Fractional Fiction
A literary production series that transforms public domain works through systematic synthesis with contemporary research.
The Concept
Fractional Fiction takes classic literature and reimagines it through the lens of modern knowledge. Each novel begins with a public domain source text—its themes, character dynamics, and dramatic architecture—and fuses these elements with contemporary research to create something entirely new.
The process is deliberate and systematic:
Source Analysis. We dissect the original work's narrative structure, thematic engine, and character constellation, identifying the dramatic intelligence that made it endure.
Research Integration. Contemporary scientific, historical, or philosophical knowledge provides new contexts, new possibilities, new ways of understanding the source material's central questions.
Structural Synthesis. The transformation follows established dramatic frameworks—Chekhov, Aristotle, the Story Circle—ensuring the new work honors both its literary heritage and the demands of contemporary storytelling.
The result is fiction that carries forward the weight of literary tradition while speaking to present concerns. Not adaptation. Not pastiche. Transformation with purpose.
The Series
The Method
Each Fractional Fiction novel documents its origins:
Source Material: The public domain work that provides thematic and structural foundation.
Research Domain: The contemporary knowledge integrated into the narrative.
Structural Framework: The dramatic architecture guiding the synthesis.
This transparency invites readers to explore the connections between source and transformation, to see how classic literature continues to speak through new forms.
About the Author
David Boles is a multidisciplinary creative professional based in New York City with over four decades of experience as an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher. He holds an MFA from Columbia University, where he trained at the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Graduate Theatre Studies. He founded David Boles Books Writing and Publishing in 1975.
Fractional Fiction represents his commitment to the proposition that literature builds upon literature—that every story carries forward the stories that came before, transformed by the knowledge and concerns of its own moment.
David is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Authors Guild, and PEN America.
See Also
The Wound Remains Faithful · Mother Narcissus · About David Boles