Whit Johnson
John Dillon
Irish Ghost Stories
February 18, 2013
Pacing at Wildgoose Lodge
Truth is stranger than fiction. Exaggerated truth is even stranger. William Carleton’s literary description of the murders at Wildgoose lodge serve to tell a factual story whilst embellishing the details in order to captivate his audience. Although Carleton’s account isn’t perfectly in line with Terence Dooley’s more historically accurate writing of the incident, the former still paints an adequate picture of what happened one night in eastern Ireland, and it is still regarded by many as the best source for what happened. But why? Why would factual truth be less favorable than an embellished one? David Shield’s Reality Hungers offers a glimpse at that answer by providing a different take on what is “real”. Through Shield’s work we can discover why an exaggerated account can be considered more realistic than a historically factual one.
Defining reality is at the core of arguing for the legitimacy of Carelton’s story as a description of what happened at Wildgoose Lodge. In my opinion, reality, defined, means plausible human actions and sentiments that are based on fact, which elicits an appropriate emotion from viewers. This view on reality is reflected in the artistically focused Reality Hunger, where author David Shields explores what can be considered real in contemporary literature. This take on reality can be better explained through a brief example conducted by surveying present surroundings. I’m at a desk in a room with three other students, each of whom is acting typically and obeying the physical laws that are inherent with being human; I’m bored. Though lackluster, this scenario is my reality. There isn’t a dinosaur next to me. None of the students (whom I’m all assuming are sane) are giggling maniacally at some tragedy. Everything that happened was plausible and