What's Truman Capote's "Non-fiction Novel"? (long answer please)?

Question

I'm doing a research project about Truman Capote' s In Cold Blood.
he claimed to have created a literary genre with that book, The Non-fiction Novel.
I was searching on Internet, but I didn't find anithing really interesting.Can anybody help me with that?

Answer 1

I'll apologize in advance, I'm not going to give you an extremely lengthy answers. Nevertheless, it is basically what it sounds like: A non-fiction subject matter with a Novel-form/approach in communicating it. Capote did extensive research for his book, as well as conducting multiple interviews, yet ultimately he told the story of the true events in novel-form, which had previously only used (with notable exceptions) to communicate fictions. Or, as Wikipedia puts it: "...the genre represents real events, while narrativizing these events with techniques of fiction".

I think you'll find the concept to be much simpler than you may be imagining. I would look into Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson for other examples of this technique being put to use (Gonzo Journalism itself could be said to have its genesis in Capote's pioneering techniques).

I would suggest you read the Wikipedia entries for Capote, and for In Cold Blood. Finally, I would read the entry for the nonfiction novel. After reading these entries I'm sure you'll have a good enough idea of the concepts to move forward on your research project as you feel necessary.