Final thoughts on last class discsussion

 During our discussion about the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, I feel that we no longer need those boundaries, neither do we need a spectrum. I think that the author presents the text to the reader with an intent in mind and a genre to focus on, but the reader is free in every way to read the text through his/her own lens and incorporate his/her own experiences in giving meaning and interpretation of the text. This is part of a theory known as the "Reader's Response Theory" which says that the text does not come into existence until it is read and responded to. There is no right or wrong answer, the reader should just allow his/herself to actively read the book and try to respond to it in the most appropriate way. Also, you can read the same book twice or three times, and every time, you will sure be surprised that you missed something the first time around. Your reactions change, and your ideas develop. Reading and interpreting a text is an endless story and thus has no boundaries which leads me to think that there are no boundaries between fiction and non-fiction. 

 Categorization is not particularly bad. Even if you start reading a book knowing the genre (this is how you picked the book in first place), you might be surprised that you for instance, relate more to a fictional book than a non-fictional book or vice versa depending on your life experiences. One thing to keep in mind is that literary work is a form of art that is constructed by creative writers. Your role as a reader is not merely to passively absorb the words in the text, but instead to play the doubting and believing game and add your ow flavor to the reading process.