[ SECRET POST #2197 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2197 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 048 secrets from Secret Submission Post #314.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I'm... sort of of two minds about this, I guess? I'm not sure how I feel.

On the one hand, I do think that, on some kind of fundamental level, there is something that "literature" or "art" does that is different from entertainment, and in some ways more worthwhile. But at the same time, there's nothing wrong with entertainment, and there's plenty wrong with literary fiction as it presently exists - a lot of it is boring, and more than that, a lot of it is closely tied with these myopic, incredibly limited standards for what constitutes literature, which have no inherent connection to the idea of literary fiction. A lot of stuff that's considered literary fiction is pretty crap, and a lot of fantasy and science fiction is much more entertaining; some of it is even valuable from a literary standpoint.

So, I don't think I disagree with you, but I also kind of want to defend literary fiction - I think the really important thing here is to throw out the crappy, nonsense ideas about what literature is. I think your point here isn't wrong, so much as it's giving credence to the same bad ideas fostered by the people who make the boring litfiction.

I hope that doesn't make me an elitist and I'm not just rambling like a crazy person.

"art attempts to hold up a candle to the darkness of our existence."

[silverr]

Years ago, when I was a college student, I read John Gardner's On Moral Fiction and the thing I remember from that book (remember because it impacted the way I thought about literature and creative writing) is the idea that (paraphrasing, since the book is in a box somewhere) that "art attempts to hold up a candle against the darkness of our existence."

Literary fiction can. Speculative fiction can. Humor (aka "entertainment") can. Different candles perhaps provide different light, but they still illuminate.

(I've read a metric crapton of books of all classifications over the years, and IMO just as there are genre authors with gorgeous prose and complex, nuanced characters there are "serious" authors who write "literary" works that aren't pretentious crap. Read whatever you want, make up your own mind, and tell the snobs to go fart in a paper bag.)

Re: "art attempts to hold up a candle to the darkness of our existence."

[(Anonymous)]

I rather tend to disagree, or at least I think that literary fiction, or more generally some thing which we tend to designate as 'art', throws light on the human condition in a fundamentally different way than other things.

I don't think that has anything to do with definitions of genre, though.

Re: "art attempts to hold up a candle to the darkness of our existence."

[silverr]

Maybe it's a matter of ... reach and grasp? Some works are content to spotlight a small truth well, while others try (but fail) to blaze up and fill the entire cavern.

(I dunno, I'm coming over all metaphorical today :p)

Re: "art attempts to hold up a candle to the darkness of our existence."

[(Anonymous)]

you: I think that literary fiction, or more generally some thing which we tend to designate as 'art', throws light on the human condition in a fundamentally different way than other things.

which is what she said, dumbass.

silverr: Different candles perhaps provide different light, but they still illuminate.