Elizabeth Knudsen

So, why the decline of fiction?

The decline of fiction seems to be a very antagonistic topic; full of ranting and putting modern literature down. And it is, to some extent. But as with all things in life, there is indeed at least one reason behind it. In fact, there are three.

The first reason is perhaps the most obvious: fiction seems to be showing a gradual descent into sauciness and paranormal romantic nonsense. All too often it seems authors do not possess the originality to find a different plot line from others before them, or even perhaps the intellect to portray a classic plot in a new and interesting way. It has become rare for a remake of an old classic fairytale like Snow White to be released without some sarcastic twist; some deforming change that turns something beautiful into something more “fit for the times.” It is too rare for someone to walk into a movie (like the 2015 Cinderella by Sir Kenneth Branagh) and be blown away by its audacious purity. All too often, people walk into a remake of an old classic bracing themselves, like a high school geek walking into the locker room, expecting some sort of prank to be played on him. The world is moving away from the world of fairy tales and happy endings, toward more dark and twisted themes.

The second reason is it is a good thing to be able to pick apart a movie and criticize it constructively. Unless someone can defend why she likes a book or movie, one can argue she has not enjoyed that book or movie, because she can find no support as to why anyone should enjoy that book or movie. Also, the world is full of unspoken values just below the surface — if no one pays attention to these values, then they are watching or reading something for mindless entertainment, which is pointless. Everything is trying to present a worldview. Unless people are looking, they might miss it.

The third reason is a lot of people seem to be looking for mindless entertainment, especially in the high school generation. Teenagers “escape from reality” by plugging into their devices with a movie or a book or a video game. They shut off their brains in their free time, thinking a brain’s use is only in school. What this rising generation is missing is what the poet Mary Carr calls an “inner life.” They give no effort to developing an imagination or a world of dreams they can later pursue (beyond perhaps the dream of meeting a member of their favorite boyband to whom they run off and get married). They’re so caught up in the latest piece of pop culture trivia they lose sight of both the reality of where they are and where they’re headed. And modern teen literature does nothing to try to help dispel this illusion. Instead, more often books weave impossible tales of teenage beauty, sex, and heartbreak.

So, why decline of fiction? In a way, this topic has not been decline of fiction, so much as decline of culture. Let people hope beyond hope some literature will still pursue that audacity of purity and promote the building of an inner life.

Bibliography

Reynolds, Rebecca. “The Audacity of Cinderella.” The Rabbit Room . N.p., 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.rabbitroom.com/2015/04/the-audacity-of-cinderella/&gt;.