Behind The Fiction, Past
A Fiction Column
By Michael G'Francisco

IS FICTION NOTHING?

I'm going to probe into one's imagination with this article.

Apuleius: Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass), Volume II, Books 1-6

The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, which Saint Augustine referred to as "The Golden Ass" is supposedly the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety. The date of his novel is unknown and appears to have much controversy about its contents.

Apuleius novel's protagonist is a witch and resides in a charnel place. Yet, another theory relates it as a romance novel of the Second Century A.D. Interesting choice?

One must keep in mind when reading this work that the Roman Empire, in this time period, was full of secular cultures. Could Apuleius's work have helped push the Roman Empire into Christianity?

Apuleius: Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass), Volume II, Books 7-11

The ultimate goal of this article is to have its readers read "The Golden Ass" and draw their own conclusion and their own opinion.

Ponder this: Can a being, divine or human, be transformed into something beyond the realm of the mind? Shall we say, a wolf? Does the change of one's outward appearance alter the core of the being or will it remain the same? What say you? When writing truth or fiction does it ever seem the same?

Fiction always seems to have its most impact when it presents a twist or a surprise to a reader. Writers in most genres attempt to write as truthfully as possible, but truth is sometimes a bit "on the loose". The best mystery writers, in creating fiction, always try to reach authenticity in the situations they create to make a story interesting or believable.

It has been said, "Write about what you know". This is supposed to be an undeniably good strategy. Or is it? Truth or fiction by the time it is filtered through our mental perception is sometimes altered by the wandering of thoughts and can cause one to hallucinate.

In Don DeLillo's novel "Underworld", he defines hallucination as: "When you hallucinate, the point of any hallucination is that you have a false perception that you think is real! It is just the opposite. It is real."

Another good read is Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl". In his novel he creates a cast of two people in a marriage gone bad because of lies, sex and betrayal through hallucination.

Let the Great World Spin A Novel By Colum McCann

Some critics say, "Don't read fiction because it's all made up and not real". Nothing is further from the truth. It takes fiction to make sense of the real world.

Suggestion: Enjoy Colum McCann's, "Let the Great World Spin".

Now, go softly into the night. mgf

Comments always welcome
Email: Michael, Behind the Fiction

2012 Past Columns