Didactic fiction is fiction with a message. It is fiction that tries to do more than entertain the reader. It is meant to share a message. The primary objective is to teach something and storytelling is the method chosen to convey that message.
Didactic fiction I have read (so far)
- Jack's Notebook: A Business Novel about Creative Problem Solving, by Gregg Fraley
- Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield
- The Goal, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox
- The Deadline: A Novel about Project Management, by Tom DeMarco
- Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, by Spencer Johnson
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni
Thanks for mentioning my book Barbara. I've never heard the term Didactic Fiction, but it works. It's true most of the stories you mention have a teaching point. I'd add that many classic works of fiction also have a teaching point, albeit a more conceptual/moral one.
Have a great 2009!
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