Truman Capote's In Cold Blood: Nonfiction

Literature continuously evolves over time; may it be with a new genre or a new style of writing. Truman Capote pioneered in the field of nonfiction novel, a genre he invented with his work In Cold Blood. In this book, Capote intertwines facts and real events with elements of nonfiction to cover the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas City. Although it is important to keep the book as accurate as possible, it is inevitable for the author to change some details in order to keep the book engaging throughout the novel. Capote’s work faces controversy as it deviates from the truth with his modification and rearrangement of events, and his obvious bias towards Perry Smith, one of the killers

There is barely any piece of narrative journalism that is a hundred percent accurate. It is the author’s job to organize the story to make it easier for the readers to comprehend, which is exactly what Capote did for his account of the murder case. Capote is not the only writer guilty of manipulating some facts in a nonfiction work. In Capote’s case, it is also his responsibility to make the book compelling. In his book, In Cold Blood, narrates from the night of the murders to the day they were hung as punishment. Capote included background and side stories to keep the story engaging. His bias towards Perry Smith is controversial but Capote knew that the details he included about Perry would evoke emotions from the readers and keep them

The changes were made to add drama and suspense to the story. Capote balances out the nonfiction and novel part of his book, carefully modifying facts to limit his account’s distance from the actual truth. Capote did what he needed to do in order to make his book as compelling as possible with the expense of sticking with the facts. He shows how two contrasting writing styles can coexist in the same literary work. Truman Capote explores beyond the classic literary genres and opens the door for other authors to experiment with a new writing