I’ve been thinking on and off all week about Zadie Smith’s article, “The Essay v The Novel,” in last Saturday’s Guardian. Basically, Smith talks about her new book of essays, and how more and more fiction writers are turning away from the novel and towards more “realistic” forms — Jonathan Safran Foer, Margaret Drabble, Chinua Achebe, Michael Clabon, to name a few. “The novel is dead,” they say. To which I reply, “Oh no. Not again.” To those of us who have been around the stacks a few times, this is very old news. Literary critics have been whipping themselves up into a frenzy over this declaration for generations and, I suppose, inevitably it’s time to do it once again. But I’m not buying it.
Plenty of people are still writing novels. Plenty more are still buying them in one form or another — regardless of what the publishing industry proclaims. I do believe that one of the key differentiations that can be made between humans and other animals is that humans tell stories. There is an innate need for we humans to look around and outside of ourselves and create narratives of what we see. It is how we understand the world. It is how we dare to continue on in the face of the adversity which has always surrounded us. As long as we have our imaginations, we will create stories. And as long as we create stories, we will write novels. Of that I am sure.
But there is a different question which has been worrying me for a long time now, and which Smith also mentions in her article, namely the death of the imagination. Now this is really something worth worrying about. What does it say about man at the beginning of this new century that we have either lost the ability or the will to imagine? Look at what we watch on television: reality programs. It started with “Big Brother” and moved swiftly on from there. And who have been the predominant winners of Best Actor/Actress Awards of late? Actors recreating “real” people — Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Truman Capote, Harvey Milk, June Carter, Edith Piaf, The Queen. Where are the people who dare to create characters, either through their actions or their words, out of whole cloth, out of their imagination? What does it mean if we are all now too frightened to have our lives changed by people who have never, really, existed?
As long as there are people using their imaginations, there will be stories created. Maybe these stories will be told by illiterate bards, like Homer, who use formulas to trigger their memories as they travel from city to city. Maybe these stories will be told in song. Or maybe they will be written down in versions varying from 1,000 to 100,000 words. The form of the story telling is not the point, as far as I’m concerned. As a novelist, this so-called death of the novel does not frighten me. But a collective death of the imagination? Now that, in reality, is what’s truly frightening.
A very scary thought. But thankfully I am not seeing this at all in terms of the short story collections we are being sent for review – hugely imaginative, at least the ones I am reading. So I would say that there is certainly no death of the imagination when it comes to these writers, but it does seem that, according to what you are saying, there might be a lessening of interest amongst the reading/viewing public in imaginative creative works. Once again, we can’t tell the public what to like, what to buy. But we cannot, must not, fall prey to the “lowest common denominator” phenomenon.
Re Zadie Smith et al, a lot of this may have to do with how the marketing people are choosing to package books – they might feel that something labelled “essays” or “non-fiction” will sell better, for some reason, whereas the same writing may have, in other times where there wasn’t such a distinction between “real” and “fictional”, been called short stories or autobiographical fiction or something like that. Not something we writers should spend too much time worrying about… by the time we produce our next “works” it may have all changed!
“Not something we writers should spend too much time worrying about… by the time we produce our next “works” it may have all changed!”
How right you are, Tania!
Ditto, Tania. In a reading cycle for the journal I edit, we receive more than 600 stories. I think other publications see more and more submissions. (It’s said that if only the same number of folk who write short stories bought them…) MA courses harder to get on, slush piles higher – so it doesn’t resonate with me. Marketing will create trends (such as the glut of misery memoirs, celeb pulp), but good storytelling will outlast all.
I hope I never live to see the day when imagination is no more!! That is a very scary thought indeed!!
Long live the imagination is what I say
C x
So having read the post and the comments so far, the question seems to be how to make the powers that be, who decide what we read and what we are presented with on TV and film, recognise and take a chance on the creative talent that is out there. (I know it’s an old moan.)
And although it may be my own fault as I’m probably the last one in the country to have only terrestrial five channel TV (four, if you ignore CH 5) if I want to sit down and veg out in front of the box, I really, really, do NOT want to watch reality or celebrity TV. I’ve even given up on question time, ‘cos I can’t stand the politicians bickering along the obvious party lines and the pre–programmed responses from some of the audience. It’s all too depressing.
I think Tania’s point is right: ‘we can’t tell the public what to like, what to buy.’ But I’m not sure that in effect that is not what the programmers, publishers and media are doing. We are making it easier and easier for people to have their entertainment packaged for them in a way that it requires less and less input from the person being entertained. Maybe that’s natural progress, but so much now is reliant on visual presentation (computer games, nintendos, etc.) or ‘car crash TV’ and less on emotional or, God forbid, intellectual response. Maybe that sounds elitist (I’m not) but when you can play pseudo tennis on a Nintendo Wii instead of going to the park with a couple of rackets and many people choose the Wii option, then I think we’re in trouble.
True, I think story telling will never die, but the market prepared to read the stories, or support the creativity may shrink and shrink if it isn’t provided for and people get used to making less effort. Sue’s point about recent films illustrates that people are interested in things they’ve heard about already, not necessarily willing to look at something creatively new. Or at least that is the film industry perception of the market. So they make those films, as it is, in the end, an industry.
(Ouch! Have now re-read this post. Grumpy old man rant is now over…)
NOPE. Don’t agree in any way. Everyone loves stories, the only nonfiction I ever buy is biographies- stories of people’s lives. My small book buying money would not be spent on a collection of essays, sorry.
Also- I am a reality TV addict BUT I also love stories- films, books, plays. Actually, reality TV is a great way to find your bad guys, and occassionally good guys for your stories. Why can’t we add without subtracting?
Imagination lost?
Two words: Harry Potter. If you need more -look at all of those wildly popular vampires books.
Tom: Yes, I do believe you’re right. There does seem to be as much new and good story telling around as always. To be honest, my thoughts about “the end of imagination” were based on surprising observations I’ve noted, and then Zadie Smith’s article. I really was hoping people would disagree with me. I’m so glad they did!
Carol: Actually, I do believe that as long as poeple like us are around, we don’t have too much to fear.
Joe (aka Grumpy Old Man):I do think the impt thing is that we don’t get sucked into the market hysteria, and people “like us” continue to write what our hearts and minds dictate. As long as we do that, (and as long as we have alternate sources of income 🙂 ) we don’t have too much to worry about.
Lauri: I’m so glad you’re arguing with me. i don’t often get “controversial” on here but I think it’s great when I can get the blood boiling and the arguments flying. I’m especially happy to think I might be completely wrong on this particular point. Thanks!
I don’t buy it either, Sue. Long live novels and the imagination!
And if the pile by my bedside is anything to go by, the novel is far from dead. I’ve read some stunners this year: Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger, Lorrie Moore’s A Gate at the Stairs, Ali Shaw’s The Girl with the Glass Feet, Jane Borodale’s The Book of Fires, A S Byatt’s The Children’s Book and Karen Maitland’s The Owl Killers.
A very quotable last paragraph. Something to think about.
You may be ‘wrong’ (of course you are!)but I have to say this is the most exquisitely written blog post I’ve seen in a long time.
If only everyone who was wrong could be so with such lyrical quality!
This is interesting on many levels. I remember when the short story was dead, but I just recently read in the Wall Street Journal—it’s alive again. And so it goes with the novel…But death of the imagination is something I’ve thought of recently for the same reasons as you. Now THAT’S a scary thought—just ask Einstein!
Michelle: Thanks! And thanks for the reading suggestions. I haven’t read any in your bedside pile yet, either.
Debi: Thanks so much!
JFKlaver: Thanks for coming by! Ooh, spooky entanglement. Gotta’ love it 🙂
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