Difference Between Fact and Fiction
• The major difference between fact and fiction is that fact is a true incident whereas fiction is an imaginative creation.
• Fact has nothing to do with the mind. It is an already existent event or phenome
On the other hand, fiction has got everything to do with the mind.
• The words fact and fiction show difference in terms of their origin too. Word fact is derived from the Latin factum. On the other hand, the word fiction is derived from the Latin fiction.
• Fiction is based on imagination and fact is based on truth.
Some works of literature are compromised because their authors get the facts wrong. In other work deviations from the facts don’t seem to matter, and authors quite legitimately make things up. This paper gives an account of the various ways in which matters of fact can make a difference to the aesthetic value of works of literature. It concludes by showing how this account can be applied in determining when a concern with matters of fact is an important part of literary criticism and when it is merely pedantic.
The definition of literary fiction is controversial. In the book trade, it is used to market novels which do not fit neatly into an established genre Other definition are that a novel is literary fiction if it is character-driven rather than plot-driven, or if it examines the human condition, or if it uses language in an experimental or poetic fashion, or simply if it is "serious".
Literary fiction is often used as a synonym for literature, in the narrow sense of writings specifically considered to be an art form. While literary fiction is sometimes regarded as superior to genre fiction, the two are not mutually exclusive, and major literary figures have employed the genres of science fiction, crime fiction, romance, to create works of literature. Furthermore, the study of genre fiction has developed within academia in recent decades.
The term is sometimes used such as to equate literary fiction to literature. The accuracy of this is debated. Neal Stephenson has suggested that while any definition will be simplistic there is today a general cultural difference between literary and genre fiction. On the one hand literary authors nowadays are frequently supported by patronage, with employment at a university or a similar institution, and with the continuation of such positions determined not by book sales but by critical acclaim by other established literary authors and critics.
On the other hand, he suggests, genre fiction writers tend to support themselves by book sales. However, in an interview, John Updike lamented that "the category of 'literary fiction' has sprung up recently to torment people like me who just set out to write books, and if anybody wanted to read them, terrific, the more the merrier. ... I'm a genre writer of a sort. I write literary fiction, which is like spy fiction or chick lit". Likewise, on The Charlie Rose Show, he argued that this term, when applied to his work, greatly limited him and his expectations of what might come of his writing, so he does not really like it. He suggested that all his works are literary, simply because "they are written in words". [4,86]
Literary fiction often involves social commentary, political criticism, or reflection on the human condition. In general, it focuses on "introspective, in-depth character studies" of "interesting, complex and developed" characters. This contrasts with genre fiction where plot is the central concern. Usually in literary fiction the focus is on the "inner story" of the characters who drive the plot, with detailed motivations to elicit "emotional involvement" in the reader. The style of literary fiction is often described as "elegantly written, lyrical, and ... layered". The tone of literary fiction can be darker than genre fiction, while the pacing of literary fiction may be slower than popular fiction. As Terrence Rafferty notes, "literary fiction, by its nature, allows itself to dawdle, to linger on stray beauties even at the risk of losing its way".
Literature is a term that describes both written and spoken works. Broadly speaking, it designates anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to superior creative works of the imagination, including poetry, drama, and fiction, as well as nonfiction and in some cases song. For many, the word literature suggests a higher art form; merely putting words on a page doesn't necessarily mean creating literature.
Works of literature, at their best, provide a kind of blueprint of human civilization. From the writing of ancient civilizations like that of Egypt and China, and the Greeks' philosophy, poetry, and drama to the plays of Shakespeare, the novels of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, and the poetry of Maya Angelou, works of literature give insight and context to all the world's societies. In this way, literature is more than just a historical or cultural artifact; it can serve as an introduction to a new world of experience.
Fiction
The term fiction indicates written work that is invented by the imagination, such as novels, short stories, plays, and poems. This contrasts with nonfiction, fact-based work including essays, memoirs, biographies, histories, journalism, and other works that are factual in scope. Spoken works such as the epic poems of Homer and Medieval poets handed down by word of mouth, when writing them down was not possible or practical, are also considered a type of literature. Sometimes songs, like the courtly love songs conceived by the French and Italian troubadour lyric poets and poet musicians of the Middle Ages, which are fictional (even if they were inspired by fact), are considered literature.
The term literature is a rubric, an overarching ensemble that encompasses both fiction and nonfiction. So a work of fiction is a work of literature, just as a work of nonfiction is a work of literature. Literature is a broad and sometimes changeable designation, and critics may argue about which works deserve to be called literature. Sometimes, a work not considered weighty enough to be considered literature at the time it was published may, years later, acquire that designation.
Works of fiction are those that tell made up stories. As opposed to the many genres of nonfiction—biography, autobiography, commentary, data analysis, philosophy, history, and others—fiction is defined by its focus on narratives invented by the author. Most academics and literary critics further subdivide fiction into two categories: genre fiction and literary fiction. [6,70]
When compared to genre fiction, literary fiction tends to follow non-conventional plot structures while containing embedded symbolism and allegory.
As a general rule, literary fiction and literary fiction writers are often studied in English departments at universities and receives careful criticism in journals like the Paris Review, The New York Review of Books, and The London Review of Books. Literary fiction can include novels, novellas, and short.
If we substitute "informational writing" for nonfiction we move from a definition by negation to a more positive one. But what do we really gain? We know that information books are not "made-up," but we have removed the work in question out of the realm of literature and placed it into the less abstract and far more commonplace world of "writing." "Informational writing" is indeed a useful term, but does it apply to factual books that are meant to be read with involvement, with feeling, with thought?
We are not just playing with semantics here. For it is critically important that we have a term supple enough to describe the expansive field of children's literature that encompasses history, science, biography, and topics of current controversy. It is important because what we choose to call these works of literature will influence how they are read and thought about.
It may be that we will have to get along without a completely descriptive term, and that the words "nonfiction" and "informational writing" can be used as long as we are aware of their limitations and of how they may be affecting our perceptions of the work we are thinking about. What we cannot do without, however, is a critical reappraisal of our own standards of excellence for nonfiction writing; and this can only be achieved by making clear to ourselves whatever unconscious assumptions we may already have about "objective," factual works of literature—assumptions about how they are written and what they are trying to accomplish. This is especially important when we are talking about nonfiction writing for young people because the assumptions and standards of teachers, reviewers, librarians, and parents will directly affect the reading habits of children who are dependent upon them for direction.
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