Week 4 Question

[Kaitlyn Root]

Literary non- fiction is defined as genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. In cold blood is most definitely in this genre. It incorporates all of the true facts of the Clutter murders, but is written in a way that reads as a fiction. When you really think about it, this type of writing is one of the most challenging. The writer must keeping facts and authenticity while making the story read as non-fiction. Truman Capote did just that, and by doing it created this genre. The time period in which this book was written (1965), was a time of very turbulent social reforms. JFK had been assassinated two years prior, Dr. King was fighting for human rights, and the "free love" era was in full swing. It was a time centered on the individual, which is why I believe Truman Capote created this style. He wanted to stand out, not be mundane. When reading stories of this mode, the reader feels more connected than if it was written as non-fiction. It entices the reader and allows for deeper connection with the characters.   

[etana]

To connect the mood of the time with the deeper connection allowed with the characters, one must consider how members of society were reconsidering themselves. When reading of how Dick and Perry became the men they came to be known as, the audience is forced - if not encouraged - to look at their own upbringing and patterns of thinking. Everything was turning upside down, so who had any authority in saying they were different from Perry, with his sociopathic antics, or his sister Barbara, who fiercely avoided any familial ties? Or placing work ahead of family, as Dewey did?