I honestly don't think writers (particularly those writing
from character-specific points of view) do a lot of
instructing, intentionally or otherwise. More likely, readers
do a lot of interpreting. The reader may interpret a moral
message from a story, but it certainly doesn't mean that the
author intended it. That's even assuming that the author's in
agreement with his point-of-view character's worldview, which
is often not the case.
Al
----- Original Message -----
From: Kerry J. Schooley
To:
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 5:59 PM
Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: Name Your
Poison
At 05:16 PM 29/08/2006 +0100, you wrote:
>A 'lesson', you say, Kerry? I'm sure there are many
novelists who would be
>mortified to hear that they're giving lessons in
morality. I certainly am.
>I hate didacticism. Apart from which, I'm
unqualified as a moralist, being
>as how I'm a sick bastard. Doesn't stop me telling
stories, though.
>Probably helps a little.
Sorry Al, you can't get around it. Your work
reflects values from your
culture, either reinforcing them or challenging
them as a consequence. You
might not have intended to instruct me that nice
guys don't hit their
friends with a baseball bat, but you did. Mind
you, that pretty much
confirmed suspicions I already held, but then I
tend to empathize with
innocent victims even though I don't believe such
a creature exists in
"real" life.
Of course, I could be wrong about this. Maybe
being nice doesn't matter,
and folk can get ahead by threatening their
friends with a baseball bat and
that's all that counts, but I don't think your
"Kiss Her Goodbye" supported
that idea. Of course, I could be wrong about that
too.
I don't mean to suggest that writers intend to
instruct. Only that any
literature (and I use the word broadly- anything
that has been published in
one form or another) inherently reflects values
from its culture,
positively or negatively. If the baseball bat had
no purpose of effect in
Kiss Her Goodbye, you wouldn't have used it,
because then the book would
have been as entertaining as it was. Kevin might
have argued that it is
unreal to have people threaten their associates
without some weapon at
hand. Or otherwise.
A shameless attempt at self-promotion, even by a
sick bastard, affirms the
value of shameless self-promotion, by it's mere
existence. I could debate
that further, of course, but it would simply be
more of the same. You're
right about didacticism though. The tone's
off-putting (he said didactically.)
one sick bastard to another,
Kerry
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Kerry J. Schooley
>To: <mailto:rara-avis-l%40yahoogroups.com>
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
>Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 4:25 PM
>Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: Name Your
Poison
>
>At 07:52 PM 28/08/2006 -0400, you wrote:
>
> >And, of course, there's entertainment. It's
awfully puritanical to
> >claim literature must give a moral
lesson.
>
>I don't think the question is whether literature
should give a moral lesson
>so much as that it does and unavoidably
so.
>
>Literature is produced within a culture and one way
or another it addresses
>the values of that culture, often by assumption, as
it must to be taken as
>"real" or "meaningful" or even "entertaining" by its
consumers.
>
>Culture defines reality or truth for its members.
Morals are the guidelines
>for dealing with those realities. These truths and
morals vary from culture
>to culture, and in large, complex cultures, there is
room for variation
>within as well. Specific morals may prove to be
wrong and the culture carry
>on, but in the long run, any culture without
sufficient values and morals
>to support its survival will disappear, along with
its literature.
>Individuals that leave their culture, never to
return, are dead to that
>culture. If they do return and write about their
experiences, they've
>returned to the debate about cultural
values.
>
>Among the prime values of western civilization are
those that support
>communication. The culture of communications has
grown so large and complex
>it supports increasing numbers of competing truths,
values, morals. By
>understanding that its content is composed of these
"competing truths" or,
>if you prefer, lies, fiction becomes the only
truthful literary form.
>
>my two cents and welcome to it,
>Kerry
>
>------------------------------------------------------
>Literary events Calendar (South Ont.)
><http://www.lit-electric.com>http://www.lit-electric.com
>The evil men do lives after them
><http://www.murderoutthere.com>http://www.murderoutthere.com
>------------------------------------------------------
>
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>
>
------------------------------------------------------
Literary events Calendar (South Ont.)
http://www.lit-electric.com
The evil men do lives after them
http://www.murderoutthere.com
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