Week 4: The Essence of Literary Non-Fiction

[baileyfessler]

    The term "literary non-fiction" refers to a style of writing that depicts a real story in a factually accurate manner, while incorporating literary styles and techniques so that it reads like a novel. Some of these techniques include characterization, plot, rhetorical devices, and many more. Usually when a crime is reported, it is done so in an objective manner that simply presents the facts of the actual crime to the readers. Truman Capote's account of the Clutter family murder through literary non-fiction differs greatly from regular crime reporting while still presenting the facts of the murder. In Cold Blood goes beyond the murder itself, and develops a strong context of the murder and develops the characters deeply so that the reader has a more complete scope of the events that happened. As a result, the reader has a powerful emotional connection with not only the Clutter family, but also Dick and Perry. Capote probably developed this style in order to present the crime in an unconventional manner that has a more emotional impact on the reader, humanizing the story. Furthermore, he wanted to give audiences a new perspective on crime. Typically crimes are looked at with great sympathy for the victims, while the criminals are seen as sociopathic murderers and outlaws. However, one of the perspectives Capote presents is that of the killers, which causes the audience to also feel a strange sympathy for Perry while simultaneously feeling devastated for the Clutters. This new style of writing has a powerful impact on the readers as they are consumed emotionally by the complexity of the characters and the portraying of the tragic events. Though the book reads like a novel, readers cannot simply calm themselves by reminding themselves that this did not actually happen, as they can with fiction. The reality of the situation deepens the emotional impact on the reader.

[alextraylor]

I see Bailey's explanation of the literary non-fiction very enlightening. While basing the story off of facts and random accounts the author must also blend them with devices of a novel. This allows for the author to make many more emotional connections between the reader and the character. This assists Truman Capote's purpose of making the reader feel empathy for the murderers themselves. While Capote's intent was to make the reader feel sympathy for both the Clutters and Dick and Perry, I don't think that he had meant to create an entirely new form of writing. I can see, however, how this form of writing can help non-fiction authors gain a greater audience. Through its unique readability but also a story that actually happened, literary non-fiction can become a major form of writing.

[ikschultz]

I also find Bailey's explanation of literary non-fiction enlightening. Everything she said couldn't be more accurate. Capote writes as if he is making this entire story like up but has great detail. If I was not informed that this was a true story before I began reading I don't know if i would have figured out that it was a nonfiction book. The way he incorparates facts with imaginative detail steers the reader into believing it's a fiction story. Non fiction stories mainly don't appeal to audiences because they are very factual and not attention grabbing subjects. When I read facts over something I feel like I'm studying which makes the reading uninteresting. I like how Capote incorporates the facts while adding new perspectives to the facts. By interviewing family members of Perry and Dick, Capote not only gets some facts but also creates a new perspective for the audience to see those facts in.

[mollyfernandez]

I think that Capote uses literary non fiction to appeal to a large audience. A majority of Americans do not want to read a purely fact based book where they are not able to make connections with characters and push the limits of their understandings of previously clear subjects. People love to be challenged. Capote is able to give them what they want by challenging the reader to think about how the killers feel and how the victims were feeling before. Personally i like reading books that have changing perspectives because they pick up the pace of the book because it does not allow the reader to get bored easily and I guess I have Truman Capote to thank for bringing more and more multi perspective books to the readers.