Lessons are often a part of the discussion about children's and YA
literature. What lessons are we teaching? Which characters are role
models? What's the moral of the story?
Not everyone agrees that this literature must be lesson-driven. Sarah Ockler writes: "... the purpose of young adult fiction is singular:
to tell a story. Period. Learning lessons and adjusting moral compasses
might be an outcome of the reading, but that’s entirely up to the
reader." Also, "We create to share stories and make real human
connections to universal truths and experiences, not to teach
finger-wagging lessons."
I've been getting more and more
uncomfortable with the "role-model" school of thought. My characters are
not paragons of virtue; nor are they villains who are duly punished.
They are not always likable or admirable. They make mistakes, they
suffer, they learn things. Not every character receives a reward or
punishment for every action. The "good" guys have flaws and the "bad"
guys have saving graces. In these respects, I try to create fictional
worlds that resemble the real one.
So what am I doing, if not
trying to teach lessons? I think I am just trying to express something
that rings true to me, that I hope will ring true for many readers. I'm
highlighting some part of human experience, trying to bring it into
sharper focus, to show it from certain angles. To encourage people to think about
it. I've long said that I'm more of a descriptive writer ("this is the
way things often are") than a prescriptive writer ("this is the way
things should be").
This is a crazy world we live in. I'm just trying to make some sense of it, in my own small way.
Bravo! I think YA and MG writers' work is most prone to this kind of examination because I think people conceive the audience as still needing "teaching."
ReplyDelete"I'm highlighting some part of human experience, trying to bring it into sharper focus, to show it from certain angles. To encourage people to think about it." - This. I love this!
:-) Glad I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteI prefer reading descriptive writing. Nothing against prescriptive writing (I read that too), but sometimes when I'm reading a book that's obviously prescriptive writing, I feel that the author is trying hard to appease their readers, they're careful not to offend, and they're not telling an honest story. I prefer an honest story.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of content online about all the ways authors can get it wrong with the way they portray and represent their characters. I don't agree with everything that's out there.
It's true--there are so many different voices and experiences that what one reader finds to be inauthentic, another will embrace, and so on.
Delete