Not reading autobiographies

There is no reason to read fiction. Honestly think about it. You are readings some story another guy made up for no reason. An autobiography is a record of a man, from that man. There is no greater expression. Why bother reading fake stories that probably have a hidden agenda, when autobiographies are the true form of literature.

most memoirs are lies, their agenda being "I'm great"

But that is the reflection of the man, no? He is the memoir. The purpose of it's existence is an expression of himself. His every action in life was to say "I'm" great. A fiction book is a dilution of self, shit out by a poor writer.

Fiction is more entertaining.

I disagree. The level of entertainment is provided by the quality of the man. The best fiction book ever written would have been better if instead the author put that energy into an autobiography. Every moment of his life led to the creation of his fiction story, why dilute it through make believe?

Lol

Your argument is circular and dumb because it is dumb and circular.
Why don't you go write a biography instead of pretending you can shitpost.

>The best fiction book ever written would have been better if instead the author put that energy into an autobiography. Every moment of his life led to the creation of his fiction story, why dilute it through make believe?

I disagree. Maybe every moment of his life wasn't very interesting. Some people have boring lives. Besides, make believe is fun.

You probably liked the puppet section of Mr. Rodgers more than him being himself.

Well it depends on the fiction aldous Huxley wrote brave New World and Island as a philosophical piece criticizing government, and people's view of the future.

The level of interest in his life is irrelevant. A boring life may exist to an outside observer, but a man can reveal a limitless story of emotion from seemingly pointless occurrences.

I never watched Mr. Rodgers, I was too busy watching only biographical documentaries.

Perhaps the film crew showed you where to look, friend.

>reading autobiographies
>reading fiction
>literally wasting time reading made-up fantasies or exaggerated life stories instead of books that contain useful factual information

psh

This is why I believe fiction should very much make use of the fantastic. Otherwise, you're just telling a story that might actually happen to somebody, making your story worse because it isn't real [even though it could be].

Complete realism while writing fiction isn't desirable, and neither is not having an agenda

I can barely stomach fiction. All that time I just mostly keep thingking "I could be reading about real events or philosophy". Of course some works like the Divine Comedy muddy the waters but I consider it a historical insight into the theology of its age and philosophical work anyways.

I can't read fiction-fiction.

Does anyone else want to argue why memoirs and autobiographies ought to be seperate forms?

Read Darkness Visible by Styron, my man.

>autobiographies

I love biographies, but autobiographies are a no no.

It's not exactly an autobiography, more like an autobiographical book.

The theme of the work is not Styron but depression, the same would apply to The Bell Jar I guess.

Autobiographies more often are about the author's live as a whole, rather than using their lives as examples of a particular phenomenon.

I am in this situation as well and I don't know why.I can't read a book of fiction without trying to analyse it in philosophical and psychological terms.

>can't read a book of fiction without trying to analyse it in philosophical and psychological terms.
That's fine, but what happens to me is tht I keep thinking why not just read actual phil or psych texts.

what about that the one by that japanese guy who commited suicide

on a side note, what are some good autobiographies/biographies?

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects by Giorgio Vasari
the autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
the Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The autobiography of Alice B Toklas by Gertrude Stein
W, or the Memory of Childhood by Georges Perec
Karl Ove Knausgard, Min Kamp

Novels are a side story in the authors autobiography that he is too much of a pussy to ever write.

I would add Story of My Life by Giacomo Casanova

That isn't exactly a narrow scope.

yall niggers gay

The Power Broker by Robert Caro
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
The Autobiography of Malcolm X

>There is no reason to read fiction
I just did. What now?

We're on Veeky Forums. Unless you're reading a STEM textbook then "useful factual information" will not be found in an efficient and rigourous fashion; only ideology masquerading as truth, if an author is spouting shit that might fall under that. That isn't what literature is about, or what most here are interested in. In fact, ignore textbooks and simply read Wikipedia articles and manuals supplemented by assisting resources, if you want to be even more efficient about it. Wikipedia is like, very efficient documentation.

Wikipedia articles are poorly constructed, lacking depth, and filled with unqualified people editing pages. Books are still superior.

This. Feels like I'm wasting time. Like there's nothing wrong with wasting time but i'd rather waste time involved with something that gives me a a lot more enjoyment like music or a good film.

>The Divine Comedy
>fiction
When will this shitty meme be over?

Why?