Comments on: Sifting through the Phantasmagoria http://litbits.tengrrl.com/2011/12/01/sifting-through-the-phantasmagoria/ Just another WordPress site Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:32:26 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2 By: Carl Isaacson, Bethany College http://litbits.tengrrl.com/2011/12/01/sifting-through-the-phantasmagoria/#comment-261 Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:05:28 +0000 http://blogs.bedfordstmartins.com/litbits/?p=5358#comment-261 Much to agree with. But many of the famous non-fiction writers have written things that cannot be true. My favorite is Sandburg, whose Lincoln biographies are filled with dialog Sandburg could not possibly have heard, found or otherwise stumbled upon. He made them up. The ancient historians, I believe, were famous for writing what the generals should have said in their enconiums. Did Neihart get everything that Black Elk said, or did he have to help some?

It is a difficulty that writers should try to avoid — and the Million Easy Pieces or whatever the faked memoir was was an offense against ethics and aesthetics.

As you say — for writers and bloggers alike — one of the keys is to be honest and have some humility. Neither quality comes easy. Nicely written.

]]>