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Claire Ceriani's picture

Should readers expect

Should readers expect rights?  I don't think so, at least not in literature.  A person reading a scientific article or textbook has a right to truth.  The author should make it clear what is a proven fact, what is a theory, what is opinion, etc.  This type of writing is read for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge and understanding, and a whole system of peer-reviewing exists to make sure that the reader gets the most accurate information possible.

 

But literature is different, because we read it for very different reasons.  If an author claims a work to be non-fiction or entirely fiction or part auto-biographical, we tend to believe them (at least, at the start), but we don't sign a contract.  And we don't have to read it.  I think part of choosing to read a novel is choosing to accept the perception given by the author while you're reading it.  You can disagree with it and apply your own interpretations to it, which I think is part of the process of reading, but I don't think it's fair to the author to feel like you have a "right" to something, because you can always close the book.

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