When Morals and Books Collide
Jan. 7th, 2010 02:23 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderI 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!
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!
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Date: 2010-01-08 09:01 pm (UTC)Which frankly baffled me, because I judge books all the time based on their morality over any "literary merit". I can think of a dozen books off the top of my head that I've either refused to read or refused to finish based on something foul. Granted, I'll overlook a bit of swearing or a sex scene as long as it's not gratuitous or included only for titillation, but I don't want to read books where the characters, fictional or non-fictional, aren't people I would want to be around in real life.
Anyway...I probably should have put all this in the original post, but that's the story of my life. I write something, post it, and only later remember fourteen things I intended to say. :-P