cheap philosophical conundrum

[rone]

A book is written and labeled as non-fiction; soon thereafter, it is provable that the book is heavily fictional.  Does the story change?  Does the reader?

Comments

[benchilada.livejournal.com]

A Million Little Lies?

Read the article but not the book, in spite of all of my friends telling me to.
Curious.
Books like that usually don't do it for me, but now I'm more inclined to read it.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Are you gonna tell your friends that it's a pile of lies? It's your duty, i say!

[drieuxster.livejournal.com]

I guess the big question is why would one be looking for 'inspiration' from some 'junky' who is alledged to have cleaned up?

If folks have become so weak that they need their little inspirational tomettes, and are devotees of the Oprah Book Selections, one really needs to ask whether they are actually one's friends. Could it be that they are merely people you know of, and will need to help through some set or sets of 'crisis interventions' in compliance with which ever is the trendy 12-Step Progamme of the day to help with which ever is the hippest, coolest, State of the Art "victimization cult" that of course Just Everyone has to be a part of...

So no, it is not your 'duty' to inform them of Squat.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

As one who has no Friends, you can be forgiven for your so-called Opinion.

Besides, a True Friend would and should be able to withstand the rigorous application of Truth when so applied gently by another True Friend. It is one of the things that mark friendship.

Why Deprive Them?

[drieuxster.livejournal.com]

I think you are victimizing yourself with your whole failed pre-911 liberal mindset.

If anyone is to confront a 'True Friend' with a 'rigorous application of Truth', then the department of homeland security would have already done that.

Hence why poach on the Executive Perogatives of the President, hence offering encouragement to the folks who are not suppose to be encouraged! And that when as a nation we are more committed than ever to the Rule of Law! And the Importance of being Ernst, without all of that founcy stuff.

How Invested In The Story, IS the question

[drieuxster.livejournal.com]

If the story was something that offered a significant change in your life, based upon your belief that this was a 'true story', then the real question is whether or not that change in your life will be unhinged by the reality.

The classic illustrations are Scientology and "Biblical Literalists". The somewhat more amusing group were the folks who were all into 'The teachings of don Juan, a yanqui way of knowledge' - and did so because it had at one time been a doctorial thesis, and hence was Suppose to be Factual.

The other Classic is "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas" - james keeps trying to sell me that this was a work of fiction. But I Mean, Get Real! HST was a Journalist! He was not a Novelist. I mean next, they are going to tell me that there is no Shire, there is no Frodo???

So the 'this is history' portion rests ultimately on how one deals with 'folklore' as a knowledge system - and whether the needs for 'historically accurate' are the full on driver. If you read and believe, and the tale offered value, it offered value whether or not it is 'factual'.

[pennyhill.livejournal.com]

Weirdly, the Quote of the Day is:

The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it.
- Benjamin Disraeli

---
The thing that bothers me most about the allegations that the non-fiction book is largely fiction: people won't care. I think the public has become somewhat innured to journalists fabricating stories. Will they transfer that jaded outlook to this?

I haven't read the book and don't intend to. However, the possibility of fabrication brings up questions: Is the book well written? Are it sales based only on its assumed veracity and insights? Is the writing good enough to warrant some degree of success?

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Is the book well written? Not according to the Oct `05 Salon review.

Are its sales based on its assumed veracity and insights? I'd presume that's why Oprah chose it. Would she have chosen it had the book been labeled as fiction? I don't think we can fairly speculate, but i'd be surprised; she already made a significant deviation from their standard book club fare, and i assume that the book's non-fictional status played a big part in that.

Will Frey manage to survive this mess to write more successful novels? I guess we'll see.

[erikred.livejournal.com]

Neither; the initial analysis that led to the book being labeled non-fiction was flawed.

From what's on one of the sites, that was Nan Talese's decision

[mouseworks.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't have sold as well as a novel was the decison, so he was asked to fixed things.

If he's been smart with the money he's made, he won't have to sell anything other than the explanation of how he got carried away by it all.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Frey's new book, "I Am a Pathological Liar", should beat all the records.

And it will all be Nan Talese's fault!

[mouseworks.livejournal.com]

And he will be a poor little ex-drug person who was seduced into lying by slick manipulative New York types who borked his rustic original soul. And stuff. And people will have been mean and will not Understand.

Speaking of things, how are you coming with round two of the Adobe orders? Should I send you the $50 sometime soon for Mac Photoshop?

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

I figure i'll send the order in two weeks. Feel free to send me the check at your leisure.

Even cheaper

[thingamarob.livejournal.com]

What about fiction... to NON-FICTION!

And yes, it all changes. Frey must die. But first he must be made to undergo major dental work without anesthesia.

I think that this whole episode is just further testament to thinking critically about everything. Or not believing anything. For instance, this response: fiction.

[glitter-ninja.livejournal.com]

I'm not impressed with people who have to believe a book is about events that actually occurred before they can become emotionally involved in the story. A good writer is a good writer, whether their story is entirely fictitious or not.

This whole thing is silly.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

We're talking about different sets of emotions here, especially with the addict-recovery angle. Addicts have a hard enough time dealing with life without having to lean on a story that depicts a largely unorthodox recovery that later turns out to be a total fabrication.

A Million Little Lies?

[joepro.livejournal.com]

Everyone at work told me how great a book, you have to read it. Oprah's big stamp of approval is on the cover. What a joke. Loved the smoking gun analysis, those guys are geniuses. Thank God I am too lazy to read this book and get all emotionally tied up with it. We all should have known better. I see enough heroin addicts at my work to know they are not generally the type to read books, let alone write them.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Also, the thing here is his steadfast insistence in public that it's all true, and his "off the record" admittance to TSG that he lied.

[crisper.livejournal.com]

Reality is always shaped, at least in part, by the role and position of the observer.

[tarian.livejournal.com]

There are still people who believe in the concept of nonfiction?

To these people I highly recommend Borges, Tlon (http://www.scripps.edu/cb/sullivan/tlon.htm).

[thedarkages]

I just got told that the non-fiction article I have been researching and writing for the past four months would get my pants sued off if it got into print. The advice I've gotten is, paradoxically, to fictionalize it -- after I spent so much effort digging up the actual facts. It's the factual quality of the story that gives it its thrill. If it were all arbitrary, there would be no point to it; why did it happen one way, rather than another?

[sabinablue.livejournal.com]

Having read it, I'd say yes on both counts. Frey promoted himself and his book as being inextricably linked -- I am my book, my book is me -- and that's how he sold it. If he'd left the memoir, novel, whatever it is to stand on its own it might not be as big a deal.

I have no doubt that Frey lied about being an addict, which renders his approach to "recovery" bullshit. I have to wonder how many true addicts out have been given hope for an alternative to 12-step recovery by this liar. It's insupportable that he's made so much money by essentially mocking other people's suffering.

Fiction

[vampyrecat.livejournal.com]

No and yes. There is no such thing as non-fiction. The act of telling a story fictionalizes it. However, it does change the audience to discover that the storyteller has deliberately misled the audience.