Charles Dickens was sometimes criticized by Realists because although elements of his writing are highly realistic, he often used Romantic characterization and plot. He incorporated amazing and “unrealistic” coincidences into his narrative and had unexpected and improbable plot twists (one character in Bleak House, for example, spontaneously combusts—literally just explodes suddenly and goes up in smoke). He responded that although he wanted his writing to be realistic, it was even more important that it be entertaining to the reader. Having read one of the more “exciting” chapters of The Rise of Silas Lapham, do you think it’s more important for a writer to be honest and faithful to Truth and Reality, or to be entertaining?
Neither is more important than the other. You have to have both.
ReplyDelete-asmigelsky
Personally, realism is boring. Why read about the life you may already lead? Give me some excitement. Dickens was right. Entertainment is the key.
ReplyDeletemedusa
I read for entertainment and I think that reading about "truth and reality" are just ways to keep our minds entertained. We don't need to look to books for reflections of our own lives.
ReplyDeleteSue
I have a slightly different take on it--while I do read for escape from my life, I also read as a way to self-reflect.
ReplyDeleteFord Prefect
I think it depends on the message the author wants to convey and the type of audience s/he wants to appeal to.
ReplyDelete-jumping.lily
I read for entertainment that has the possibility of being reality. Truthfully, books about vampires and dragons aren't that interesting to me because it's not even remotely possible. It's the interesting, occurances that could possibly happen in real life that make books interesting, not fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI think that there needs to be a balance of the realism and the entertainment.
-Yellow Rose
I think it would depend on the purpose of their writing. If they're writing fiction, I really don't think there should be any rules simply for the sake of the diversity among written works. But I do believe that people should have some sense of purpose and truth in everything they do. I absolutely would hate having to read anything that a realist wrote, however, so I'm on dicken's side. Entertain me please.
ReplyDeleteI feel like as long as you get your point across in a clear and distinct way, its okay to add entertainment value, otherwise its painful for the reader.
ReplyDelete-ViciousTrollup
i agree with polarbear47
ReplyDeleteIf you have a 'moral' of the story, which most do, you need to appeal to the specific audience you want to be influencing. For an example, Hannah Montana. She appeals to young girls everywhere, and each of her episodes on Disney Channel are aimed towards 7-12 year olds with a moral such as 'don't lie' or something vague and easy to comprehend. Although this show uses unrealistic occurances, it's appealing to Disney's audience.
-cheers
People often go to books as a source of entertainment. Depending upon the author's purpose (like scientific research as opposed to writing a play) the reader needs to adapt to that reading style. If people are looking to a book to seek truth then the author must convey his purpose as truthfully as possible, but if the reader wants entertainment, then the author needs to play to that desire of the reader. It depends on the author's genre.
ReplyDeleteBecky
Writing is for entertainment in my eyes. Obviously there are the academic papers, but in terms of Dickens and all of those writers he was writing for entertainment. If a reader wants truth than a book is not the best place to look for it. Polarbear47 is right about the rules. Diversity is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI think that you should make things sound real no matter how improbable they are. Like in fantasy you should make it sound real even if it can't be real. I guess making it sound real often is what makes it interesting. But then there are many good nonfiction books because improbable things can happen in someone's life so that makes it interesting too.
ReplyDelete- Zaphod Beeblebrox
I wrote the post about "Writing is for entertainment..."
ReplyDeleteOrangutan
There needs to be a balance. If it is not entertaining no one will read it and all that work will have not done anything for anyone other than the author, editor, and publisher. But according to realists there needs to be a line drawn for where reality needs to be maintained. For entertainment purposed and the interest of the audience there are authors these days that will go outside that box of realism and create a whole new world for the reader to explore and imagine.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have a mixture of both. I feel like it's important ot be entertaining in the appropriate time. Reading should not always be dull and boring or it loses it's personal valure, but in the same aspect realism is very important because in an instance where something like the Holocaust is being described it's important to respect the event and the people who it affected.
ReplyDelete-laxchickie
I think that for the most part the key to a good book is entertainment and not just how close it is to reality. Because let's face it, reality can somewhat boring. I would feel sorry for anyone that only had the television station that showed my life haha. Cause reality isn't always exciting and interesting or entertaining, therefore I think that entertainment should be the main focus because afterall it is a book. It I wanted reality and truth I wouldn't be reading. I would be out there experiencing it. I think books and literature and other forms of entertainment should be somewhat separate in regards to reality and truth. -iloveorange52
ReplyDeleteIt's important for the book to simply address what the author what's it too. If the author feels compelled to be realistic then they should because writting is an expression of the author. If they choos to be entertaining then they should because it will increase the meaning one way or another because that is why one has the choice to read what they want.
ReplyDelete-laxchickie
I think that when a someone reads a book they should realize no matter how realistic it sounds it will never be completely true so they definitely could add a element of entertainment without ruining the story.
ReplyDeleteHasty "G"
I agree with iloveorange52 books as well as many other types of media are there for entertainment. Books that try to depict reality are just showing one writers distortion through their eyes exactly how they see it.
ReplyDelete-leo
Writing in itself can be very entertaining, but looses it's luster when trying to convey the deatails of a geographic location, or an object or whatever. To truly understand a place or an object you have to be able to see it a smell it or touch it and hold it. Take for instance reading about the great pyramids and trying to learn alot about them, and then going there and stading in the sand at the base of one and touching the stone and taking in the surroundings and comprehending and feeling the power of them. to actually learn and remember something you HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT!!! not just read about it in a textbook and then forget it a few weeks later
ReplyDeleteThrow in an action scene ever now in then. GO on about nature and its beauty and then hit the reader with sex and a fight scene; maybe both. It is hard to enlighten a reader with realism when they don't want to read what you have to right. Keep the underlying message the same, but entertaining the reader is VERY important.
ReplyDelete-Dat Ca Iz Tow Up
The author needs to meet an audience, not just what they want to convey, especially from a business standpoint. This concept demands diversity.
ReplyDeleteI think to keep your reader engaged in your story you have to make it interesting. I forgot pretty much everything from The Rise of Silas Lapham because I was so bored. I think that if you want to keep people interesting then you have to give them something they don't expect or don't experience in their own lives.
ReplyDeleteAnita Goodman
It's definitely important to have both. However, as a person who loves to entertain and to be entertained, I have to lean towards the entertainment argument. I would so much rather read a book that I just wouldn't be able to put down, rather than one that I would go right to sparknotes on.
ReplyDeletelillipbaum
It depends what genra they are writing under. But sure some books should stick so some, very little, realism. But more importantly they should be entertaining. Who cares what the charecters looked at while walking down a stair case. !
ReplyDeleteI think entertainment and reality can work hand in hand. Maybe what makes certain books so good is that they are so much like reality that it is possible that the story could really happen. Which is always enertaining to think about.
ReplyDelete-jumping.lily
iloveorange52's post really reminded me of the other practice AP prompt that we had. The one about TV. It's true that no one's going to want to watch a TV show or read a book about the average high schooler's life. But is that our fault for not being more interesting, deep, and complex? Is our life so boring that authors have to make up fake things that could never happen in order for us to be etertained?
ReplyDelete-Yellow Rose
I personally think it's more importannt for a writer to be entertaining. But on that point, I read on my own time to be entertained, not educated. If authors didn't write to entertain, we wouldn't have science fiction or fantasy genres. Truth and Reality often have nothing to do with today's popular literature. Maybe it was important back then, but it's not now.
ReplyDeleteUp and Over