Typically, the fictionality of a work is publicly expressed, so the audience expects a work of fiction to deviate to a greater or lesser degree from the real world, rather than presenting for instance only factually accurate portrayals orcharacters who are actual people.[6] Because fiction is generally understood as not adhering to the real world, thethemes and context of a fictional work, such as if and how it relates to real-world issues or events, are open tointerpretation.[7] Since fiction is most long-established in the realm ofliterature (written narrative fiction), the broad study of the nature, function, and meaning of fiction is calledliterary theory, and the narrower interpretation of specific fictional texts is calledliterary criticism (with subsets likefilm criticism andtheatre criticism also now long-established). Aside from real-world connections, some fictional works may depict characters and events within their own context, entirely separate from the known physical universe: an independentfictional universe. The creative art of constructing such an imaginary world is known asworldbuilding.[8]
Literary criticJames Wood argues that "fiction is both artifice andverisimilitude", meaning that it requires both creative inventions as well as some acceptable degree of believability to its audience,[9] a notion often encapsulated in the poetSamuel Taylor Coleridge's idea of the audience'swilling suspension of disbelief. The effects of experiencing fiction, and the way the audience is changed by the new information they discover, has been studied for centuries. Infinite fictional possibilities themselves signal the impossibility of fully knowing reality, provocatively demonstrating philosophical notions, such as there potentially being no criterion to measure constructs of reality.[10]
In contrast to fiction, creators ofnon-fiction assume responsibility for presenting information and sometimes opinion based only in historical and factual reality. Despite the traditional view that fiction and non-fiction are opposites, some works (particularly in the modern era) blur this boundary, particularly works that fall under certainexperimental storytelling genres—including somepostmodern fiction,autofiction,[11] orcreative nonfiction likenon-fiction novels anddocudramas—as well as the deliberateliterary fraud of falsely marketing fiction as nonfiction.[12]
Furthermore, even most works of fiction usually have elements of, or grounding in, truth of some kind, or truth from a certain point of view. The distinction between the two may be best defined from the viewpoint of the audience, according to whom a work is non-fiction if its people, settings, and plot are perceived entirely as historically or factually real, while a work is regarded as fiction if it deviates from reality in any of those areas.
All types of fiction invite their audience to explore real ideas, issues, or possibilities using an otherwise imaginary setting or using something similar to reality, though still distinct from it.[note 1][note 2]
The umbrella genre ofspeculative fiction is characterized by a lesser degree of adherence to realistic or plausible individuals, events, or places, while the umbrella genre ofrealistic fiction is characterized by a greater degree. For instance, speculative fiction may depict an entirelyimaginary universe or one in which the laws of nature do not strictly apply (often, the sub-genre offantasy). Or, it depicts true historical moments, except that they have concluded in a completely imaginary way or been followed by major new events that are completely imaginary (the genre ofalternative history). Or, it depictsimpossible technology or technology that defies current scientific understandings or capabilities (the genre ofscience fiction).
Contrarily, realistic fiction involves a story whose basicsetting (time and location in the world) is, in fact, real and whose events could believably happen in the context of the real world. One realistic fiction sub-genre ishistorical fiction, centered around true major events and time periods in the past.[15] The attempt to make stories feel faithful to reality or to moreobjectively describe details, and the 19th-century artistic movement that began to vigorously promote this approach, is calledliterary realism, which incorporates some works of both fiction and non-fiction.
Storytelling has existed in all human cultures, and each culture incorporates different elements of truth and fiction into storytelling. Early fiction was closely associated with history andmyth. Greek poets such asHomer,Hesiod, andAesop developed fictional stories that were told first throughoral storytelling and then in writing. Prose fiction was developed inAncient Greece, influenced by the storytelling traditions of Asia and Egypt. Distinctly fictional work was not recognized as separate from historical or mythological stories until the imperial period. Plasmatic narrative, following entirely invented characters and events, was developed through ancientdrama andNew Comedy.[16] One common structure among early fiction is a series of strange and fantastic adventures as early writers test the limits of fiction writing.Milesian tales were an early example of fiction writing in Ancient Greece and Italy. As fiction writing developed in Ancient Greece, relatable characters and plausible scenarios were emphasized to better connect with the audience, including elements such asromance,piracy, andreligious ceremonies.Heroic romance was developed inmedieval Europe, incorporating elements associated withfantasy, includingsupernatural elements andchivalry.[17]
The structure of the modern novel was developed byMiguel de Cervantes withDon Quixote in the early-17th century.[18] The novel became a primary medium of fiction in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were often associated withEnlightenment ideas such asempiricism andagnosticism.Realism developed as a literary style at this time.[19] New forms of mass media developed in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, including popular-fiction magazines and early film.[20]Interactive fiction was developed in the late-20th century through video games.[21]
Certain basic elements define all works ofnarrative, including all works of narrative fiction. Namely, all narratives include the elements ofcharacter,conflict,narrative mode,plot,setting, andtheme. Characters are individuals inside a work of story, conflicts are the tension or problem that drives characters' thoughts and actions, narrative modes are the ways in which a story is communicated, plots are the sequence of events in a story, settings are the story's locations in time and space, and themes are deeper messages or interpretations about the story that its audience is left to discuss and reflect upon.[citation needed]
TheInternet has had a major impact on the creation and distribution of fiction, calling into question the feasibility ofcopyright as a means to ensureroyalties are paid to copyright holders.[22] Also,digital libraries such asProject Gutenberg makepublic domain texts more readily available. The combination of inexpensive home computers, the Internet, and the creativity of its users has also led to new forms of fiction, such as interactivecomputer games or computer-generated comics. Countless forums forfan fiction can be found online, where loyal followers of specificfictional realms create and distribute derivative stories. The Internet is also used for the development ofblog fiction, where a story is delivered through ablog either as flash fiction or serial blog, andcollaborative fiction, where a story is written sequentially by different authors, or the entire text can be revised by anyone using awiki.[citation needed]
The definition of literary fiction is controversial. It may refer to any work of fiction in a written form. However, various other definitions exist, including a written work of fiction that:
does not fit neatly into an established genre (as opposed to so-calledgenre fiction), when used as a marketing label in the book trade
is character-driven rather than plot-driven
examines the human condition
uses language in an experimental or poetic fashion
Literary fiction is often used as a synonym forliterature, in the narrow sense of writings specifically considered to be anart form.[24] 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, etc., to create works of literature. Furthermore, the study of genre fiction has developed within academia in recent decades.[25]
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.[26] 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".[27] Likewise, onThe 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".[28]
Literary fiction often involvessocial commentary,political criticism, or reflection on thehuman condition.[29] In general, it focuses on "introspective, in-depth character studies" of "interesting, complex and developed" characters.[29] This contrasts with genre fiction where plot is the central concern.[30] 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.[citation needed] The style of literary fiction is often described as "elegantly written, lyrical, and ... layered".[31] The tone of literary fiction can be darker than genre fiction,[32] while the pacing of literary fiction may be slower than popular fiction.[32] AsTerrence Rafferty notes, "literary fiction, by its nature, allows itself to dawdle, to linger on stray beauties even at the risk of losing its way".[33]
Based on how literary fiction is defined, genre fiction may be a subset (written fiction that aligns to aparticular genre), or its opposite: an evaluative label for written fiction that comprisespopular culture, as artistically or intellectually inferior tohigh culture. Regardless, fiction is commonly broken down into a variety of genres: categories of fiction, each differentiated by a particular unifyingtone orstyle; set ofnarrative techniques,archetypes, or other tropes;media content; or other popularly defined criterion.[citation needed]
Historical fiction places imaginary characters into real historical events. In the 1814 historical novelWaverley,Sir Walter Scott's fictional character Edward Waverley meets a figure from history,Bonnie Prince Charlie, and takes part in theBattle of Prestonpans. Some works of fiction are slightly or greatly re-imagined based on some originally true story, or a reconstructed biography.[34] Often, even when the fictional story is based on fact, there may be additions and subtractions from the true story to make it more interesting. An example isTim O'Brien'sThe Things They Carried, a 1990 series ofshort stories about theVietnam War.
Fiction writing is the process by which an author or creator produces a fictional work. Some elements of the writing process may be planned in advance, while others may come about spontaneously. Fiction writers use differentwriting styles and have distinctwriters' voices when writing fictional stories.[39]
The use of real events or real individuals as direct inspiration for imaginary events or imaginary individuals is known asfictionalization. The opposite circumstance, in which the physical world or a real turn of events seem influenced by past fiction, is commonly described by the phrase "life imitating art". The latter phrase is popularity associated with the Anglo-Irish fiction writerOscar Wilde.[40]
The alteration of actual happenings into a fictional format, with this involving adramatic representation of real events or people, is known as bothfictionalization, or, more narrowly for visual performance works like in theatre and film,dramatization. According to the academic publicationOxford Reference, a work set up this way will have a "narrative based partly or wholly on fact but written as if it were fiction" such that "[f]ilms and broadcast dramas of this kind often bear the label 'based on a true story'." In intellectual research, evaluating this process is a part of media studies.[41]
Examples of prominent fictionalization in the creative arts include those in the general context ofWorld War II in popular culture and specificallyNazi German leaders such asAdolf Hitler in popular culture andReinhard Heydrich in popular culture. For instance, American actor and comedian Charlie Chaplin portrayed the eccentric despot Adenoid Hynkel in the 1940 satirical filmThe Great Dictator. The unhinged, unintelligent figure fictionalized real events from the then ongoing Second World War, in a way that presentedfascist individuals as humorously irrational and pathetic. Many othervillains take inspiration from real people while having fictional accents, appearances, backgrounds, names, and so on.[citation needed]
^As philosopher Stacie Friend explains, "in reading we take works of fiction, like works of non-fiction, to be about the real world – even if they invite us to imagine the world to be different from how it actually is. [Thus], imagining a story world does not mean directing one's imagining toward something other than the real world; it is instead a mental activity that involves constructing a complex representation of what a story portrays".[13]
^The research of Weisberg and Goodstein (2009) revealed that, despite not being specifically informed that, say, the fictional character Sherlock Holmes, had two legs, their subjects "consistently assumed that some real-world facts obtained in fiction, although they were sensitive to the kind of fact and the realism of the story."[14]
^abHarmon, William; Holman, C. Hugh (1990).A Handbook to Literature (7th ed.). New York: Prentice Hall. p. 212.
^Abrams, M. h. (1999).A Glossary of Literary Terms (7th ed.). Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace. p. 94.
^""Definition of 'fiction".Oxford English Dictionaries (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2015. Archived fromthe original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved25 August 2015.
^Culler, Jonathan (2000).Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. p. 31.ISBN978-0-19-285383-7.Non-fictional discourse is usually embedded in a context that tells you how to take it: an instruction manual, a newspaper report, a letter from a charity. The context of fiction, though, explicitly leaves open the question of what the fiction is really about. Reference to the world is not so much a property of literary [that is, fictional] works as a function they are given by interpretation.
^Goodstein, Joshua; Weisberg, Deena Skolnick (2009). "What Belongs in a Fictional World?".Journal of Cognition and Culture.9 (1–2):69–78.doi:10.1163/156853709X414647.
^Whiteman, G.; Phillips, N. (13 December 2006). "The Role of Narrative Fiction and Semi-Fiction in Organizational Studies".ERIM Report Series Research in Management.ISSN1566-5283.SSRN981296.
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