As a postscript to the previous post, I was dismayed to learn about the liberties taken with the truth by those who write for women's popular magazines. Naive me actually believes when I'm told a story is true. In Sybil Exposed it describes how certain journalists presented fiction as fact.
The author of Sybil had doubts about the veracity of Sybil's abuse stories. She actually went to the supposed scene of many crimes and discovered no evidence whatsoever for the abuse claims. Worst of all, she read a letter Sybil had written to her psychiatrist, denying she had multiple personality disorder. Her doctor, of course, said she was in denial.
The author didn't know what to do with all this information. Furthermore, the story as she knew it wasn't much of a story with a plot and dialogue.
The ultimate solution? Fictionalizing the story and presenting it as the truth. Subsequent to the book's becoming a major hit, the author and the pyschiatrist appeared on many shows talking about the book. By that point, they had certainly convinced themselves that the book was true.
Leaves me wondering, what of what I read and think is true, is actually fiction? Some might say, it doesn't matter. I've heard this before and been astonished as I've written in this post: click to read previous post
This world is described as Olam Ha'Sheker, a world of lies. Nothing is as it appears to be. Fiction can be masquerading as truth.
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