“The Invention of Fact”: Autobiography, Biography, Fiction

Abstract

Comparing the sources of a novel and a biography leads to the paradox that the freedom of fiction can allow a more “realistic” treatment of character than the restriction of biography to documented facts allows. The distinctions and the paradox are asserted to be less poignant and crucial in the light of David Antin’s theory of narrative and Johan Huizinga’s exploration of the play element of culture.