Insightful piece, as always! I especially resonate with the moral improvement via bypassing rational reasoning. Encountering the perseverance, steadfastness, and longsuffering of characters in many classic novels helps me to put daily trials into perspective. At the end of a long day I long to dive into these other, slower worlds and bathe my brain in long-winded conversations and a different pace of time, which in turn helps to reshape my pace.
Greetings from Boston. I just did a short video on Franklin and theological debates. And I do think it relates to something from your very fine post.
In my theological tribe of Protestant Evangelicals many read to extract a moral point or make a practical application. Nothing wrong with those things as many of them are commendable things to think and do.
The downside is that the Bible gets read in a wooden and overly simplistic way that dulls us to the complexities of living east of Eden.
Literature sensitizes us to the complexity and mystery of life. It then helps us to see that our Bibles, though having many accessible and practical things, is full of mystery and complexity as well!
I'm a little uncomfortable with judging works of literature by their moral or motivational efficacy.
Although the Werther effect may be a bit extreme, I have from time to time put a book back on the shelf because it was having a less than salubrious psychological effect. "Love in the Ruins" by Walker Percy most recently.
This whole piece is great, Joel, and I was particularly challenged by your section on how fiction might have negative consequences. Despite building a life and career around the notion that literature can be a powerful force in constructing a life, I've always been rather dismissive of the idea that it might also be corrupting. Perhaps that's a knee-jerk reaction against something that sounds too close to the kind of fundamentalist moralising against art that I grew up with. In any case, I feel provoked by your essay to question my beliefs on this idea. What more could you want from a good essay!
Complex and, on first read, very well thought through and insightful. I’m going to ponder humility, sleep on it and read it again tomorrow (if spared). Thanks Joel.
I loved the essay, Joel, and agree with most of it. I think narrative is a valuable resource to help us understand ourselves and others. If we are open, it can teach emotional intelligence.
Insightful piece, as always! I especially resonate with the moral improvement via bypassing rational reasoning. Encountering the perseverance, steadfastness, and longsuffering of characters in many classic novels helps me to put daily trials into perspective. At the end of a long day I long to dive into these other, slower worlds and bathe my brain in long-winded conversations and a different pace of time, which in turn helps to reshape my pace.
Greetings from Boston. I just did a short video on Franklin and theological debates. And I do think it relates to something from your very fine post.
In my theological tribe of Protestant Evangelicals many read to extract a moral point or make a practical application. Nothing wrong with those things as many of them are commendable things to think and do.
The downside is that the Bible gets read in a wooden and overly simplistic way that dulls us to the complexities of living east of Eden.
Literature sensitizes us to the complexity and mystery of life. It then helps us to see that our Bibles, though having many accessible and practical things, is full of mystery and complexity as well!
This is an excellent post, informative and thought-provoking. Well done! 👏👏
I'm a little uncomfortable with judging works of literature by their moral or motivational efficacy.
Although the Werther effect may be a bit extreme, I have from time to time put a book back on the shelf because it was having a less than salubrious psychological effect. "Love in the Ruins" by Walker Percy most recently.
In general, I’m with you. But it seems like an unavoidable aspect of the interplay of book and reader—at least to one degree or another.
As a side note, I loved “Love in the Ruins,” though it’s been at least fifteen years since I read it last.
This whole piece is great, Joel, and I was particularly challenged by your section on how fiction might have negative consequences. Despite building a life and career around the notion that literature can be a powerful force in constructing a life, I've always been rather dismissive of the idea that it might also be corrupting. Perhaps that's a knee-jerk reaction against something that sounds too close to the kind of fundamentalist moralising against art that I grew up with. In any case, I feel provoked by your essay to question my beliefs on this idea. What more could you want from a good essay!
Complex and, on first read, very well thought through and insightful. I’m going to ponder humility, sleep on it and read it again tomorrow (if spared). Thanks Joel.
I loved the essay, Joel, and agree with most of it. I think narrative is a valuable resource to help us understand ourselves and others. If we are open, it can teach emotional intelligence.
This is so good!