Fact in Fiction: The Use of Literature in the Systematic Study of Society

First published in 1974, Fact in Fiction states that literature does not ‘reflect’ or ‘arise from’ society but is as much a functioning part of it as any social structure, institution or set of norms. The author shows that, however fantastic the content of fiction, it is a representation of social fact, not the mere random issue of private fantasy. Because of this, there is a regular and discernible pattern in which literature is related to other strands in the social web, which makes it possible to ‘read back’ from fiction to other social fact. An explanation is put forward for the normative power of fiction, from its origins in the apparent human necessity to communicate abstract concepts in terms of narrative accounts of human action. This book will be of interest to students of literature, sociology and history.