This past quarter I took a class on 17th Century British Literature. We read a great deal of Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, John Milton, up to Mary Shelley in 1818. Out of all the writers we studied however, my favorite was probably Samuel Johnson.
Let's start with the obvious reason why I enjoyed Johnson. He didn't write poetry. Or if he did, we didn't read it, which was an incredible weight off my shoulders after weeks of Pope. Johnson was witty, he was a critic, he understood the english language and writing in general in a way that I think few people did. One of his greatest works, Rasselas, was written in less than a week, and we're still reading it today. He wrote the first ever Dictionary of the English Language. That's impressive, in my opinion.
He also wrote a publication that he called the Rambler, with a number of essays (or rambles, as you might have it) on a variety of subjects. One such subject was on writing, and different forms of writing. In his essay on fiction, Johnson determines that fiction is worthless unless it carries a message or teaches a lesson. The only reason to read is to learn, and if you are not learning while reading than there is no point in it. A writer's main responsibility is to teach lessons to those who live their lives in frivolous ways.
This idea got me thinking. Why do we read today? For entertainment, mostly. I'll be the first one to admit that I read fiction because I like to dive into a good story and get lost in it. Sometimes I read for educational purposes. I feel a strong desire to further educate myself on the classics and will occasionally read one for fun. But mostly, I read to escape the real world, not to teach myself a lesson.
In furthering that idea, why do we write? Many writers will say that there's a burning inside of them. The story gets stuck in there and we absolutely have to get it out or it will make us crazy. So what does that mean? We write to tell a story. We write to entertain.
We read to entertain. We write to entertain. The main purpose of fiction is to tell a good story. What would Johnson think of the literary world we live in today? He would probably be disgusted by it. But you know what? I like it this way. I like to read for entertainment. I like to write for entertainment. There doesn't necessarily need to be a hidden meaning or a life-long lesson within the tale. I like the literary world as it is today. I may enjoy reading Johnson, but in his literary world I would not want to be a writer.
Let's start with the obvious reason why I enjoyed Johnson. He didn't write poetry. Or if he did, we didn't read it, which was an incredible weight off my shoulders after weeks of Pope. Johnson was witty, he was a critic, he understood the english language and writing in general in a way that I think few people did. One of his greatest works, Rasselas, was written in less than a week, and we're still reading it today. He wrote the first ever Dictionary of the English Language. That's impressive, in my opinion.
He also wrote a publication that he called the Rambler, with a number of essays (or rambles, as you might have it) on a variety of subjects. One such subject was on writing, and different forms of writing. In his essay on fiction, Johnson determines that fiction is worthless unless it carries a message or teaches a lesson. The only reason to read is to learn, and if you are not learning while reading than there is no point in it. A writer's main responsibility is to teach lessons to those who live their lives in frivolous ways.
This idea got me thinking. Why do we read today? For entertainment, mostly. I'll be the first one to admit that I read fiction because I like to dive into a good story and get lost in it. Sometimes I read for educational purposes. I feel a strong desire to further educate myself on the classics and will occasionally read one for fun. But mostly, I read to escape the real world, not to teach myself a lesson.
In furthering that idea, why do we write? Many writers will say that there's a burning inside of them. The story gets stuck in there and we absolutely have to get it out or it will make us crazy. So what does that mean? We write to tell a story. We write to entertain.
We read to entertain. We write to entertain. The main purpose of fiction is to tell a good story. What would Johnson think of the literary world we live in today? He would probably be disgusted by it. But you know what? I like it this way. I like to read for entertainment. I like to write for entertainment. There doesn't necessarily need to be a hidden meaning or a life-long lesson within the tale. I like the literary world as it is today. I may enjoy reading Johnson, but in his literary world I would not want to be a writer.
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