Fiction vs. Non-fiction | INFJ Forum

Fiction vs. Non-fiction

Discussion in 'Art, Entertainment, and Media' started by BickByro, Aug 15, 2009.

Share This Page

More threads by BickByro
  1. BickByro

    BickByro Newbie

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2009
    Threads:
    4
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    I'm very new to even knowing I'm an INFJ, and today happens to be my birthday, so here's my "coming-out thread" (and yes, I learned on Facebook). Whee!

    Over these past few days, as I've become familiar with "INFJ issues," I've noticed a marked preference in INFJ booklists for non-fiction over fiction. Not just here, but on other forums as well...

    As for myself, I'm not sure I've read fiction for pleasure since before puberty. The only exception that comes to mind is the short stories of David Foster Wallace (who wrote Infinite Jest, which I still haven't read, but whose non-fiction, for me, truly is water). Nor do I tend to "watch fiction," no matter how acclaimed; when renting movies, I always head for the documentary section first (American Movie is my favorite). If pressed for a favorite "real film," I have, again since puberty, picked 2001: A Space Odyssey, which has an entrancing effect on me similar to DFW's writing.

    So there are my obligatory intuitive leaps and tangents... now tell me, INFJs: to what extent is this distaste for fiction a shared experience?



    And for those who know what I'm talking about here, I would also ask: why do we feel this way? Is it because we can't remember the names of characters? Because we're already imagining better things for them to do than what the author/screenwriter/director came up with? Because there's so much to learn about the way the world actually is that there just isn't any time for fiction, however pleasant a diversion it may be? Is it that the "metaphors for real life" that are supposed to justify fiction as more than a pleasant diversion tend to strike us as banal, or at least unsurprising and very far from envelope-pushing or boundary-shattering?

    And can I shut up now? Well, it's my birthday... crack a beer on my head.

    Edit: Nope, couldn't shut up. I should mention that I do have a soft spot for extremely heavy-handed, Greco-Roman archetypal over-the-top fictionality: Star Wars, Star Trek, Edward Scissorhands, Beavis and Butt-head, the Harry Potter movies (but not books!), etc. And now I'm noticing that all those titles tend to get mentioned in print in "non-italicized" contexts, which probably says something about their archetypal appeal!
     
    #1 BickByro, Aug 15, 2009
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2009
  2. arbygil

    arbygil Passing through

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2008
    Threads:
    382
    Messages:
    11,684
    Likes Received:
    1,379
    Trophy Points:
    881
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    Enneagram:
    9w1
    First, Happy Birthday! :mhula:

    I'm not sure if most INFJs prefer non-fiction. I wish I could find the source, but I once saw that the opposite was true, that most INFJs prefer fiction (top of that list was fantasy).

    Me, I like a variety of books. I have two books I'm working on back and forth. One is Chris Rose's "1 Dead in Attic" about the Katrina disaster and the other is a huge monster of a group of fantasy books (10) merged into one book. Can't recall the name of it at the moment.

    I think you'll find a variety of readers on this board, and there is a link to what everyone is reading (you might have to use the search button to find it).
     
  3. OP
    BickByro

    BickByro Newbie

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2009
    Threads:
    4
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    Thanks! Of course I could just be suffering from confirmation bias...
     
  4. Fizzitster

    Fizzitster Regular Poster

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2009
    Threads:
    4
    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    Personally, I love a good story with strong characters. However, I do show a greater appreciation for nonfiction than my peers. One thing I've noticed is that my favorite fiction books are the ones that make me think.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  5. daydreamer

    daydreamer Permanent Fixture

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2009
    Threads:
    59
    Messages:
    1,131
    Likes Received:
    66
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    ENFP
    Enneagram:
    I forget
    I like fiction but I like it when the characters have real personalities and real flaws.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  6. rainrise

    rainrise Community Member

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2009
    Threads:
    29
    Messages:
    743
    Likes Received:
    27
    Trophy Points:
    577
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    on the books thread, i realized that many INFJs here like reading fiction. i never read fiction (novels, narratives) but i spend much of my free time reading non-fiction books. i love poetry though and write more of it than i read. i don't know the exact reason why i don't read fiction...i have an active imagination of my own but i don't suppose that equates to reading the imaginative works of other people. when i do read fiction, it's either mysteries or ones that make me think, like Fizzitster mentioned. i have a distaste for sentimental romance novels. eek.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  7. Ophelia

    Ophelia Community Member

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2009
    Threads:
    10
    Messages:
    229
    Likes Received:
    10
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    i don't know the exact reason why i don't read fiction...i have an active imagination of my own but i don't suppose that equates to reading the imaginative works of other people. when i do read fiction, it's either mysteries or ones that make me think, like Fizzitster mentioned. i have a distaste for sentimental romance novels. eek.[/QUOTE]

    Maybe you see more of a purpose in reading nonfiction and things that make you think?
     
  8. rainrise

    rainrise Community Member

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2009
    Threads:
    29
    Messages:
    743
    Likes Received:
    27
    Trophy Points:
    577
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    yeah i think that would be it. now that you mention, maybe i feel too engulfed in expanding on those topics that reading fiction would somehow act more like a distraction than enjoyment. this might be because fiction often draws you into its world and requires you to delve into the story in order to fully experience it. this takes a fair amount of energy and preoccupation of mind as each new story represents a whole new context to adjust yourself to, contemplate, and identify with...whereas nonfiction, although new information, adds to or modifies an already structured mental framework.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  9. MindYourHead

    MindYourHead Courage doesn't always roar.

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2009
    Threads:
    21
    Messages:
    1,269
    Likes Received:
    297
    Trophy Points:
    230
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    Enneagram:
    4w5
    I have a hard time reading fiction. It just won't hold my attention after a couple of chapters.
    But why is watching a show or movie that is pure fiction not an issue?

    I'm mechanically inclined. I like facts, learning how things work.
    I find paging through a technical manual to be more interesting.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  10. sumone

    sumone down the rabbit hole

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2008
    Threads:
    67
    Messages:
    3,866
    Likes Received:
    226
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    infj
    Happy Birthday and welcome to the forum! Write lots because at l,000 posts you get a prize.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  11. slant

    slant Anti gum-putter
    Donor

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2008
    Threads:
    384
    Messages:
    12,865
    Featured Threads:
    66
    Likes Received:
    29,515
    Trophy Points:
    1,901
    Gender:
    Female
    MBTI:
    None
    Nonfictions.

    Just the facts, please.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  12. poetrygirl

    poetrygirl Community Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2009
    Threads:
    28
    Messages:
    304
    Likes Received:
    23
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    I'm not sure if all infj prefer non fiction;I think as a whole I prefer fiction. I love not being able to predict where the story is going; with lots of creative unexpected twist and turns that keep me on the edge and exercise my imagination. But every once and a while I will dive into a bitter sweet non fiction story. I can remember growing up though and watching the history/discovery/science channels like crazy. It was all very interesting to me and still is. I love a good documentary every once and a while.



    btw....













    [​IMG]
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #12 poetrygirl, Aug 21, 2009
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2009
  13. Faye

    Faye ^_^
    Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2009
    Threads:
    313
    Messages:
    7,348
    Featured Threads:
    5
    Likes Received:
    5,065
    Trophy Points:
    892
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Gridania
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    Enneagram:
    4w5
  14. nfuerfuau3873

    nfuerfuau3873 Community Member

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2009
    Threads:
    3
    Messages:
    143
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    587
    [​IMG]


    I prefer Fiction. In fact I have real trouble with Non-fiction. I have tried reading about three biographies but I couldn't get passed the first chapter.
    My favourite genre has got to be fantasy. I suppose it is my abhorrence toward technology and love of all things magic and unexplainable.

    I found out my type etc the same way you did. Facebook application but I got really involved in it and have subsequently taken several tests to determine my type... I must hasten to add that every single test I have done has so far returned an INTJ result, however the description of the INFJ is more suited to my actual personality. I wonder if I return an INTJ result from desiring to be less feeling but not sure. I am still looking into that :)

    Welcome to the forums and I wish you luck on your journey toward understanding your type.
     
  15. bamf

    bamf Is Watching You
    Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2009
    Threads:
    289
    Messages:
    10,787
    Likes Received:
    1,945
    Trophy Points:
    453
    MBTI:
    Meh
    Enneagram:
    Meh
    I have to say, I absolutely positively abhor non-fiction. I can read an article from a magazine or newspaper but even reading one chapter out of a book, well it just bores me to tears. I'd take fiction over non fiction any day.

    I love great writers who use literature as an art; where their words paint vibrant landscapes and they mold their characters by language. It probably has something to do with me being delusional and easily bored with the real world, but I just get so caught up and lost in the excitement and drama in great pieces of work that I'll read for hours and hours if my schedule allows it. I'd take a made up world over reality any day.

    But when it comes to TV, I almost never switch away from the discovery/history/national geographic channels. Fiction on TV bores me.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  16. IndigoSensor

    IndigoSensor Product Obtained
    Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2008
    Threads:
    762
    Messages:
    14,154
    Likes Received:
    1,320
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    Enneagram:
    1w2 sx/so/sp
    I prefer realistic fiction. It's a little hard to describe, but I prefer fantasy stories that come from real reality and stuff that exsists in real life. Think the movie the ring. If something is too deep in to fantasy I can't really "apply" it and I don't find it all that interesting.

    I actually like non-fiction, if something is real I just relate to it more and align with it. I crave relation to real life when I read. I also read non story stuff a lot. I am always on wikipedia.

    I think INFJ's would prefer realistic fiction mostly. However, I can see them liking true fantasy as well. As an example, one of my best friends IRL (she is also a member here and goes by the name Minerva) LOVES all kinds of fiction. I have never met someone who loves to read (mostly fantasy) as she does. It is astounding.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  17. Kirstanley

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2009
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    a fellow non-fiction fan

    I could not agree more with the original poster. It is very difficult for me to watch the entirety of a fictional movie, despite wanting to do so. In contrast, I can easily watch 4 full-length documentaries in a row and be enthralled by the content. The only exception would be sitcoms. I can watch a good television show for quite awhile because of the in-depth characterizations that the length of a TV series allows. In terms of books, I have enjoyed many fiction novels, but none that veer too far from reality. In Cold Blood is a favorite of mine because it is a combination of fiction and non-fiction.
     
    #17 Kirstanley, May 26, 2010
    Last edited: May 26, 2010
  18. randomsomeone

    randomsomeone Well-known member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2009
    Threads:
    8
    Messages:
    2,141
    Likes Received:
    315
    Trophy Points:
    0
    MBTI:
    INFJ
    I am a lover of non-fiction, too. Overall I find it more compelling than fiction. I do value the role of fiction in conveying certain types of ideas, but I am highly suspicious of the sometimes murky boundary between fact and fiction found in some works.

    I subist on critical history and literary analysis mostly because, if I am going to make those wonderful INFJ connections, it'd better be based on the very best scholarship available.
     
Loading...

Share This Page