Truman Capote's In Cold Blood: The Nonfiction Novel

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In the world of literature, there are a large variety of genres that divide different works into varying categories. Although many have been around for centuries, one genre in particular was created recently. That genre, which is known for combining the journalistic style of a work of nonfiction and the narrative elements of a novel, is referred to as the nonfiction novel. The man credited for the creation of the nonfiction novel is Truman Capote, with his novel “In Cold Blood’. It was here that Capote wrote about the murder of a family from a small town, the Clutters, attempting to blend the two varying styles together. When considering the credibility of this nonfiction novel, many people call it into question on accounts of bias and lack …show more content…
Capote was successful in this regard, because in creating the nonfiction novel genre, he was tasked with balancing the amount of subjectivity with the amount of raw information he added into the novel. The events that took place are not made up, and the accuracy accounts for the nonfiction aspect, while the added detail and subjectivity add narration and emotion that would normally be in a novel. Other writers followed in Capote’s style, writing about true events, adding narration to better explain the …show more content…
After the publication of his novel, “In Cold Blood”, others were written in the same style, such as “Guns, Germs, and Steel” by Jared Diamond and “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson. Capote’s novel ushered in a new genre of literature, one that combines both true, factually accurate events while utilizing the storytelling elements of a work of fiction. Despite many claims that Capote himself added bias and subjectivity, he still succeeded in his goal to create a new genre, inspiring others to follow in his

In Cold Blood Controversy

the voices of the underprivileged and disenfranchised peoples of our societies. Truman Capote’s 1966 novel, In Cold Blood, serves as a prime example of this by allowing readers a peak into the complex minds of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Although Truman Capote’s seminal piece, In Cold Blood, has been criticized for its inaccuracies, it still holds incredible value. In Cold Blood not only revived the nonfiction novel genre, but more importantly provided commentary on dividing issues such as the death…

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In Cold Blood Truman Capote Nonfiction

In Cold Blood made a large impact on nonfiction as a genre. The novel was written by Truman Capote and published in 1966. It was about the two criminals who murdered four members of a family in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. Capote used many different writing techniques in the novel to set a unique tone for the readers. Some of his writing styles included imagery, diction, syntax, and characterization. Through Capote uncommon form of creating the novel, it categorized it as creative nonfiction. Creative…

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Nonfiction In Cold Blood

To make a piece nonfiction, all information and events presented must be based on facts. In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote, is a book that has been questioned whether it is nonfiction or not. There are many critics that claim this book is nonfiction as it is about a real life murder case. However, Capote’s excessive details and description of the case let us question further whether this book is nonfiction or not. His description and details of the actual murder, the murderers themselves, and…

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Rhetorical Strategies In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

When reading the first chapter in Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” he uses different rhetorical strategies to characterize his view of Holcomb, Kansas. In the first five paragraphs Truman starts off with descriptions of the landscape; the serenity of the plains is an unlikely setting for a tragedy, which makes it all more disturbing when one does occur. He starts by taking the “long view” of its subjects, outlining them from a distance before eventually zooming in to probe the microscopic details…

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Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

The story In Cold Blood, tells a story of a true murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. When first reading the story, I felt as if I was reading a true crime story that happened yesterday. As I read more I realized the author, Truman Capote, was using a mixture of journalism and fiction to tell this story through this new idea of "creative nonfiction". The story is told by Capote by first reconstructing the murder through interview and police reports accounts, then telling the personal…

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Summary Of In Cold Blood And The Devil In The White City

crime genre, an author investigates a crime that actually happened and writes it up into an interesting book. Coincidentally or not, two crime books, In Cold Blood and The Devil in the White City, were read and discussed in Dual Enrollment English. However, instead of a comparison of those two books, a comparison between Columbine and In Cold Blood would offer a more suitable analysis of their individual styles and significance. Columbine is a book by Dave Cullen that delves into an extensive account…

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Perry In Cold Blood Analysis

Capote’s Humanization of Perry in Part II of In Cold Blood In the Part II of his nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, Truman Capote describes Perry, one of the men who killed the Clutter family, and his belief that since he and Dick killed an entire family, something must be wrong with them, while Dick only sees something wrong with Perry. Capote’s purpose in this passage is to humanize Perry in order to enable the reader to better relate to Perry as well as to build additional suspense concerning the…

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Mr. Big Boy Homie G Essay

Study Guide for In Cold Blood Name Description (Physical/Personal Traits) Relevance (role, important actions, words etc.) Herb Clutter Bonnie Clutter Nancy Clutter Kenyon Clutter Bobby Rupp Susan Kidwell Name Description (Physical/Personal Traits) Relevance (role, important actions, words etc.) Alvin Dewey Harold Nye Roy Church Clarence Duntz Tex John Smith Willie-Jay Floyd Wells Lowell Lee Andrews Mr. Helms Alfred…

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In Cold Blood Character Analysis

Lauren T. Wagner AP English December 22, 2016 Period 3 Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel, “In Cold Blood” gives the reader an opportunity to see prime examples of how nature and nurture influence one’s personality and character. Capote’s novel, “In Cold Blood” introduces the reader to Dick Hickock and Perry Edward Smith, who have similar aspirations and intentions in the life of crime. Although both Perry and Dick come from very humble backgrounds, their childhood, particularly their family life…

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Death Penalty In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

history, Truman Capote, approached this sensitive topic in his award-winning novel: In Cold Blood. In the novel, two men known as Dick Hickock and Perry Smith murder the unsuspecting Clutter family in their obscure town of Holcomb, Kansas. Once caught and proved guilty with numerous pieces of evidence, the criminals are put on trial and ultimately sentenced to death row. However, their fates are questioned for nearly six years before they are finally executed. Throughout his nonfiction novel, Capote…

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