Deciding on one’s own personal ethics of literature inevitably concerns anyone interested in reading the greatest works in any language. This is because literature deals with the grit of life. And the grit of life can be messy, and sometimes downright uncouth. There are some that would offhandedly dismiss any literature that contains profanity, vulgarity, immorality, violence, or themes that oppose a deep set belief or system of beliefs. Yet, if we were to sterilize all literature from any of these “questionable” things we would sterilize the life changing parts of the literature right out. The issues involved are much more complex then we might like, and are thus much more difficult to treat than one short article or blogpost can sufficiently accomplish. My purpose in writing this post is simply to inspire others to start asking some hard questions about literature itself.
I used to think that it would be easy to decide what literature (and for that matter movies, music, television programs, etc.) had moral value. After a lot more reading and thinking I have begun to realize that the issue is not as clear as I had once thought. In order to see through the confusion one must first decide what they believe to be the purpose of literature.
I have a student who thinks that literature is simply a form of escapism. She claims that it is a healthy form of retreat from the pressures of our daily life. I agree that literature can function as an escape from reality. And although I believe we should “sharpen the saw,” I also believe that we should face the realities of life in a healthy, confident way. If life is so difficult that we are constantly seeking escape then something needs to change. Or if we are simply becoming addicted to escapism through literature (I recognize I am using the word literature quite loosely in this post), we are living an unhealthy lifestyle. If we prefer the reality of literature to the reality of our day to day routine simply because it’s not our day to day routine perhaps there are significant changes that need to be made in life.
Literature provides vicarious experience for the reader. This is a topic that I would like to discuss more in another post; but suffice it to say, I believe that this is one of the major purposes of literature, and one of the reasons that literature is so profoundly important for our human experience. I also believe that because of literature’s vicarious nature we should have a strong interest in selecting morally valuable literature. This is a result of the fact that if literature provides vicarious experience it could have grave moral implications for our lives.
There are different ideas about how literature affects us. John Milton said, in his famous treatise on the ethics of literature, Aeropagitica, “Knowledge cannot defile, nor consequently the books, if the will and conscience be not defiled.” In other words, nothing we read will “defile” us unless we are already defiled. Is this true? Some people believe that they can, in good conscience, read anything if their intent is right and their heart is pure. This comes from the idea that we are purely self-willed beings. This idea would not be compatible with a determinist or behaviorist conception. On the other hand, some believe that books, knowledge, etc. can defile the viewer. This may appeal more to the determinist or behaviorist conception. Between these two ideas on literature lies a continuum of possible ideas and beliefs about the moral value of literature.
Finally, I want to reiterate the fact that literature is extremely complex. Take for example a comparison of Beloved by Tony Morrison and The Bible. Both contain depictions of violence, murder, incest, adultery, infidelity in general, slavery, mysticism (even if you accept The Bible), and the list goes on and on. Some simultaneously believe that The Bible is morally valuable but that without question Beloved has no moral value. You may believe this is the case, but you must ask yourself what does The Bible have that Beloved is apparently missing. Or visa versa. There are no simple answers when it comes to literature (or any other medium).
Although this post was extremely short, and may feel rushed, I hope it helps you see the importance of the issue. I am extremely interested in getting your feedback. Here are a few questions for thought.
1) What is the purpose of literature?
2) Does the intent of the reader affect the moral value of literature?
3) Does the intent of the author affect the moral value of literature?
4) What do I believe makes literature morally valuable?
I'll bite:
ReplyDelete1) Depends. Some literature is trying to point out a lesson about the human condition by telling a story. Some current literature(loose term) seems to have no purpose beyond entertainment. Is one more valuable?
2) I really think so, based on my own experiences reading- I have, on more than one occasion, taken a point an author was attempting to make and unconsciously twisted it 180 degrees because that was what meshed with my own morality.
3) Yes. Silly example, but the first thing that springs to mind is "Horton Hears A Who." Try reading that without really getting enmeshed in the morality tale.
4) Toughest question here. I think, taking the long view, literature is morally valuable because it gives us something to build upon. What is our purpose/meaning of life kind of stuff. Every generation has a block of literature that points to what they thought the answers were. Or, maybe more importantly, what they thought the questions were.
1) I think all literature has a purpose. Even "escapist" literature has a purpose deeper than entertainment. Often, literature can be introspective for the writer, so I think the only way literature doesn't explore some kind of emotion or moral value is when the author is writing something that doesn't come from within themselves- that is the only way I think that "literature" can be useless.
ReplyDelete2)Intent is definitely an issue. For example, as a young teenager, I read a fantasy novel series in middle school not because I especially liked it, but because it contained more sexual issues than I had at that point experienced. I couldn't even tell you what the series was, or if it was any good, because my intent was impure. I think that this is the reason why good literature, like The Grapes of Wrath and To Kill a Mockingbird, can be so loathed because the intent of the reader taints the writing.
3) On the flipside, the intent of the writer is also important, but only because, as I hinted at above, the intent of the author can determine whether the piece has intrinsic value or not.
4) I think valuable literature explores the areas of life that are gritty and that we generally shy away from in our everyday life. If I am not being pushed out of my comfort-zone, forced to question my assumptions, or being exposed to issues that I wouldn't otherwise experience in my life (bigotry, racism, etc.), then I don't consider it to have any value. However, I think the reader brings a lot to the piece, so even things that seem trivial to one can be intensely meaningful to another because it provides that means of introspection that I believe is the catalyst for a value determination.