From: phillips@dr3j.ess.harris.com (Steve Phillips)
Subject: Re: Theme~moral
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 01:42:58 GMT
Reply-To: phillips@dr3j.ess.harris.com (Steve Phillips)
Organization: Harris GISD

In article <Uf4DgyC00UhB41xK9F@andrew.cmu.edu>, Anatole Wilson
<aw3a+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
|> Organization: Masters student, English, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh,
|> PA
|> Path:
|>
mlb.semi.harris.com!darwin.sura.net!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-s
state.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!andr
rew.cmu.edu!aw3a+
|> Newsgroups: misc.writing
|> Message-ID: <Uf4DgyC00UhB41xK9F@andrew.cmu.edu>
|> Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 10:39:42 -0500 
|> From: Anatole Wilson <aw3a+@andrew.cmu.edu>
|> Subject: Re: Theme~moral
|> Lines: 70
|> 
|> >I may be wrong about this, but I don't see
|> >a difference between morality and theme.  A story with a theme is
|> one that
|> >tries to leave an underlining message ~ subliminal message for the
|> reader
|> >to grasp and apply (e.g. love conquers all, etc.).  Morality in
|> fiction is
|> >not really any different. 
|> 
|> In my mind, a theme is merely an organizing principle. If you want
|> to
|> say that the organizing principle must be biased, and therefore
|> reflects
|> the morals of the writer (or at least the characters in the story),
|> than
|> you've probably got me there. 
|> 
|> >  Plain and simple when
|> >someone attempts to subvert a story with their own ideas of
|> morality, then
|> >they are playing god with the mind of the reader.  Because morality
|> in the
|> >story is so subtle, it is subliminal and therefore, dangerous.  A
|> means of
|> >invoking thoughts and prejudices, love and hate, right and wrong,
|> but who
|> >among any writer has that responsibility.
|> 
|> I might argue that this is a blessing and a curse, and that every
|> writer
|> *must* consider themselves to have that responsibility if they're
|> going
|> to write anything that's going to have meaning to others. It is the
|> power of writing to influence others that makes it so wonderful. 
|> Personally, I'd rather have a well-written piece of propaganda (and
|> make
|> up my own mind about the writer's--and my own--values) than a story
|> that
|> rambles with no coherent plot because the writer didn't want to
|> "play
|> God" and put his or her own life experiences into the writing. (Let
|> me
|> qualify this by saying I do see a value in "slice of life"
|> vignettes,
|> but I regard them as photographs, and don't enjoy a steady diet of
|> them.) 
|>     When I write a story, I think I have one underlying theme--How
|> has
|> the main character (or characters) changed by the end of the story?
|> The
|> evnets in the story may change the life and attitudes of the
|> character
|> dramatically, or no change at all may have occurred. I would argue
|> that
|> this is a theme without an underlying moral, though it certainly
|> leaves
|> room for morality within any individual storyline.
|>     By the way, I have more respect for my readers than to think that
|> my
|> writing will fill the void in their lives and make them mindless
|> me-clones.
|> 
|> >   A story is just that.  Nothing more than one persons idea of
|> reality or
|> >un-reality (i.e. lack of reality).  High school english or college
|> writing,
|> >it doesn't matter, but wherever theme is taught it is an abuse of
|> mankinds
|> >free choice.  The freedom to choose what is moral or not, the
|> freedom to
|> >decide for themselves what is morality and what is immoral.  To
|> write a
|> >moralistic theme into a story is equlivent to artistic incest. 
|> Think
|> >about it.
|> 
|> How can anyone choose what is moral or not (or make any other choice)
|> if
|> they're not informed about what the choices are? Writing--whether it
|> is
|> expository or fictional, is communication. I invest a bit of myself
|> into
|> every story, and try to be truthful about the characters. Sometimes
|> the
|> characters will reflect my perceptions of reality, sometimes the
|> characters will be far removed from my own point of view. That's my
|> freedom as a writer. It's the freedom of every reader to choose what
|> they want to read, and decide whether the author has insight or is
|> just
|> blowing steam.
|> 
|> By the way, what exactly is "artistic incest?" I don't understand
|> what's
|> sleeping with what.
|> 
|> Just my less-than-humble-because-after-all-I-DO-enjoy-playing-God
|> opinion,
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> Anatole Wilson                  "If anyone objects to anything I
|> say,
|> -----------------                I am prepared not only to retract
|> it,
|>                                  But to deny under oath that I ever
|> said it
|>                                  in the first place."     
|>                                                                
|> 
|> 


I prefer definite opinions to soft-pedaled ideas.
Without a definite opinion how can you ever change your mind?