I was recently reading a novel that is narrated from the perspective of the protagonist. The book is kind of like a diary, so the narrator rambles on about anything she's thinking about. In the course of advancing the plot, she explains that you, the reader, must expect what is coming next. Since she mentioned a random person earlier on, she says that you must know that the character will show up again. She paraphrases the following quote from Chekhov, in which he discusses good writing: "If there is a gun hanging on the wall in the first act, it must fire in the last."
But must it? Should it? Do readers actually want every loose end to be tied up by the end of the book?
My seventh grade English teacher always said that literature is meant to reflect reality (I'm not sure if that's true. Thoughts?). In reality, is every little thing crucial? Is every acquaintance of mine going to resurface years from now in some very important capacity? Somehow, I don't think so.
I know that I'm supposed to learn from every person I meet and from every experience I have--they are important--but from a literary perspective, should every character and detail that is introduced hold some larger significance?
I don't think that it should, because it's just not realistic if each and every one does. Personally, I appreciate authenticity in novels.
What do you think?
(This question makes me think of Harry Potter. I've always appreciated how minor characters (such as Cedric Diggory and Kreacher) and details (Harry's green eyes) are later very important. I'm wondering, though, if J.K.R. introduces characters and details which truly are unimportant. Can you think of any?)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This is one of the many differences between fiction and creative nonfiction. In a fiction story, there is an expectation (fair or not) that loose ends will be tied up. In writing fiction, the story is created for the reader. The writer has, in a sense, an *obligation* not to leave the reader hanging, or feeling unsatisfied. Otherwise, who will want to read it? There needs to be a feeling of completion, in some sense. Obviously, this rule doesn't need to be taken to a ridiculous level--details for purposes of pure description are important too--but as a whole, there shouldn't be too many extraneous elements in a story.
Post a Comment