Why can too many facts and notes make a biography difficult to read?

In the context of biography as a literary genre, the inclusion of excessive facts and notes can hinder the work's artistic success. While a biographer has a responsibility to truth and historical accuracy, the primary goal is to transform raw data into an illumination of a life actually being lived.1

If a biographer is content to merely recount facts without careful selection and design, the narrative fails as a work of art. The challenge lies in avoiding the confusion and clutter of daily existence; if the flow of the narrative is interrupted by an overabundance of detail, the biographer fails to highlight the major patterns of behavior, personality traits, and themes that give a life its shape and meaning. Ultimately, the biographer must balance the requirements of authenticity with an imaginative ordering of materials to create a coherent, lifelike portrait rather than a disorganized collection of information.1