Jackarandajam
Inkling
“I wish that future novelists would reject the pressure to write for the betterment of society. Art is not media. A novel is not an ‘afternoon special’ or fodder for the Twittersphere or material for journalists to make neat generalizations about culture. A novel is not Buzzfeed or NPR or Instagram or even Hollywood. Let’s get clear about that. A novel is a literary work of art meant to expand consciousness. We need novels that live in an amoral universe, past the political agenda described on social media. We have imaginations for a reason. Novels like American Psycho and Lolita did not poison culture. Murderous corporations and exploitative industries did. We need characters in novels to be free to range into the dark and wrong. How else will we understand ourselves?”
Imperfectly worded, but a sentiment that resonates.
Let us not forget that the internet is an unprecedented phenomenon.
What we seem to have (and what I think many writers have trouble navigating), is a very loud, very united voice on what is and what is not acceptable in a book, with what seems to be very little regard for how or why the disagreeable content is used in the story. Publishing houses also seem to be catering to this loud voice.
I purposefully use vagaries; it could be certainly argued that this pseudo, pre-censorship problem isn't as real as it seems, that it has historical precedents (albeit none of them good), or that there is another more reasonable way to view it.
Regardless, the hyper-analytical deconstruction of past classics is a great example of my point:
Someone mentioned Uncle Tom's Cabin - but, uhh, the main character gets criticized by many readers for being too submissive, for being portrayed as the ideal timid slave instead of a dynamic real person, and for popularizing some stereotypes. But that's kind of missing the point and diminishing its massive real world impact. Could it have made such an impact if it portrayed its character any other way? I'm (unfortunately) doubtful.
I agree that there are many ways to be published, but the danger of social outrage over unexorcised minutiae that may contradict the constantly evolving (faster than ever in history because of the internet) definition of appropriate, regardless of intention, FEELS very real, particularly for new writers.
Just look at the staggering percentage of "is this okay?" posts on most writing forums (Read "I don't want to hurt anyones feelings" and/or "I don't want to be burned in effigy by the maddened hordes if this story ever sees the light of day").
From that perspective, her quote is refreshing and empowering.