Generic Considerations

Jason Ingram · 23 Apr 2003, 20:33 · from urth-v0304.mbox · original

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From: Jason Ingram <j_ingram at mac.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) Generic Considerations
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 13:33:48 -0700
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I agree with most of Blattid's response.  A couple of clarifications:

Blattid writes:

> Well: No text completely or perfectly reflects "reality." The texts
> we call nonfiction are perhaps more revealing in the (often relevant)
> aspects of "reality" they omit than the ones they include. This is
> particularly revelatory of the author's purpose or agenda.
>
> But ... well, I just finished reading the two volumes (so far)
> of Morris' biography of Theodore Roosevelt. In what sense is this
> "fiction?" It selects details. It speculates, but attempts to make
> clear where speculation is taking place. I just don't know.

I would use a different metaphor than that of a mirror reflecting=20
reality.  Perhaps a lens or filter.  I wouldn't say that biographies=20
are necessarily fiction, but rather that they fail the (misleading)=20
test of "correspondence with reality" in *some* respects.  For=20
instance: representation of thoughts, anachronistic terminology,=20
smoothing out the ambiguity facing historical agents.  Not that lists=20
of facts compiled into a coherent narrative progression and centered on=20
the life of an important individual lack value; far from it.  But=20
Fernand Braudel writes history in a completely different vein; instead=20
of arguing that his historical approach is more--or less--accurate, it=20
seems more productive to focus on what useful aspects his approach=20
reveals (as well as what it may conceal).

> Ummm. Not entirely true ... consider Proust again. Is _Remembrance
> of Things Past_ really more fictional than the average text of history
> or biography? Why or why not?

I would guess that Proust's quasi-autobiogaphy does not present certain=20
truth claims characteristic of histories and autobiographies.  These=20
claims are largely implicit and tacit; conventions differ.  I wouldn't=20
rate these differences along a continuum of "more or less fictional." =20
Naturalistic fiction might claim to be a "more accurate" depiction of=20
reality than journalistic accounts; I think this is a useful=20
distinction that Blattid points to, and that I try to tap into by=20
talking about the function of discourses.  A bit more on this below.

(I write, and Blattid responds:)
>> but I don't think that positing the possibility of a one-to-one=20
>> correspondence with some reality (whether transcendent or immanent)=20
>> is a good starting point.
>
> A starting point for, uh, what?

Discussion and analysis.  Although I probably should have avoided the=20
language of starting points and such.  So: Starting out by classifying=20
genres in terms of their correspondence to truth may not be that useful=20
(e.g. Math and propositional logic and Holy texts correspond most=20
closely to reality; economic texts and statistics and engineering=20
journals are second in rank; history and travel guides and maps are=20
third;  biology, philosophy and biography are fourth; news reports and=20
dictionaries are fifth; MF sixth; SF seventh; political speeches=20
eighth; lovers' pleas and poetry last).  It's not useless, but it=20
adopts a problematic view of reality.

As I said, I think we essentially agree.

Sepia

--=20

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