Turn it over

[aesmael]

(5:58:58 PM) CelestialJayde: Stories tend to illustrate the prevailing myths of the culture they were written in, I think.

There it is, slipped out unaware from my fingers and looking a lot like an answer I have long been seeking. Not original, no, but not noticed until now.

One area of interest for me is the stories of other worlds. When I think of a world, a setting science fictional or fantastical, I often wonder what stories the inhabitants of that world tell. To use a pervasive source as example, what do the writers of Middle Earth write? What genres, what styles and subjects are popular? If a storyteller there were to imagine a fantastical world, what sort of world would ey be likely to imagine?

Just an example. I prefer doing this with my own worlds to those of others. However whenever I try to consider what these stories might be I tend to stumble over the question 'why do people write?' I might pretend to know why I write but might not apply to many other people and almost certainly does not cover sufficiently close to all to justify rounding up. It is not actually a question I have devoted serious or systematic thought, or study, in attempting to answer - something of a disappointment now I realise this.

Some idea of motive can be taken from our little library literature class: to profit, to entertain, to work through personal demons, to inform, persuade or deceive. Those professional authors of fiction who seen speak of their motivation for writing describe it as satisfying a drive rather than a choice and it is common to say that those who do not feel compelled to write would be better off not seeking to do so professionally.

Those are mostly not useful for realising what stories are likely to be written, except that most of them are going to have some relation to contemporary fashion. And we already know that and we want to understand what this is likely to be. Now comes to save the day the idea quoted above which, maybe not saying so much different from that other approach but this time letting me see.

Illustrating the prevailing myths of the originating culture. Stories about who we are, stories about our dreams, our fears and our enemies and where we came from, where we might or should or should not go. "This is my world, this is what I see. Let me show you." I tend to berate humans (in abstract) for writing, focusing ever and always on themselves. Perhaps someone else might write differently; I wonder about how to do that. Still it helps me, personally, to realise that people would be writing about themselves.

I think this is still nothing new from where I started, but I have found an angle for looking at it which makes it useful for me. That - the how of this seemingly useful perspective shift - is another thing to be examined. But not now. I have taken already enough time away from this assignment.

Comments

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

It's funny how old myths can be recycled as contemporary ones as well. I recently watched the film O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU by the Coen Brothers. It's nominally set in the deep south of the USA, but is (openly) based on the Oddessy.

Good SF has a way of doing this too, or weaving in contemporary issues disguised as something else. Classic TV show Star Trek did this most of the time and even though it was heavy handed the content was there.

Is it all part of an ongoing discourse though? Is that we all add our voices to that discourse but others selectively extract what they like?

[chaoticset.livejournal.com]

"All writing is either biography or autobiography."

[floorcandy.livejournal.com]

I think you just blew my mind a little bit.

Though I know what you're talking about: what fantastical worlds could be conceived by someone in a culture that is fantastical to us? It's a real mind-bender, and one that I haven't often seen explored.

It's impossible to remove yourself completely, I'd think, there's always that element of common humanity.