Many Say Fiction Is More Truthful Than Non-Fiction. Examples?
Movies, books, etc..?
shareThe Emperor's Clothes
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MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Many Say Fiction Is More Truthful Than N...
The Bible.
Really a book about aspects of human nature that ring true.
Many people have been guided by it. Just how much of the Bible a person believes is real and is fiction is up to the individual.
Watership Down does a fine job of describing what could be called 'the human condition' (yes, it's about bunnies but let's leave that aside for now)
The protagonists in the story lose their home, venture out into a frightening world, stay loyal and brave for one another even when they start to question their leader, encounter other bunnies that are more comfortable in cages and bunnies that settle into a life of fat comfort occasionally punctuated by random death, seek out suitable mates, face down a fascist lunatic and his bully police, make some good though strange friends along the way and ultimately settle down in a prosperous, happy community
Then, of course, old age comes and we know how that will go...
I've read it at least three times, not a single wasted page
That is an excellent tale. Now I'm off for a drive in my hrududu.
shareI love the language😁
A Clockwork Orange also has some very interesting language in it if you'd like to read it sometime
A lot of Russian and slang if I recall
I've seen the movie and remember cool words like Droogs and yarbles.
Is the book much different from the movie?
No, it's very similar
The movie was a bit more graphic but Alex was a terrible shitheel in both
And England had become a communist country in the novel
I’ll have to give it a read. I’ve always had a mind to read it, but just never got around to it even tho I loved the movie.
shareI've read that there are two versions, one is more of an upbeat 'Americanized' story...Maybe I read that one
I think the original Burgess novel had an ending that was a bit different
There are two different versions. Burgess's original book had 21 chapters and it was published that way in Europe, but the version first published in the USA had only the first 20. It ends with Alex being freed of the debilitating effects of his rehabilitation; he now has the power to fully act within his free will, shows no sign of remorse for his past actions, and will surely rob/rape/kill/pillage again.
That's the version the movie follows. And it leaves interesting questions to ponder. Which is worse, an utterly evil person who can give vent to all his wicked desires, or a person so crippled by psychological restraints that although he lives a good life he can no longer be called human? Was the cure worse than the disease? Or was it a fitting punishment? Some profound and deep things to ponder.
Burgess's 21st chapter has Alex meeting one of his former droogs, Pete IIRC. Pete is now married with either a baby or one on the way, has a job, and a responsible adult. The encounter causes Alex to reflect that the old mayhem isn't that appealing anymore, and we see that he's going to become an adult.
So it turns out that Alex's terrible evil was nothing more than just an adolescent phase. Boys gonna be boys. Alex's maturation is in no way a product of his past experiences, just something that would have happened no matter what. And Burgess admitted that the events of the final chapter have nothing at all to do with the rest of the book, and that he wrote 21 chapters because he wanted the story to have three parts of seven chapters each.
I suppose for some, numerology trumps good storytelling. And authors can certainly be too much in love with their own ideas to see their own mistakes. But when his American publisher insisted on chopping the 21st chapter I think they made the right call. The final chapter is a silly post script to an otherwise good story. All just MHO.
Good info Bull, thanks👍
Sometimes the story behind a good story is very interesting too
The book was hard to understand, so I stopped reading it... I think I have it in a box somewhere in my house.
shareI've often found this to be true. A film like Stand by Me, speaks to a truth about what it means to be young, what it means to experience loss, and serves as an example of true friendship in its purest form. Films like this make me feel like I learned a truth I couldn't have learned any other way.
shareGreat movie
It says a lot about how boys grow up
There's all the macho bullshit a boy has to put up as a shield but what guy doesn't remember the real moments being pals as kids...bullies, swiping beers and cigs from Daddyo who would kill us if he found out, keeping secrets from the folks, not really being able to process serious loss and horsing around in general
Fine movie, maybe the best King adaptation
I am not a big fan, but Shakespeare would probably be the best example.
shareHuxley's "Brave New World"?
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