First Essay

David Revilla
Eng 211W: Non-Fiction Prose
Prof. Henkle
First Essay
Fictional stories tend to focus more on the real world though not necessarily on real characters. In the case of Mackery End, In Hertfordshire, the story starts of detailing the relationship between two very mundane characters in the common standing of master and servant. The story is told through the first-person, with the narrator detailing all events. This point of view is an effective way of establishing some connection with the reader who, regardless of what time and place the story is in, needs to feel like he or she is part of the story. There is a sense of familiarity with the author who explains various aspects of his life and relatives, his hobbies, and even how he talks. Through this, the audience begins to understand the protagonist. Had it been told through third-person, the audience may feel “detached” as if they were only spectators watching a play, but not a part of it.
Fiction evokes a sense of familiarity. When placed in a far-off setting, the writer has to go into explicit detail to make the scene more familiar to his readers. That in turn can alienate what readers feel towards the characters of the story. In order for them to be believable, that is share something that the reader can sympathize with, those characters must seem real. Take names for instance. Foreign names, particularly those difficult to pronounce, can be an instant turnoff. For this reason, many fictional tales tend to revolve around common archetypes of a particular culture. For example, Americans would find the story of a countryman visiting a foreign land to be a sort of bridge between them and that alien place. It is like they’d be exploring that land through their own eyes for the character shares many of the same beliefs and cultural values as they do. Descriptions of what a character sees and feels, including a sense of alienation from his adopted community, helps one gain a greater respect for what one’s country holds dear.
So if non-fiction is all about making the unreal seem real, that what constitutes as real is defined by the reader. A person who has never been to a city might find reading about one a place too surreal to really exist. A farm or small community would make more sense to him. That is real and that is something he knows to be tangible. Anything else could be considered fiction to his eyes. That in itself is the true test of a non-fiction story, making what others deem to be not real and make it into something that they will understand.

Introduction

Welcome to the class website for English 211W: Writing Non-Fiction Prose. This site will be used in three basic ways:

• to distribute class materials
• a place for further instruction and discussion
• the primary place for sharing your work with one another

You should have gotten an email request to join the site (it will come from blogger.com) by the end of the day Tuesday--let me know immediately if you don't, as you won't be able to post your writings without signing up. You are required to post all writing for the course to this site by class time on Thursdays, in addition to bringing hard copies to class.

You should remember to check this site after every class for potential changes to the readings and assignments for the next session. You should also remember that all readings distributed here must be printed and brought to class.

To the right you will find the upcoming essay assignment/parameters, and a link to the syllabus (bottom right, below the schedule). There is a schedule on the syllabus, but the schedule found to the right is likely to be more accurate and up to date.