I read to the end ready to comment that history is riddled with fiction but you covered it. Gallagher talks so much crap on a regular basis he probably is reading fiction right now. (This is part of what makes him fun). Books are a product of their time so they show you things you can’t access in fact lists. Also, songwriting, is horrible when it’s factual Noel. 🙂
During the lockdown, I overheard a teacher explaining to my first-grader over Zoom the difference between fiction and nonfiction, “Nonfiction is something that really happened. Fiction is a story that is fake.” I wanted to take the ipad, shake it and yell at the teacher to stop saying nonsense! I understand that it may be challenging to find proper words to explain to first-graders the difference between fiction and nonfiction, but if you sign up for the job, you gotta put in an effort into it. I wholeheartedly agree with what you say. When reading fiction, we know it is made-up or “manipulated” information, but the story can reveal truth nonetheless. Nonfiction can be and sometimes is manipulated, but reading it we expect it, at least subconsciously, to be “real.” Whatever real may mean. So in some ways, nonfiction is more dangerous (not that I would advocate against reading it).
I love this. I’ve struggled with this myself, and spent years of my life disregarding and maligning fiction. I’ve now spent the last few years undoing, and trying to atone for that mistake and I’ve seldom read anything that explains my new love and admiration for great fiction so well.
A teller of stories is the upholder of a sacred oath. A pledge to deliver us to a deeper sense of ourselves. A vow to draw us closer into the radical reality of our alive-ness. Stories and storytellers reveal to us the inner reservoir of truth and meaning that are constantly flowing in us, throughout us, and all around us.
I read to the end ready to comment that history is riddled with fiction but you covered it. Gallagher talks so much crap on a regular basis he probably is reading fiction right now. (This is part of what makes him fun). Books are a product of their time so they show you things you can’t access in fact lists. Also, songwriting, is horrible when it’s factual Noel. 🙂
During the lockdown, I overheard a teacher explaining to my first-grader over Zoom the difference between fiction and nonfiction, “Nonfiction is something that really happened. Fiction is a story that is fake.” I wanted to take the ipad, shake it and yell at the teacher to stop saying nonsense! I understand that it may be challenging to find proper words to explain to first-graders the difference between fiction and nonfiction, but if you sign up for the job, you gotta put in an effort into it. I wholeheartedly agree with what you say. When reading fiction, we know it is made-up or “manipulated” information, but the story can reveal truth nonetheless. Nonfiction can be and sometimes is manipulated, but reading it we expect it, at least subconsciously, to be “real.” Whatever real may mean. So in some ways, nonfiction is more dangerous (not that I would advocate against reading it).
I love this. I’ve struggled with this myself, and spent years of my life disregarding and maligning fiction. I’ve now spent the last few years undoing, and trying to atone for that mistake and I’ve seldom read anything that explains my new love and admiration for great fiction so well.
Great post! More books added to the never ending list...😁
A teller of stories is the upholder of a sacred oath. A pledge to deliver us to a deeper sense of ourselves. A vow to draw us closer into the radical reality of our alive-ness. Stories and storytellers reveal to us the inner reservoir of truth and meaning that are constantly flowing in us, throughout us, and all around us.
Just wait till you get to your July classic! 😂🥰
The Road is one of my favorites as well. Till We Have Faces has been on my TBR for awhile. Need to bump it up!