tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post2297849970572675433..comments2024-03-28T12:46:20.637-04:00Comments on alien romances: Why "They" Disapprove of Romance: Another AngleRowena Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11839386556697211986noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-84298231896300361142010-08-22T19:33:56.138-04:002010-08-22T19:33:56.138-04:00"The assumption behind your question is that ..."The assumption behind your question is that the world of reality IS full of cynicism and violence.<br /><br />If you work from that assumption, then you can never "sell" the HEA to the general reader.<br /><br />The assumption sets you up to fail."<br /><br />That is not *my* assumption. I'm saying that's what the critics of "sentimental" fiction assume. I agree with you:<br /><br />"The brutal, disturbing, and inescapable truth is that beauty, peace, and LOVE are the essence of what all reality actually is."<br /><br />In the Judeo-Christian world-view, love MUST be the ultimate essence of reality.<br /><br />In this fallen world, however, cynicism and violence are inescapably part of reality. But they are no MORE "real" -- and ultimately less real -- than love is. C. S. Lewis devotes one of the later chapters of THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS to this issue. The Adversary would like us all to think of ugly, cruel facts as "realistic" and the more uplifting parts of life as "purely subjective."Margaret Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08293021955480708191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-46474122829647486082010-08-22T17:26:18.381-04:002010-08-22T17:26:18.381-04:00oops - accidentally posted that comment twiceoops - accidentally posted that comment twiceJacqueline Lichtenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01613040740264804278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-90723090306830051702010-08-22T17:25:36.878-04:002010-08-22T17:25:36.878-04:00Margaret wrote:
What's wrong with "escap...Margaret wrote: <br />What's wrong with "escaping" from the cynicism and violence that pervade too much of our world ("facing reality," the critics might call that realm of experience) into a world where loving relationships (which are also part of "reality") have the highest priority?<br /><br />---<br />Thank you for this excellent foray into the land of question-asking! <br /><br />You're right, the question has to be about "who" doesn't want readers to "escape." <br /><br />But your final question leads, I think, in a direction where there are no answers to be found.<br /><br />The assumption behind your question is that the world of reality IS full of cynicism and violence. <br /><br />If you work from that assumption, then you can never "sell" the HEA to the general reader.<br /><br />The assumption sets you up to fail.<br /><br />My series on FAILURE OF IMAGINATION and previous entries on the HEA problem tackles this pervasive assumption - that "reality" actually is ugly, violent, and hopeless. <br /><br />http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2010/07/failure-of-imagination-part-ii-society.html <br /><br />And there are a few more parts to that discussion yet to come after my series on Editing. <br /><br />The thing is that SF, Fantasy, Romance and any mixture of the three are NOT "escapist" at all. <br /><br />They do not work as fiction or as art unless they reveal a truth our normal consciousness rejects. That's what Art does - reveal truth that isn't apparent but is very real. <br /><br />The brutal, disturbing, and inescapable truth is that beauty, peace, and LOVE are the essence of what all reality actually is. <br /><br />That is the unthinkable postulate "they" can't allow anyone to consider. "They" experience true panic at that idea. Why that is, we can only approach through conjecture.<br /><br />So what kind of a "jail" are "they" trying to keep you in? You don't need to know why in order to walk through their illusionary walls.<br /><br />Jacqueline Lichtenberg<br />http://jacquelinelichtenberg.comJacqueline Lichtenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01613040740264804278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-86590837957409030322010-08-22T17:24:10.291-04:002010-08-22T17:24:10.291-04:00Margaret wrote:
What's wrong with "escap...Margaret wrote: <br />What's wrong with "escaping" from the cynicism and violence that pervade too much of our world ("facing reality," the critics might call that realm of experience) into a world where loving relationships (which are also part of "reality") have the highest priority?<br /><br />---<br />Thank you for this excellent foray into the land of question-asking! <br /><br />You're right, the question has to be about "who" doesn't want readers to "escape." <br /><br />But your final question leads, I think, in a direction where there are no answers to be found.<br /><br />The assumption behind your question is that the world of reality IS full of cynicism and violence. <br /><br />If you work from that assumption, then you can never "sell" the HEA to the general reader.<br /><br />The assumption sets you up to fail.<br /><br />My series on FAILURE OF IMAGINATION and previous entries on the HEA problem tackles this pervasive assumption - that "reality" actually is ugly, violent, and hopeless. <br /><br />http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2010/07/failure-of-imagination-part-ii-society.html <br /><br />And there are a few more parts to that discussion yet to come after my series on Editing. <br /><br />The thing is that SF, Fantasy, Romance and any mixture of the three are NOT "escapist" at all. <br /><br />They do not work as fiction or as art unless they reveal a truth our normal consciousness rejects. That's what Art does - reveal truth that isn't apparent but is very real. <br /><br />The brutal, disturbing, and inescapable truth is that beauty, peace, and LOVE are the essence of what all reality actually is. <br /><br />That is the unthinkable postulate "they" can't allow anyone to consider. "They" experience true panic at that idea. Why that is, we can only approach through conjecture.<br /><br />So what kind of a "jail" are "they" trying to keep you in? You don't need to know why in order to walk through their illusionary walls.<br /><br />Jacqueline Lichtenberg<br />http://jacquelinelichtenberg.comJacqueline Lichtenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01613040740264804278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-12687463106763257622010-08-22T10:11:33.045-04:002010-08-22T10:11:33.045-04:00I think perhaps that the critic is only looking fo...I think perhaps that the critic is only looking for what he/she considers "art". Problem is all art is subjective and depends so much on the eye of the beholder. I think this is the same problem with the collage creative writing courses, because they set out to teach one to write "literature."<br /><br />I don't think any story starts out as literature; it only grows that way because it has touched so many people. I have an idea that Charles Dickens didn't set out to write literature, only to tell a good story.<br /><br />As far as being escapist, well don’t all great stories allow us to escape to another place, isn't that why it continues to be great? Even Emily Dickinson said, "There is no Frigate like a Book to take us Lands away,"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-14581579674113466702010-08-21T20:18:47.351-04:002010-08-21T20:18:47.351-04:00Thanks for posting this.Thanks for posting this.Melisse Aireshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01478569639424075550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-43279979102679689872010-08-19T11:58:54.261-04:002010-08-19T11:58:54.261-04:00In his argument about why escape can be a good thi...<i>In his argument about why escape can be a good thing, he inquires what sorts of people are most obsessed with keeping others from escaping. Answer: Jailers!</i> <br /><br />Interesting. So, what we should be asking is why does everyone spend so much time attempting to analyze the popular fiction readers instead of the ones putting them down, shouldn't we? :-DBevBBhttp://http//bevsbooks.comnoreply@blogger.com