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.
Al
----- Original Message -----
From: Kerry J. Schooley
To:
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
The evil men do lives after them
http://www.murderoutthere.com
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