Ragtime's Intersection with History and Fiction

 Aakash Vasireddy | January 31st, 2022 | History as Fiction | Blog Post #1 | Mr. Mitchell

Ragtime's Intersection with History and Fiction

For my first post, I'd like to circle back to the discussion regarding the distinction between the notion of "history" and the notion of "fiction". History, put simply, is what we consider a "retelling of past events." Despite the fact that we most commonly associate the word "history" with events many decades or even centuries ago, every passing moment is another addition to our recent history. Even the smallest moments now - the final buzzer sounding during a basketball game, acing an exam, taking a free period to spend time with friends on the quad, etc. - will be considered in our high school history twenty years from now. In contrast, fiction is based more so on the imagination of the creator/writer. Fiction does not stay within the boundaries of its content being 100% authentic and real. Fiction can stretch the boundaries of our creative endeavors and limits to produce new ideas, stories, and worlds that in no way have to be similar to one another. With the power to create anything and everything they could dream of, the "fiction" genre has produced many subgenres which allow readers to find their niche. 

Having said that, there are some similarities. For example, both history and fiction have some degree of personal input and subjectivity. Obviously, fiction takes the reins when it comes to personal expression because there is an assumption made when reading fiction that it is indeed "not real", or at least not the real story. This is unlike history writers who, despite some potential room for subjugation as seen in various textbooks that may or may not tell the same story in different ways, are conforming more to what really took place during a historical event. When you pick up a history textbook, there is assumption that what you will be reading will be true. However, as we hear, the "history books" - or, as the video said, "everything" - "is written by the winners." Someone has to write our history, and in many cases there is some level of bias or forced perspective. In the end, finding that total realm of objectivity is difficult unless we have all the details. 

Fiction is based off the premise that writers use their own ideas and creative expression somewhere in their prose (or else it would be considered "nonfiction" in most cases), but even in genres like realistic fiction or historical fiction, the writer might pose their story in a specific way. In comparison to history books, fictional works often build a better picture of the reader so they can truly immerse themselves in what's being written. Using creative language and descriptions to portray a given event, or even portray an interpretation of an event, is often more engaging from a reader-standpoint when written as a fictional narrative with fictional story elements like characters (and character backgrounds & development), plot devices, setting choices, etc. 

This brings our discussion to Doctorow's Ragtime, a quite interesting book with many interesting story choices.

As we all know, Doctorow uses a mix of fictional storytelling and real historical figures to bring the two stories together. In this manner, the line between history and fiction - real and fake - becomes slightly more complicated when we encounter this novel, especially as we begin progressing through the narrative and meet the generic, fictional characters like Father, Mother, and Mother's Younger Brother to complement historical figures like Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman, and others. Doctorow has the ability to have these stories interact with one another without making those interactions feel out place. He really uses each character as a jumping off point to another character's narrative. Even the generic figures we've generally identified in the story are used to show specific viewpoints or give further depth to the narrative like Mother and Father who undergo changes and developments in their fictional story arcs. These elements complicate the answers set forth by the question "Is this history or fiction?"

In terms of Ragtime's content early in the novel, Doctorow is making use of American History by describing the harsh working conditions, economic disparities, racial and social discrimination against African Americans and people of color, and the dynamics set forth by class divisions, particularly the scene of the rich, upper-class people impersonating the poor, exploited workers and African Americans to "honor them." While also being a large part of our country's unfortunate history and upbringing, Doctorow seamlessly incorporates these narratives throughout the story without making them feel too out of place. This is particularly due to how Doctorow implements character arcs to connect ideas across various storylines like Goldman and Evelyn's intertwined narrative. Even in terms of language, there is definitely a fictional aspect and tone to the narration that stretches far beyond simply using made-up, generic characters. Doctorow uses complex sentences and various literary choices to build a picture for the reader through an engaging manner. This is driven not only by the actions taking place in the story and what we imagine happening in our mind, but also by Doctorow's involvement in his storytelling through his sometimes ironic, satirical prose. We see Doctorow uses some subjective language throughout his work to give criticism, as well as insight into his thoughts. 

This is storytelling through a historical and fictional lens. As we discussed, we couldn't take the topics in this book - the various chapters and passages - and pull this language into a history textbook. Because it's not a textbook. It's a novel.