The Creative Writing of John D'agata

Accuracy or Truthfulness: The creative writing of John D’Agata

What is the highest priority for a non-fiction text creator? As a form of literary guidelines, non-fiction material does have a responsibility to adhere to its label. Non-fiction implies that the material being read or written is closely related to the actual event, person, or idea. The material is trusted with the ability to represent an accurate reality of the specific subject. However, writing, in general, does have a higher responsibility of displaying information in an accessible manner. If the material is not understood, its intended purpose seems to be forgotten in the process. Accessibility refers to the fact that the material must be easily understood. Thus, the way in which elements of non-fiction text is presented is the most important aspect of non-fiction creation. Writing, in its purest form, needs to be able to express to the fullest the intended ideas and emotions. Although non-fiction does entail being accurate in its elements, it should offer some movement for better expression of the material.

Focusing on the portrayal of an idea will ultimately allow a piece of work to be better perceived from the perspective of a casual reader. The casual reader does not necessarily need to know the exact details pertaining to an element in the text. It is easier for the reader to understand the general idea of what is said, rather than have a detailed description of a source and its information. Whether or not the information is accepted does not rely solely on the accuracy of its claim.

In the Levi Presley essay, John D’Agata, author, is very open with his interpretation of the events surrounding Levi Presley’s suicide. One of the disputed elements of the essay is Levi Presley’s quiz that he took before his death. This part plays into the aspect of the essay that gives readers a view of Presley’s parents’ openness of their son’s life as well as their son’s artistic temperament. The essay portrays John D’Agata knew everything about Presley from what he looked liked to the answers of his last pop quiz. The book states

“What I know for certain about Levi Presley is what he looked like, how old he was, what kind of car he drove, what school he attended, what girl he liked and what girl liked him, his favorite restaurant … his answers to the questions on the last pop quiz he took in school-

What is good? What is bad? What does “art” mean to you? Now look at the chair on the table in front of you and describe it in literal terms”

The claim of it being his last quiz is under dispute. The quiz that is referred to was actually taken in 1999. Meaning, the quiz was likely not to have been Levi Presley’s last quiz. However, does the statement “last quiz he took in school” resonate