NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #26/NN_1992_26.iso/spool/misc/writing/3474

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-10 | 3.7 KB

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From: [e-mail] (John J Humpal)
Newsgroups: misc.writing
Subject: Re: Theme ~ Moral
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 10 Nov 92 15:09:21 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Organization: HAC - Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
Lines: 57

In article <[e-mail]> Jon L. Campbell <[e-mail]> writes:
>
>   Several people responded to my posting and challenged what my choatic
>theory or morality and theme.  I may be wrong about this, but I don't see
>a difference between morality and theme.  A story with a theme is one that
>tries to leave an underlining message ~ subliminal message for the reader
>to grasp and apply (e.g. love conquers all, etc.). [...]

    Whew.  Where to begin?  I think you still haven't grasped the
meaning of theme.  Themes are frameworks, foundations, (call 'em what
you will) around which a story is built.  Themes provide the writer with
guideposts as to a character's behavior or an event's meaning.  Themes
do not necessarily act as lessons; they don't necessarily prescribe or
proscribe thoughts or behavior.  Take, for example, Toni Morrison's
_The Bluest Eye_.  What is the theme of this story?  I think it is the
struggle for selfhood by a young, black girl in a white society.  Is
there a moral in that theme?  No.  There might be a moral in the text of
the novel, but the theme itself is neutral.  Morrison develops the theme
by showing us that the white standard of beauty can destroy a person
without the inner resources needed to assert herself in an oppressive
world.  Another writer might have developed the theme differently by
depicting, say, a black girl learning to assimilate the white standard.
Another might show us a protagonist who actively rebels against the
society.  The same theme can be developed in many different ways, and
many different "morals" can be incorporated into these different stories.

>[...]  If this is true then what is
>the difference between theme and morality, nothing.  Plain and simple when
>someone attempts to subvert a story with their own ideas of morality, then
>they are playing god with the mind of the reader.  Because morality in the
>story is so subtle, it is subliminal and therefore, dangerous.  A means of
>invoking thoughts and prejudices, love and hate, right and wrong, but who
>among any writer has that responsibility.

    All writers have that responsibility.  But you neglect the
reader's responsibility.  What you are worried about is propaganda, I
think, such as the novels of Ayn Rand or even Tom Clancy.  Perhaps you'd
benefit from reading some post-modern lit crit -- but not too much or
your mind will turn to tapioca :-).

>   A story is just that.  Nothing more than one persons idea of reality or
>un-reality (i.e. lack of reality).  High school english or college writing,
>it doesn't matter, but wherever theme is taught it is an abuse of mankinds
>free choice.  The freedom to choose what is moral or not, the freedom to
>decide for themselves what is morality and what is immoral.  To write a
>moralistic theme into a story is equlivent to artistic incest.  Think
>about it.
>
    So how do you propose writers get around this solipsism?  There
are plenty of PoMo writers mouldering away in university creative writing
programs who will be happy to have you read their allegedly theme-less
masterpieces.  Actually, they won't care whether you or anyone else ever
reads them.  The text is all.
--
-John

John J. Humpal -- [e-mail] -- short .sig, std. disclaimer