Why do we read what we read? Serious question for those of us emotionally
invested in our fictional escapes. So, what is the true reason? Do we seek an
escape that offers hope and inspiration? Do we choose a tome to fulfill
unquenched or longed-for desires? Or perhaps, there is a darker motive. Do we
yearn for a cathartic purging of our own blacker emotions via fantasy? Do we seek
a peek into a world of depravity and debauchery, just as we can’t turn away
from a horrific accident on the highway, gaping in wide-eyed wonder?
I’ve been doing a bit of soul-searching on the
topic recently, specifically because of a book series my lovely book club
members and I have been reading. I’ll leave the author’s name out of the
discussion; however, suffice it to say she repeatedly drags her hero and
heroine through monstrous torment, resulting in serious heartbreak for the
reader. (Um, me.) So much so, that while reading book three, I’m hunkered down
in my covers, trembling with dread at what disturbing and cruel torture I will
find on the next page. While the writing itself is vivid and beautiful and even
intensely romantic at times, the plot-line continually makes me want to stab my
kindle! (Sacrilege!)
Now, does that mean we readers want Little Red to
skip happily through the woods, picking wildflowers and having a perfectly
wonderful visit with Grandma? Hell no! We want Red to be seduced from her path
then chased by the Big Bad Wolf, find poor Grandma killed and her own life in
mortal danger before the bad-ass Huntsmen breaks into the cabin, dealing
violent and bloody revenge with a deadly ax on our sharp-toothed villain. Even
kids love this story for a reason. In other words, though I’m not speaking for
everyone, we readers want fiction to reflect life in a way that offers a
glimmer of light at the end of the dark, dark tunnel. We know reality sucks sometimes and life isn’t always fair. We get
that loud and clear from the moment we get up in the morning and turn on the
news. What we don’t want to discover is that there is no hope or redemption for
our fictional counterparts that we grow to love and care about.
Let us step away from the reader for a moment and
consider why the writer writes what he/she does. All of the questions in the
opening paragraph can be repeated for them as well. If you, dear author, are
only fixated on sadistic, torturous ends for your characters, then perhaps you
should seek therapy rather than pick up the pen. As a writer, I know that
writing is an artform as well as therapeutic, but even I know I’m not writing just
for myself. I do actually consider my audience's feelings. If your reader
dreads more than longs to pick up your book, there is a problem. As my friend
Jessen said of our current read, “The punishments and rewards ratio in this
series is seriously off balance.” Well said. The key word being balance. Even
Shakespeare, the Master of Tragedy, wrote more comedies (17) than tragedies
(10). He knew and understood that in a world filled with grief and hardship
that “all’s well that ends well.” So, go ahead, authors. Torture, maim, kill the hero or
the hero’s love if you will, but offer us some balm for the soul in the end and
a reason to keep turning the page.
*I’ve
attached the trailer for Silver Linings Playbook for a little comic relief on the subject. Bradley
Cooper expresses exactly how I’ve been feeling lately. (Thank you, Jessen, for
this clip and recommendation.)
