‘In truth, in very truth I tell you’: the art of seeking and presenting non-fiction creatively through a hermeneutic method

This article discusses the difficultly in distinguishing between non-fiction and fiction, given that both are linguistic fabrications and both can be bearers of ‘truth’. It explores the terms ‘fiction’, ‘non-fiction’ and ‘truth’, problematising the relationship between them. It goes on to summarise the history of hermeneutics as an approach to exploring texts as carriers of ‘truths’ and how hermeneutics developed to become a recognised research method, focusing on Hans Georg Gadamer’s work as presented in Truth and Method, including the theories of the fusion of horizons and the hermeneutic circle; hence, the article argues that hermeneutics is relevant to subject English. It then explains how the author has used hermeneutics in her research, offering an example of non-fiction data presented as fiction. It concludes by promoting a creative hermeneutic approach wherein non-fiction is fictionalised, offering ‘truths’ in the English classroom and in research in the language arts and social sciences.