A novel and an academic article are in many ways different. The language used, the audience, the length, and the purpose of even writing it in the first place will often not match. From my work on this paper, it seems academic articles are able to be much more specific compared to novels, and go beneath the surface when analysing issues. This was not too surprising, as a novel wants to tell a story. The development issues that are central to the article, may be a plot device or backdrop for the novel. A paper would appear to lose track of its issue and argument if it covered as much as most novels in terms of pure story Nonetheless, sometimes a novel’s author shows a real understanding of the development issues that surround his or her characters. Even though they refrain from reaching the same detail in analysis as academic papers, the novel's reader is still exposed to an accurate introduction to each issue. This is the case for Lapierre’s City of Joy.…show more content… Lapierre, wrote the book after an intense two year-long stay in the slums of Calcutta, where he lived and conducted research. He interviewed many residents with the help of translators and used other methods of primary source research before writing City of Joy. In 1981 Lapierre had founded an association to help children suffering from Leprosy in the slums of Calcutta (Bio Lapierre). Lapierre had a clear emotional connection with the people of Calcutta and their stories, and his optimistic novel reflects the good that he encountered there. He states his story is, “true to the confidences that the people of the City of Joy have shared with me, and to the spirit of this unusual place”(CoJ, Author's Note). His hands on and in depth research automatically gives him a leg up on many other authors who may have a hazier sense of the world they are creating within
