Quote:
Originally Posted by beppe
In my post, rather provincially, I had in mind the Italian neorealism. It is mostly known in the cinematographic aspects. In the cinema domain the Italian neorealism has influenced significantly a number of tendencies, schools and movements, la nouvelle vague for instance, the polish popular cinema and last but not least, the Danish Dogma 65.
The literary neorealism developed together with the cinema, in the years immediately following the second world war. It is characterized by a common interest for the humbles, bordering on populism, and a general political and ideological color. A clear reaction to the rethoric of the previous regime. It also became its own rethoric (celebration of itself) in due time. It is mostly based on episodes and sketches of everyday life. Like in cinema, often non professional actors were used, so in the literary works, are not the characters at the center of the attention, but the events in their every day life. So, there is not a plot as such, but the unfolding of events. Narrative or not narrative, that is a question that escapes my judgement. The book is not an essay, that is for sure.
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I only understand Italian neorealism on a very general level, but it still seems it is possible that some of it can be non-fiction. I don't see how sketches of everyday life couldn't count as non-fiction if presented truthfully.
Also I wouldn't count something having an ideological or political tone as outside the realm of non-fiction if it is fact or opinion based, and a narrative can be non-fiction.
Now rhetoric, this is I think where fiction and non-fiction may blend together (especially since this seems to be a trait of Italian neorealism). To me it is a grey area.