Spin Fiction

I am not entirely opposed to the idea of fiction as propaganda. Storytelling is one way that human beings relate to the world, and fiction can be a tremendously intimate form of art, one that lets us empathize with people we might not otherwise have the chance to know or understand. To create such empathy, though, fiction requires some sleight-of-hand, some diversionary tactics, because details speak loudly in the reader's mind and the author's manipulations in favor of some sort of agenda can become screamers...

I got this quote from excellent critic Matt Cheney as it particularly reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend.

Basically, this friend was exhorting me to read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead as he cited its absolute impact on his life. I replied that despite urgings by other friends and an interesting 50-pages, I was not so keen to do so. One reason I cited was the fact that I had too many books on my plate as it is (500 or so).

The other-- and more heavy-- reason was that I wasn't too open to the idea of reading what I thought was a philosophy disguised as a novel. Of course many people (including the friend) have denied this. However, I can't help it. So much has been said about Rand and her philosophy, Objectivism, that any judgement I make about her book would ultimately be clouded.

I do know-- and practice-- the dictum that whatever an author's belief and leanings, I shouldn't let it color my reading of a story-- even if the leanings are blatant on the written page. For example, China Miéville is a noted Socialist fantasy-writer and his creation, the city of New Crobuzon, is something out of the political left's wet dream/ nightmare (in a "I told you so!" way). But his imaginative drive is mind-boggling, creating whole tapestries of a fantastic and grotesque world which I wholely enjoy despite the political color.

On the other hand, SF writer Orson Scott Card is the complete opposite, an American Conservative writing thoughtful yet exciting science-fiction tales but whose beliefs aren't as evident in his writings (as I perceive it). However, he once centered in a controversy when he ranted against homosexuality (writing as a member of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints) and drew confused fire from the genre community itself.

I do admit that I should keep an open mind about this. After all, I did managed to slog through the opening fifteen-pages of Dan Brown's book (though I didn't finish it for its sucky prose) and checked out the first book of the Harry Potter saga (interesting but nothing new if you're informed about the fantasy genre).

And this cartoon put it quite aptly on the bullseye with regard to the inadvertant adulation we give to our favored authors. In reverse, this also applies to writers we don't like.

Ah well, someday...