Narrative credibility depends on skill, not factual accuracy.

Evidence

But credibility in words has almost nothing to do with fact. Aristotle went so far as to say that a “probable impossibility” makes a better story than an “improbable possibility,” meaning that a skillful author can sell us glass mountains, UFOs, and hobbits, while a less skilled writer may not be able to convince us that Mary Lou has a crush on Sam. — Janet Burroway; Elizabeth Stuckey-French; Ned Stuckey-French, Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition, 56

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Aristotle’s Poetics distinction between probable impossibility and improbable possibility. — connects to: Critics condemning Odysseus’ deception of Laertes ignore the demands of narrative structure — Homer; Robert Fagles; Bernard Knox, The Odyssey, 297; Reader trust in a fallible narrator is the story’s hardest task. — Janet Burroway; Elizabeth Stuckey-French; Ned Stuckey-French, Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition: A Guide…, 533; Expert witnesses can undermine their credibility through selective memory during trials. — Lynley Hood, A City Possessed, 1679 (+10 more)

Related

• Reader trust in a fallible narrator is the story’s hardest task. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Psychiatric investigation produces plausible stories, not verifiable truth #exemplifies (0.60) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 497
• Founding myths substitute fabricated narrative for genuine history to serve ruling classes #exemplifies (0.55)
• Sound descriptions are trustworthy only when the writer heard them directly #contradicts (0.50) — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 30
• The rise-of-the-middle-class narrative is a fabricated historical impression, not fact #exemplifies (0.50)
• Colonial officials ritualistically framed rumor-derived reports as verified facts #exemplifies (0.50)
• Expert witnesses can undermine their credibility through selective memory during trials. #qualifies (0.35) — Lynley Hood, A City Possessed, 1679
• Judges’ attitudes cannot be reliably inferred from opinion rhetoric #corroborates (0.30) — Richard A. Posner, What Has Pragmatism to Offer Law?, 120