A friend sent me this article by Alexander McCall Smith, author of (among other things) The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency. Smith discusses the deep connections that readers can feel to fictional characters.
My friend sent this to me with a note saying that she thought of me. This is ignominious proof of my tendency to become over-involved with fiction, and while I do continue to insist that I am not in love with Doctor Who, no one ever believes me. (It's terribly insulting.) I know I'm not the only one who knows the difference between fiction and fact but doesn't necessarily feel that difference. I knew someone in college who with every fiber of her being wanted to stand between Nick and the thoughtless, selfish whatsername in The Sun Also Rises.
In any case, Smith's basic basic point is that we respond to stories as if they're real. This is simply how they're made. He writes:
The truth is that for many of us fiction is in some sense real, and that what happens to fictional people is, in a curious way, happening in the real world.
It's trompe l'oeil again. We cry or laugh because we accept, however momentarily, that it's real. Smith teases out some of the interesting ways in which detective fiction specifically relies on this as a genre.
Writing is a moral act: What you write has a real effect on others, often to a rather surprising extent.
Write responsibly, I guess.
Well, Michelle! I think that is just beautiful! We know it's different but it doesn't feel different! I like that thought! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete-jillian