I've heard it said that the truth is never clean and hardly ever simple. This anti-maxim applies just as much to writing as it does to real life. A case-in-point is the YouTube series "lonelygirl15", a comedy/drama detailing the life of a fictional teenager named Bree. Although the show was originally passed off as the blog of a real girl, it was soon revealed that it was in fact the work of a small group of amateur filmmakers, led by scriptwriter Ramesh Flinders and filmmaker Miles Beckett.
Although it may not be entirely factual to "lie" in a memoir or blog (as John Glassco and the creators of "lonelygirl15" were both charged), the idea that one must be completely factual strikes me as flawed. The beauty of literature is and always will be its ability to inspire emotions in others. So long as a memoir captures the hearts or minds of its readers, does it truly matter whether it is fact or fiction? As Oscar Wilde once said, "There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are either well written, or poorly written. That is all."
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Loved your take on literature - "The beauty of literature is and always will be its ability to inspire emotions in others".
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ on the rest of your take on the topic of white lies. A memoir is not a literary art form. The style of the writing should capture the audience I agree. It does matter whether the memoir is fact or fiction. A memoir is a recount of the events in someones life and not an opportunity to write a fairytale.
Oscar Wilde can say what he likes but Anmarie Senior says, "A memoir should be free of lies and if the suthor is good he would not need lies to capture audience attention.