When Morals and Books Collide

[main-hoon-emily.livejournal.com]

I was going to just post this on my journal, but then I thought it might be better received here.

When it comes to what you read, how do you respond to characters or themes or plots that go against what you consider to be morally or religiously right?

Generally, I won't put down a book that has morally questionable content unless I dislike the writing style or the plot. But then, I'm not talking about truly repugnant subjects but things like, do the characters sleep together even though they aren't married? Does someone keep taking the Lord's name in vain or using the f-word every time they talk? Are the unpleasant activities described because they're necessary to the plot, or is this just a chance to wallow in filth?

There are a lot of books I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, though, because of what I know them to contain (either I started reading them and came across something distasteful, or I've heard about it from someone who did read them), and I've just been curious how others approach this. I don't want to give specific examples because I don't want to turn this into a debate about whether such-and-such a book was bad or good, but just in general. And, if you want to go a step beyond that, are you satisfied with the lines you have or haven't drawn, or do you feel that you're too permissive or too conservative?

Bleh, I hope this all makes sense!

Comments

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

I'll freely admit I have rather liberal standards in literature. Part of it is that I know what sorts of things affect me and what doesn't - for the most part bad language isn't a issue for me; it's as if my eye glosses right over it without really seeing. There comes a point, though, where it becomes very distasteful and I will stop reading a book because of it. The same thing holds true with sex scenes or other content issues - as long as it's not just gratutious, and has some real point in the story, and the book is well-written, I'm usually okay with it. I often won't even remember content issues later, so I'm afraid I frequently recommend books without remembering things that might shock or offend others. *blush*

Although we may all have different standards, I think it's clear to all of us when something steps over the line and becomes unhealthy for us personally. :)