Post by Lauren O. on Dec 8, 2014 16:44:10 GMT
I think there is little to no difference in reading a true crime book versus a violent fiction book. The reason you pick up a violent fiction book or a true crime book is that you desire to understand the mind of criminals. Society has an interest in "evil" acts. There has to be a reasoning to the crime and we have to discover it. Furthermore, gore is loved in our culture. Whether it is The Walking Dead, Criminal Minds, or even Grey's Anatomy the reason many watch these shows is because there is lots of blood. It is exactly the same in literature. Many would rather read a bloody zombie book than a light and airy romance book. The blood and gore of true crime books is the same and that is why there is little difference in reading these works.
On the other hand, I feel drastically different reading the contrasting genres. I don't feel sorry for the killers in a fictional piece of literature but I do feel sorry for the men who have fictionalized accounts written about them and for them of their life. I think it is the realization that what you are reading truly happened in real life in the true crime genre that sets it apart from a violent figment of someone's imagination.