
How Repulsive: On the merits of disturbing literature - samclemens
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/02/10/how-repulsive/
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Outdoorsman
I very much enjoyed reading this...thanks for posting it...

Two very common pieces of advice are commonly given to beginning writers
(which some take):

1} Find your voice...through repetitive practice...write compulsively until
you do!

2} Open a vein...share yourself...reveal yourself...there are others like you
who will appreciate what you write...

This article does an excellent job of hinting at the value inherent in being
honest with the reader...

I divide types of fiction into two broad categories; others do, as well...

1}Escape fiction---meant to entertain...

2}Interpretive fiction---meant to entertain by illuminating segments of the
human condition (honest sharing)...

Interpretive fiction is more satisfying to me...the vast majority of the
time...

~~~
bcook
Your post was motivating enough to singularly encourage me to read the actual
article. Truly, thank you for that.

(Though, the article is a bit above my pay-grade... oh, the pain.)

~~~
Outdoorsman
Thanks...I owe thanks to the people who taught me the difference between
escape and interpretive fiction...

So, I'm repaying a debt, or attempting to pay it forward...

I'm happy with either interpretation....

~~~
bcook
A debt of kindness or knowledge?

~~~
Outdoorsman
The only honest reply that comes to mind is that we're likely finite beings
and we should share whatever we think we've learned while we can....

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ktRolster
Being disturbing is orthogonal to literature quality. It shouldn't be avoided,
but 'disturbing' by itself has no particular merit, any more than science
fiction or romance by itself has particular merit.

Specifically, if you are going to force kids to read books in a class, you
should find something that increases their worldview, gives them something new
to think about, and whether that is disturbing or not shouldn't matter.

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kbart
Good point. Disturbing things happen in real world, so it's sometimes
necessary to write such things as well to reveal the dark corners of life and
human mind. The examples of this articles are perfect. Porn and smut, on the
other hand, serves no such purpose and is simply meant to satisfy reader's
(sick) fantasies. I still find it strange though, why so many people _read_
porn (aka Fifty Shades of Gray) instead of watching it on Internet which is
much faster way to achieve the same effect.

~~~
soylentcola
I think different people respond differently to various stimuli and sexual
stimulation or titillation is no different. Just as some folks find reading
the book to be more engaging than watching the movie, I'd imagine that
depictions of sexual fantasies may be more appealing in written form rather
than visual, depending on the person. The more I learn about people, the more
I realize that the variety in sexual preferences and practices is pretty wide.

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Chris2048
I'm not so sure literature is as important as the people who study it think it
is...

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scary_lit
Russian homeless children who live in the sewers and who are used by the
Russian Mafia as a source for organs to sell--that fucked up enough for you?

"The Butcher of Leningrad"\--novel on that subject.

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carsongross
Aristotle, Plato and a whole host of great thinkers, western and otherwise,
would disagree.

But I'm sure we are all much smarter than they were.

~~~
jallmann
> Aristotle, Plato and a whole host of great thinkers, western and otherwise,
> would disagree.

Oh man, you invoked the philosophers! This could have been such an interesting
discussion, instead we're left with a rather oblivious appeal to authority.
Was there something particularly objectionable about the article, rather than
a dismissive deconstruction of the title?

In _The Republic_ , Plato makes an argument for censoring disturbing imagery.
Paraphrasing the inimitable Bernard Knox: the better the descriptions of Hell
are as poetry [1], the less suitable they are for an audience of boys and men
on whom freedom places the obligation to fear slavery more than death.

On the other hand, the crux of the article is this:

> To disturb is, among other things, to guard against complacency: to make the
> reader face the underbelly of dark thoughts and actions, see how
> circumstances can make even good people go astray if they are not vigilant
> in honoring the best in themselves and in the outside world.

I could nerd out for thousands of words, juxtaposing these two passages, and
it'd be a very interesting (although perhaps self-indulgent) thought
experiment. But not with this comment.

[1] in reference to the Underworld of Homer's _Odyssey_

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swayvil
You want to be disturbed?

HOGG by Samuel R Delaney :
[http://amzn.com/1573661198](http://amzn.com/1573661198)

SHINTARO KAGO (comic artist) : [https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/shintaro-
kago](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/shintaro-kago)

It's good for you.

