Faction (literature)

In literature, a faction is a neologism used to describe a novel based on real historical figures and actual events, woven together with fictional writing. An example of faction is the book According to Queeney by Beryl Bainbridge. This book describes the last few years of Samuel Johnson's life as seen through the eyes of Queeney Thrale, eldest daughter of Henry Thrale and Hester Thrale. Here, the word "faction" is a portmanteau of "fact" and "fiction". Faction is often disliked as confusing to people who are trying to find facts.