There is a vast difference between our imaginary life and our real life. We love to roam in the fictional created world for ourselves, but when it comes to the point of our real surroundings, all our imagination breaks into pieces in front of the harsh reality. From this, we can easily assume that there is a difference between reality and imagination. Fact and fiction can be easily compared to reality and imagination. So there is a basic difference between fact and fiction.
Fact vs Fiction
The main difference between fact and fiction is that facts are the theories that can be proved in our real life, but fiction is the imaginary things created by our mind to entertain ourselves. Fiction cannot be proved to exist. Facts cannot be painted with colors to make them attractive, but fiction can be customized as per our own choice.
Facts are the proven truths. There are many kinds of facts, such as astronomical facts, scientific facts, etc. All these facts have been proved or have shreds of evidence. So these can’t be considered imaginary thoughts created by the human brain. Facts are generally scripted or found in textbooks, magazines, biographies, or autobiographies.
Fiction is the imaginary stories build up by people. These do not have any proven shreds of evidence or proof. These are generally found all over the world. Every country has its own fiction stories in different genres and languages. Some fiction stories are also based on some facts but have been made more colorful with the author’s imagination.
Comparison Table Between Fact and Fiction
| Parameters of Comparison | Fact | Fiction |
| Definition | Proven Truths | Imaginary Creation |
| Proof | Have pieces of evidence | Do Not Have Any Evidence |
| Origin to develop | Discovered from particular incidents | It is a creation of a fertile mind. |
| Basis of development | Developed from great knowledge and dedication to a subject. | Build up with healthy imagination and high vocabulary to script |
| Examples | Newspapers, Magazines, Textbooks, etc. | Novels, Drama, Stories, etc. |
What is Fact?
Facts are the proven truths. That is, these groups of words or these theories have pieces of evidence to show that they exist. These pieces of evidence may be eye evidence, audio or video recordings, any scientific theories or formulas. There are different types of facts such as mathematical facts, scientific facts, historical facts, astronomical facts, etc.
Mathematical facts are also called theorems and can be proved by using formulas, axioms, etc. Similarly, scientific facts can be proved by doing experiments.
The name ‘fact’ originates from the Latin word factum, which means something that has happened. Facts can only be built up from an incident. An incident leads to shreds of evidence, and they are converted into facts.
For example :
- The world wastes about 1 billion metric tons of food each year.
- The reason why the clouds are white, not of any other color, is that they reflect the sunlight which falls above them.
- As on the earth, one day consists of 24 hours. In Venus, one day is of 192 hours, which is equals 8 days on the earth.
- The earth is the only planet in the solar system which has only one natural satellite, which is our moon.
All these are some of the facts that have evidence; they are based on true observations. So this means that facts are not the product of the mind but the evidence of reality, which is happening in our daily life involuntarily.
What is Fiction?
Fiction is the imagination of people scripted as stories or poems. These cannot have any proof or evidence. They do not exist in real life. Some fictional stories are also sometimes based on truth. Some historical fiction stories contain real and accurate timings, places, or characters. But in those, the author adds any other things that might not have happened in that scenario.
Generally, fiction includes novels, plays, stories, fairy tales, myths, etc. Like many countries have their defined fairy tale which contains different characters. There are different kinds of fiction stories for different age groups, which win the heart of the reader. Kids normally prefer stories containing cartoon characters. Some kid’s fiction is fairy tales, rip van winkle stories, etc.
For example, in Japanese fairy tales, there exists a fictional character called the dragon, which is considered a devil, but in the Chinese fairy tale, the dragon is considered a symbol of goodness and good luck. So, the main motto of the fiction genre is entertainment.
The word fiction is derived from the Latin word fictio, which means the art of shaping or creating. A fiction writer should have a very fertile brain to add colors to their skill. Nowadays, in the era of developing technologies, movies and films can also be considered as a product of fiction. These are also based on the imagination and professional creation of art. Examples of fiction can be novels, films, dramas, etc.
Main Differences Between Facts and Fiction
- Facts are the real truths, but fictions are imaginary creations
- Facts can be proved by shreds of evidence, but fiction cannot be proved.
- Facts grow from a particular incident, but fiction is just the fertile product of the mind.
- To write a fact, the writer should have deep knowledge and pure dedication to the topic. On the other hand, a fiction writer should have a fertile brain with a high capacity for imagination and great vocabulary to script them.
- Facts are found in newspapers, magazines, textbooks, etc., whereas fiction is found in novels, short stories, drama, etc.
Conclusion
So both facts and fictions have a huge contribution to our life. Facts cultivate our brain with knowledge, and fiction fills our hearts with great joy. Fiction leads us to an imaginary world where there are no complications, but facts take our feet on the ground and teach us reality. Both of these are medicine for our mental health. Reading fiction books increases our imagination power, and fiction books help us to gather more and more knowledge about different topics around the world. We should read both kinds of books to make us grow.
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=i97_LdPXwrAC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=fact&ots=S7UJ2tpGkq&sig=C1eOr-c9VTs0EcthZ2ubOwTF9wk‘
- https://academic.oup.com/aristotelian/article-abstract/118/1/25/4898115