A hoax is a deceptive story, meant to make the readers or audience believe that it is true. Hoaxes are often viewed negatively as being ruthless, not caring about the impact that it may have on the public and are often associated with dark humor. Hoaxes are used to gain attention, as a fabricated story which is believed to be factual often attracts more people. For example, the recent ‘Balloon Boy Hoax’ which took place in 2009, is speculated to have been performed as a publicity stint. So if hoaxes could potentially make you famous, why isn’t everyone doing it? The answer to that would be that there are consequences for deceiving the public, such as Richard Heene, father of balloon boy, who received 90 days in jail! However, hoaxes are not just used my people wanting fifteen minutes of fame, they are also popularly used by the government.
So it may be clear to see now that the difference between literature and a hoax, is that a hoax is an outright lie, meant to mislead and delude people, however literature is merely there for one’s entertainment. Literature may be fiction, but the readers are fully aware of it. Even though it may speak of an event involving fictional creatures, it is not aiming to make people believe the myths. Literature can be seen as a creative outlet, allowing the writer and the reader to delve in a world that they know to be false, in order to escape the real world.