Truth in Fiction

Abstract

According to literary tradition and genre classification, fiction has often been regarded as writing that lacks a foundation of truth. However, this does not necessarily mean that fiction contains no elements of truth. In this thesis, Timothy Baker argues that fiction contains traces of truth - truths that may not be fundamentally based on facts, yet can still be recognized as embodying the deep-seated essence of truth. These “essential truths”, though largely shunned from the nonfiction genre, can be utilized to establish the groundwork of fiction - making the genre a reflection of reality itself - instead of a captured moment of reality. Fiction that contains essential truths, though not based on actual events, can still be recognized as realistic and existentially valuable. This thesis includes three short works of creative writing by Timothy Baker: “Letters from Llea" a creative essay, "Perfection," a short story, and "Desperate Desires," also a short story all of which, he argues in the introduction, contain essential truths.