Monday, July 4, 2016

How does the work blend fictional elements with journalistic and/or non-fiction elements?

22 comments:

  1. Capote does a solid job of blending non-fictional and fictional elements in order to create an accurate account of the case but also create a relatable and impactful novel. Capote must’ve done extensive research on this case in order to compile all the facts, interviews, and reports to create a realistic and accurate account of the murder of the Clutters in Holcomb in 1959. The first-hand accounts and facts of the case are the primary non-fiction elements, which create a base for the story. The many details and emotions created by Capote make the case more real and relatable to readers. For example, Mr. Clutter made Nancy promise to “begin a gradual breaking off with Bobby,” (8) because he was Roman Catholic. This is a detail that Capote would not have known, especially since both of the people involved were murdered. He added this detail and many others like this to create a more emotional and relatable story.

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  2. Capote writes the book in a way where it is hard to decipher which elements are non-fiction, and which he made up for the book. However, when he directly quotes something, like the “letter from Barbara [which] was among the sheaf of selected matter that Perry preferred not to leave behind in the Mexico City hotel room” (138), the reader knows this is truly a copy of something real. Additionally, the story is true, and the main facts of the case are true. Therefore, if Capote adds anything, it is merely to make the novel more interesting for the reader and easier to follow, and is not changing any of the true facts.

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  3. In Cold Blood is an account of a real murder, based on interviews with the people who lived where the murders took place, police records, and documents compiled into one story. However, not every line in the story is completely true, at least according to Capote’s understanding of the events. For example, when Capote says that “[a]s Mr. Clutter contemplated this superior specimen of the season, he was joined by a part-collie mongrel, and together they ambled off toward the livestock corral, which was adjacent to one of three barns on the premises,” (p. 10) Capote had no way of knowing exactly what Mr. Clutter was thinking while he was doing his work. However, the most important events, and the documents transcribed are all accurate, so the fact that Capote filled in parts of the story doesn’t make it less true. The story is nonfiction even if some parts of it are fictional.

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  4. In Cold Blood takes the true story of the murder and mixes it with fictitious events to create a story that is very readable. In fact, often it is difficult to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction. Capote researched the case, and he wrote a novel about it that added more plot and background with the use of fictional characters and events. For example, Dewey finds it hard to understand “how two individuals could reach the same degree of rage, the kind of psychopathic rage it took to commit such a crime” (82). This thought Capote may have gotten by an interview, but it is more likely that it was made up to give more insight to how Dewey felt about the case. This is just one example of how capote combines fiction and non-fiction to provide the reader with a more enjoyable story.

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  7. The way I see it, there are three distinct levels of fiction/non-fiction in In Cold Blood. I read somewhere that Capote came under a lot of fire initially when people found out that he took fictitious artistic liberties when writing the story. There is the quoted absolute word-for-word fiction (like Sharona indicated) that Capote uses to make the characters come to life and essentially directly quotes them. Perry's biography, from pages 124 to 147 is almost entirely word for word / document based. Capote quotes Perry himself as well: "Hadn't he always been a 'loner,' without any 'real friends'" (124). Then there is the story-telling that is true based on interviews and research that Capote did. Most of his story telling is true, but told not through direct quotes, rather through Capote's story-telling mechanisms. The third part of the story is the interwoven fiction that fills in the holes. Things that either Capote couldn't possibly know, but are important to the story, or things that he simply doesn't know, but decided to fill in to make the story better. This is where people criticize him for calling it a work of non-fiction, even though there are things that he slipped in to spice up the story. I think that it is a true story, but not all the details are necessarily non-fiction.

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  8. While the main points of the story are true, some of the details are fictional. Dick and Perry did in fact murder the Clutters, and the way in which Capote describes how the victims were killed is also factual. However, there are some details in the story that are fictional. When describing Mr. Clutter’s daily routine, Capote writes “After drinking the glass of milk and putting on a fleece-lined cap, Mr. Clutter carried his apple with him when he went outdoors to examine the morning ”(10). Obviously Capote had no way of knowing that Mr. Clutter ate an apple that morning, but he adds fictional details in order to tell the story, and to make the reader interested.

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  9. Capote takes a factual story and mixes it with fictional elements in order to make the book more interesting for the reader. We see this the most in Capote's description of the Clutters. For example when he is describing Nancy Clutter he says that she “felt it her duty to be available when young girls came to her wanting help” (18). Capote couldn't have known this about her because she was already dead. He gathers what he knows about the Clutters from the people that knew them or assumptions. Therefore, these bits of information can't be considered factual because we don't know for sure if they are correct.

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  10. Capote brilliantly combines fiction and non fiction in such a seamless fashion that it is almost impossible to differentiate between the two. Capote tells the story in a way that makes it sound as if he knew the clutters first hand. capote does this by elaborating on the lives of the clutters to make the characters more personable. For example, it is obviously fiction when capote says that Kenyon "could not conceive of ever wanting to waste and hour on any girl that might be spent with guns, horses, tools machinery, even a book"(39). Capote obviously didn't know this about Kenyon, but adding little facts like that is the key to creating memorials characters and this allows the reader to feel a loss when the clutters are killed.

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  11. Truman Capote truly wrote In Cold Blood as a literary experiment: he combined factual reporting and the elaborate imagination present in fiction novels. In my opinion, Capote fails to balance the factual and fictional aspects of his novel, not accomplishing this creative, new literary device. He describes the novel as “A True Account of a Multiple Murder And Its Consequences”, however the actual events of case and its consequences are unclear. Of course, many of the fictional elements of the novel are obviously only an additive of the story, especially when Capote describes the victim's thoughts and intricate details of their lives. Yet, Capote’s own beliefs and motives in his storytelling collide with the reality of the murder case. For example, Capote attempts to place a rational for Dick’s life choices: “envy was constantly with him; the Enemy was anyone who was someone he wanted to be or who had anything he wanted to have” (200). Envy as a motivating factor seems to be not a statement from Dick himself, but rather Capote trying to teach us and in place morals in his writing. The facts and fiction intermingle to such a great extent that the reader cannot discern between fact and fiction.

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  12. Capote does a great job at fusing the facts and the fiction. While he does so in order to pull in the reader, it also adds a whole new level of depth to the plot and enhances the story from a 'police report' to a thrilling, enticing murder novel. For example, when Capote is describing Nancy's room, he recalls, "Of these [photographs], she liked best one that showed them sitting in a leaf-dappled light amid picnic debris and looking at each other" (56). Although Capote would not have known this to be true, he fabricates this snippet of emotion to illustrate Nancy's feelings towards her and Bob's relationship. By Capote adding small, sentimental details like this, it gives the reader a stronger connection to the characters inside In Cold Blood. The author knew that if the novel didn't have any invention in it, it would just be another account of the murder, just written down facts. What makes Capote's merge of fact and fiction so successful is the possible accuracy the fiction could be to the truth. Capote chose his "fiction details" wisely, researching the characters' lives and personalities, to make sure the fact and the fiction coalesced flawlessly.

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  14. Capote obviously basis his book on a non-fiction, but he writes things that cannot be confirmed and some of them are almost certainly inaccurate. For example, when he writes about the time that Dick conned “the clerk in Kansas City” he uses precise and specific dialogue that would definitely not have been remembered by the time of the interview. Perhaps the most fiction-like aspect of Capote’s writing is when he writes in a subjective and non fact based manner; when he paises Dick he writes, “Dick! Smooth. Smart. Yes, you had to hand it to him” (97). I am actually wondering myself about what genre Copte would classify his book as.

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  15. Truman Capote interviewed the killers along with friends and family of the victims. The long narratives of the interviewees our obviously direct quotes and completely factual. Even when Capote lists the thoughts of the characters those too are accurate. However, certain pieces of information Capote simply could not have known. For instance, "Mrs. Clutter smiled - attempted to; her head ached - and said thank you, but she hadn't the appetite,"(24) Capote could not have known what Mrs. Clutter was feeling because he was unable to interview her. While every piece of the story may not be completely accurate, these parts are mostly irrelevant and are mainly there to set the scene.

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  16. Truman Capote interviewed the killers along with friends and family of the victims. The long narratives of the interviewees our obviously direct quotes and completely factual. Even when Capote lists the thoughts of the characters those too are accurate. However, certain pieces of information Capote simply could not have known. For instance, "Mrs. Clutter smiled - attempted to; her head ached - and said thank you, but she hadn't the appetite,"(24) Capote could not have known what Mrs. Clutter was feeling because he was unable to interview her. While every piece of the story may not be completely accurate, these parts are mostly irrelevant and are mainly there to set the scene.

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  17. Truman Capote blends non fictional and fictional elements well. He writes In Cold Blood based on a true story, but adds in details to make the story more interesting. The murder of the Clutter family and the main parts of the book are factually correct. However, Capote adds some elements that could be made up. For example, Capote writes that “Dick had made up his mind: stockings of any shade were unnecessary, an encumbrance, a useless expense” (37). Capote couldn’t have known the exact thing Dick was thinking about at that moment, but he wanted to recount this event in a storytelling fashion to keep the reader interested.

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  18. Capote writes the book in a way that is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. However, when he references the thoughts or feelings of a character it is clearly fiction. Additionally, Capote includes dialogue that would have been impossible for him to have heard or been told after the fact. For example, dialogue that occurred between the Clutters on the day of their murder. The thoughts of the characters that are included help create a smoother read and one that is more similar to a work of fiction. Capote includes that Dick ‘’ was satisfied that a thorough job had been done’’ (24). This added comment, that would have been impossible for him to know, helps the reader feel as if they know they characters better. It can be difficult to extract the truth from this style of writing due to the fact that he meshes the fact and fiction so well together.

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  19. "In Cold Blood," based on a true story, naturally has a huge non-fiction element to it. Because of this, the reader must pay extra attention the to the fictional components Truman Capote adds. For example, early on in the book when the Clutters are still alive, Capote adds to the non-fictional report, "he (Mr. Clutter) headed for home and the day's work, unaware that it would be his last" (13). Upon reading this, I thought 'come on, classic.' Capote uses the common literary technique, foreshadowing. Then I thought 'whoa, maybe he invented it,' and I have no idea if he did but would like to find out.

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  20. The fictional elements Capote uses are not present merely to make the book more interesting, or as a means of inputting Capote’s own morals. These fictional elements are brought to make this literary work more than just a case file. They serve as a tool to show the true character of those involved in the case, especially that of the murderers. A discussion between Dick and Perry whether to let a child and his ill grandfather in the car lets the reader analyze these murderers as real people. As Perry asserts “go ahead. Put them out. But I’ll be getting out, too” (209), the reader is shown a compassionate side of this killer. The non-fiction elements show the objective truth which may be used in a court of law. However, these crucial, fictional aspects, exhibit that which is more complex and does not teach morals per se, but makes the reader think about them. When blended together these fiction and non-fiction parts make up the totality of this crime case.

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  21. By blending together interviews, personal stories and case files with fictional elements; Capote makes the book so much more than a murder case. Capotes writes in such a way that the reader has no way of knowing what is fictional and what he took from an interview. Capote includes details that he would have no way of knowing, in order to make the story more engaging and relatable. For example, after Nancy hangs up with Mrs. Katz. She comments that she smells cigarette smoke and Kenyon asks if it were her own breath she smelled it on. Nancy responded “No, funny one. Yours” (19). There was no way to Capote to know that this encounter occurred, for everyone who would have witnessed the conversation was dead during the investigation. However, by adding in his own fictional details Capote brings the story to life, turning a murder case into a novel.

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  22. While reading the novel, it is often difficult for one to discern the information that Capote has laid out as either fact or fiction. Historical non fiction can often times be boring for the audience, and Capote does a great job of counteracting that by inserting realistic pieces of fiction. There are moments in the novel which are obviously non fiction, like the first hand testimonies, and there are also moments which are clearly fiction. One example of probable fiction is when Perry is explaining his childhood. Perry narrates, "Always, when it was too cold to hardly breathe, I'd think about Hawaii." Obviously Capote couldn't certify that Perry thought this, but Capote is able to add a dimension to Perry's rough childhood by saying these words. In order to make this novel interesting to he reader, Capote needs to bring hard facts as well fiction.

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