Gossip and Literature

Author: Frank Ebral
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Stories, folk songs, narrative poems, poems, dramatic works, short stories, detective fiction, and novels that draw creative material from the "sensation" column. Sensation refers to events that are unclassifiable, violate certain rules, or defy common logic. 19th-century authors such as émile Zola, émile Gaboriau, and Félix Fénéon, as well as 20th-century surrealists like Jean Genet (in The Maids), Marguerite Duras (The English Patient), and authors of articles on the Gregori affair, all drew inspiration from sensation stories, showcasing their allure. Sensation is built upon stereotypical characters and settings, and its persistence and universality make it highly adaptable to literature. Once detached from its news context, sensation is enriched and elevated by literature's unique distance effect and aesthetic approach. Thus, sensation stories acquire metaphorical and typical features, often drawing closer to myths.