Truth is realer than fiction

Teachers of literature are fond of saying that books can teach us about human nature. Wrong. They teach us about the writer's culture. Only true stories can teach us about real human nature. That is why "truth is stranger than fiction." We have a cultural ideal of people in our culture that conflicts with reality.
The best example of this I have found is the fiction of the 1940's. Women are weak, unassertive, and easily seduced. Was that true? Ask your mother if she is still around. Men had the power on the outside world, but women often had a nearly equal vote. Men were the editors, so the image was preserved.