

I have never been as comfortable with people made of flesh and bone than I have been with those made of words. Whatever information I lose in the contours of the human face, I have no trouble locating in the unchanging, permanent text of a book. There is something about literature that felt safe to me; the worlds created within far more welcoming to little girls with problems fitting in than the one outside the pages. For this reason, fiction, from Harry Potter to The Book Thief, has remained my greatest passion ever since I learned to read.

These journeys vary in nature, traveling though the more pessimistic, cynical, and sometimes even nihilistic parts of the intellect, to traveling through the optimistic peaks of higher human ideas. In “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Hawthorne has shown that we all hide secrets; in “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe has shown the strength of fear over each individual; and in “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau revealed the power of one to govern oneself. The vast range of knowledge that these insights present is great, but they all accomplish the same thing: providing a glimpse into the complex working of the human mind. This goal is not an easy one to accomplish, but throughout the history of Romanticism, Gothicism, and Transcendentalism, it was done time and time again. One can begin reading a story from one of these periods in the name of pleasure without any intent of gaining knowledge, but upon finishing the text the reader will certainly know his or herself at a much more intimate and personal

From start to finish, English this year had been unlike any other I had. From start to finish, each and every book had a deeper meaning than I, before, could possibly resolve from the text. The exposure I had to this deeper level of thinking forever changed the way I see literature. Less about “what” than “why”, Literature distinguishes a meaningful story from another. While what makes a book “good” is different for everyone, what makes a story meaningful is what it teaches. Each book I read this year had a story and logic behind it. Every story was real enough to have actually happened because the plot points are supported with real speculation backed up by the nature of humanity. I, personally, have never gone as deep into literature as I have this year, giving me a new appreciation for the genius behind the speculation these books present.

The two short stories, “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Story of an Hour”, are two very similar stories. They share similarities of feminism, freedom, and marriage.

Tim O’brien, an American novelist, has a complex, but creative meaning in his story “How To Tell a True War Story”. My interpretation of the story is that the person telling a story has the power to create the connection between the reader's opinion, emotion, and the story being told. Throughout the text O’brien proves this by making statements to support his claim, but then contradicts himself afterwards. In this story O’brien uses a war story because of the conflicting information giving from the story and what actually had happened. To make a connection between the reader's opinion and the story Tim O’brien uses examples of what he is trying to interpret within the story.

In an age where the printed novel has been somewhat on the decline, and the necessity of readable fiction has almost faded into obscurity. I believe that literature still harbours a crucial part within our society; from the very foundations of most theatrical adaptations, to preserving the culture and encapsulating the feelings of generations past. In this case literature cements itself as one of the most decisive elements of our civilisation, and combining it with history makes it become a testament to who we are as people, as well as the conservation of both our progression and degradation. I have always enjoyed reading literature, from reading J.R.R Tolkien’s classic ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy within my childhood, to perhaps more sophisticated,

Non-fiction can be a misleading genre for many because at a young age students are taught that this word relates solely to biographies, historical events or nature; however, this is very untrue. A vast variety of prose writings that can be about nearly anything as long as the events, people and facts are authentic would be considered as non-fiction. Two pieces of writing that effectively prove this claim are “Our Secret” by Susan Griffin and “Our Time” by John Edgar Wideman. Each of these essays take a unique path to emphasize their points whilst keeping their audience on the edge of their seats. Comparison: While the authors cause confusion for the readers by switching between viewpoints, they still create an intimate connection between reader

American literature contains many diverse styles, people, and genres. Despite these differences, the collective work of American authors has shaped both the country’s culture and lifestyles. We read to escape or to gain knowledge, but either way, we bring the lessons we’ve learned from literature into our everyday life and share those lessons with others around us. Because of this, authors strive to create a piece with a worthwhile message.

Introspection in literature is the examination of one’s own consciousness to retell the past; therefore,

Ludwig Wittgenstein, a philosopher of the mind and epistemologist who studied language makes a point in one of his lectures at

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the renown author of The Little Prince once wrote, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” To this day, this quote is one of the most famous quotes of all time, as many people acknowledge the truth in Saint-Exupery’s words: the things that hold the most value or significance are those that are invisible to the human eyes. Two other sources, Plato’s Republic Book X and the Bible, also portray similar ideas as both types of writing give specific attention to the invisible reality. In Plato’s Republic Book X, Socrates seeks the pursuit of reality in invisible things to grasp the ideas of good and evil, and justice. Likewise, in several stories of the Bible, God and his people speak of a truth and law that should be formed and lived out in the hearts of man.