Patricia Haffner
2-17-11
Connection between realistic fiction and the truth:

Realistic fiction takes real life situations and takes creative license to expand
the author’s ideas ("Ask The Writer").

Takes controversial issues and illustrates them in a manner were the author
gives both sides of the story (Picoult).

“novels and stories which ‘are real’ in that they take place in a time and place
like a present, or recent past, time and place, have plots which are possible,
and have characters which are believable as real people” (Sky-McIlvain).
What truths are best communicated through realistic fiction?

Realistic fiction often has themes about growing up, trying and failing and
learning to love, even if you lose it in the end ("Literature for students: Genres of
fiction").

Realistic fiction novels often address sensitive issues like dysfunctional families
(Bauer)

Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why is based on a teenager who
committed suicide. Hannah creates a series of tapes illustrating why she
killed herself. This communicates how cruel kids can be and how
judgment can hurt people.

Sarah Dessen’s Just Listen illustrates a teenage girl who was raped. This
novel shows how people can struggle with something awful and overcome
them over time. (371)

Sarah Dessen’s Dreamland is about a girl who is abused by her boyfriend.
It starts when he gets made because she said that he was acting too
sensitive. Rogerson says that he will never hit Caitlin again, but once it
starts it continues. Finally when he really hurts her, her family sends her to
a rehab center. This communicates that sometimes you can’t single
handedly overcome you issues and you shouldn’t be afraid to get
help.(217)
How do author address controversial issues in a way that doesn’t upset the
reader?

Realistic fiction author keep their plot realistic, they take creative
license, but they don’t stretch too far away from what could really
happen. They make their stories easy to connect to ("Contemporary &
Historical Realistic Fiction").

They tackle issues, not to influence readers to do the actions that they
are addressing, but to open up a way that they can communicate issues
that they are facing ("Teenreads.com -- Author Profile: Julie Anne
Peters").
What is the connection between realistic fiction and the truth?

Realistic fiction takes things that could happen in a setting were it
could happen and writers addresses an issue that people go through
(Bang).

Some times realistic fiction addresses people or places that are real
(Bang).

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult setting is realistic and addressed
something that everyone goes through; bullying (note to self find page
number).