History as Fiction: Pulling Together Coincidences in Libra

 History as Fiction: Pulling Together Coincidences in Libra

Libra is a great example of the ‘history as fiction’ genre because of the actual conspiracy involved in the events the book is based on. Throughout this semester we have read books from completely different eras on completely different events, each of which show what is possible when fictional plot is added to important historical events. The ambiguity of the events of the Kennedy assasination and the mystery around the people involved in it allows DeLillo to create plot within the coincidental and mysterious parts of the story. Additionally, the political importance of assasination, Libra has solid information to take from through records kept by both Soviet and American Intelligence Organizations about small details of both Lee’s life in general and the related events leading up to the Kennedy assasination.

The primary plot of the story is completely fictional, yet DeLillo perfectly ties it into the characters he has created from real people and coincidental events relating to the assasination. From what is known (which isn’t much because Lee was killed shortly after shooting Kennedy in real life), there was no involvement of disgruntled CIA agents in the planning of the assasination of Kennedy. However this book makes it seem like this is the obvious group behind the assasination (DeLillo 28). As someone who didn’t have a lot of prior knowledge about the Kennedy assasination, it was really hard to believe that the plot of this book is made up because it has such a solid foundation of real information. Libra really shows how impactful historical fiction books are in terms of reframing how easily we accept certain events. Honestly, some parts of this book even made me question the events of the real assasination, which shows how solid and convincing the plot is. Additionally, there are such intricate details of Lee’s personal life that make the book really come together. DeLillo talks about Lee’s abuse of Marina in detail and with reasoning, and recounts specific conversations between Lee and his mother from his childhood in ways that make the book seem to have a biographical aspect(DeLillo 238-239, 5). It feels like we are a fly on the wall during Lee’s life, making the story feel even more real.

Overall I think the elements of this book that make it such a perfect example of the ‘history as fiction’ genre rely on how plausible the plot is. By completely changing the storyline behind a major American assasination, DeLillo had to take care when doing his background research and creating the plot, and in doing so made characters that readers feel personally connected to. Even the little contradictions in this story seem very realistic, like they were just a product of a real, flawed story rather than a conspiracy theory. The flawless weaving of coincidences into the gaps of real events make Libra the perfect culmination to ‘history as fiction’.


Work Cited

DeLillo, Don. Libra. Viking Press, 1988.

Comments

  1. Renee WangDecember 12, 2025 at 8:09 PM

    Hi Praachi!! I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I agree with your sentiment that DeLillo definitely needed to string together a lot of coincidences in order to make his book work. I have to admit, he did it so well that I started to believe in the conspiracy he was selling. I think that a lot of the events that did happen were quite odd (like the weird photos of Oswald) that could implicate some 3rd party involvement, but having it be a whole CIA/mobster/patsy cohort of actors is something that is far fetched (but DeLillo sells it so well)!

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  2. DizaDecember 13, 2025 at 8:30 PM

    Praachi! I also think the use of real facts to piece together a new, made-up story is really impactful. While I wish that Delillo chose a better historical event to speculate on, the way that he incorporates such a variety of details is extremely impressive. Though, I think the fact that he sells the conspiracy plot so well is pretty scary, considering all of the skepticism and fear of authority the story relies on to sound true. But if it weren't about some crazy conspiracy, I wonder if people would even want to read it!

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  3. RuijingDecember 17, 2025 at 6:13 PM

    Hi Praachi, I agree with you on how this book is peak history-as-fiction. I especially agree with you on how the interactions between Oswald's family members made this novel feel more like reality. I think these small life details can really evoke emotional resonance from the readers, establishing Oswald as a tangible, vivid character instead of just some cold historic figure. Great post :D

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  4. MitchellDecember 19, 2025 at 12:51 PM

    It's funny how the phrase "fictional plot" can have a range of referents in this novel: you could be referring to DeLillo constructing fictional characters and events to "fill in" the narrative elements between "data points"; or you could be referring more specifically to the fictional depiction of *plotters* who are conspiring to kill the president. This is only one of many ways in which this novel is really the quintessence of "history as fiction" as a concept--I love the way DeLillo refers to Everett and the conspirators as "inserting their fiction into the world," with the added irony that Lee is treating his own life like a "fiction" he can insert into the world (e.g. his "Fair Play for Cuba Committee" is not actually a *committee* but just one person!). The act of conspiring or plotting itself is framed as a way to exert control over the "plot" of real life--to shape events as they happen, while making them appear spontaneous. So many levels with this novel!

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  5. violetDecember 21, 2025 at 11:17 AM

    Hi Praachi! I totally agree that Libra is a really cool example of how an author can blur the lines between history and fiction. The Kennedy assassination is undoubtedly great material to work on for this "historical fanfiction," - enough content to work off of, but no clearly defined explanation leaves room for creativity. It's fun to see how the story comes together, and how it's entirely plausible. Great blog post!

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  6. Ruby MitchellDecember 24, 2025 at 2:35 PM

    Hi Praachi! This was one of the aspects of Libra that I found most interesting. I think the fact that there was so much information out there about the Kennedy assassination makes this book all the more interesting. I kept forgetting certain details of the novel were actual documented history, and when I remembered or realized that those things were true it just made the novel more interesting. Great blog!

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  7. SandyDecember 27, 2025 at 7:56 PM

    Hi Praachi! I always found the most intriguing parts of discussions to be when we pulled it back to the postmodern/history as fiction concept, and I think your blog did a pretty good job at framing it! It was pretty unpredictable whether some crazy detail was something made up or just weird evidence documented somewhere. It's honestly quite impressive how well DeLillo sells his work; he really weaves fiction into the novel pretty undetectably. Great blog!!

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