Themes revisited…
Stephen King puts plot above themes in On Writing. As a reader and writer, I disagree. My themes drive my plots, and I look for that in my reading. In my little course “Writing Fiction” (free PDF download—see the web page “Free Stuff & Contests” at this website for a complete list, including free short fiction) and elsewhere, I mention themes v. plot. Themes should wind in and around the plot to make the latter more meaningful. A book without a plot rarely interests me when reading genre fiction. A book without a theme might be palatable if it has a great plot, but having no theme is already one strike against it. A book with interesting themes and a good plot is really worthwhile reading.
Stephen King’s books often suffer from lack of themes; that’s why Misery is so much better than Carrie, to name two of his books I’ve read (the third, that verbose cellphone disaster, was a complete waste of my time). Yeah, I know, that lack of themes helps him appeal to a broad range of readers, almost as much as his established branding (name recognition). Gets him some movie deals too. Nothing controversial about his stories, just horror without themes.
Many readers don’t like to think about the important issues of the day that often correspond to themes. In their defense, they might be in overload with those issues, with social media and news services blasting them out every hour of every day. Reading might be their only escape, their reclusive avoidance mechanism or ostrich-head-in-the-sand syndrome. These readers might also avoid social media and news services completely for the same reason, or focus exclusively on just one news service that agrees with their narrow views about the world.
That’s a reader’s choice, of course. It’s still a free country (although how long that will continue is debatable as more and more people avoid the issues of the day). Literature traditionally has dealt with serious themes, and an enlightened reader can learn from books. Especially genre fiction, where learning about issues is woven into an entertaining story. I write for readers like that—let’s call it meaningful entertainment.
But readers can do what they want. My problem lies more with authors who write Cream-of-Wheat stories for the masses and avoid themes completely. (Screenwriters often do the same thing!) There are degrees of that: King isn’t as bad as Nicholas Sparks. Reading and literacy only make sense if fiction serves to comment and/or educate as well as entertain.
King and Sparks aren’t alone. So many Big Five authors join them and avoid serious themes. Their books might be funny, gritty, action-packed, romantic, erotic, or any other adjective their publicists come up with, but their intention is to appeal to all readers by saying absolutely nothing. From a marketing point of view, that might be desirable: Say nothing; offend no one. From a literary point of view, i.e. writing a meaningful story, trying to please everyone is often not memorable writing.
This avoidance of serious themes isn’t a new phenomenon in literature. It’s why I avoid writers like Jane Austen, for example. Austen wrote boring romances. Louisa May Alcott in her Little Women wrote a book with no interesting themes (her “independent women” shtick got slapped down at the end if the latest Hollywood incarnation of her book might be unfaithful to said book—I never read the book!). And so forth.
And don’t think I’m sexist here. Charles Dickens had one theme, poverty, and hammered readers with it in almost every story. Talk about being a rut! (Focusing on just one theme, when there are so many, is almost as bad as including no them.) Even that famous story, “A Christmas Carol,” had that theme of poverty. Authors have to avoid getting in a rut with one theme too. His Tale of Two Cities is his only decent story because it has multiple themes, all in one book.
Okay, maybe human suffering is a meta-theme, one that can have many variations. Nineteenth century literature hammered that one to death. It was almost as if authors tried to outdo each other, the worst being Victor Hugo in Les Misérables (and the play/movie didn’t do it any better because the music is bombastic and trite to add to the human suffering in real time). Fresh themes are needed for every novel, although an author can certainly return to old ones from time to time. Overdoing a theme makes for sappy, boring storytelling as much as having no themes at all.
Literature must reflect the important themes of the times. Even sci-fi has to do that, and it just might be the best genre for it because today’s themes can be treated in a neutral context. Remember that famous Star Trek episode featuring an eternal fight between black and white ETs, only half had black on the left while the other half had black on the right? That was a powerful statement against racism because it made everyone see how absurd racism is.
So what are today’s important themes? Climate change is the most important, no matter what Fox News, MSNBC, or stupid politicians and their scientist toadies claim. The fight against terrorism is important and works well in many genres. Human trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation, and the drug trade are also important. Income inequality, the modern version of Dickens’s poverty issue, is also at the top in a list of themes. And racism and bigotry are still important themes. An author can just peruse the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, or most any big-city newspaper to find the important themes of the day.
Of course, it’s not just about putting important themes in our fiction. Through our plots and characterizations, we’re making statements about those themes. If controversial (most important themes are, which is why authors like King avoid them), presenting opinions about both sides helps readers identify the themes, resonate with them, and/or learn something about the associated issues. One character’s point of view might contrast with another’s, for example—just like in real life. That last bit is key: Real life is controversial. Fiction must seem real to be meaningful. Let’s make our fiction seem real by including themes.
I end by comparing a superficial quote from Mr. King with a deeper one from Mr. Connolly: “The objective of fiction [is] to make the reader welcome and then tell a story …to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all.”—Stephen King. Compare that to “Better to write for yourself and have no public, than write for the public and have no self.”—Cyril Connolly. I suggest that an author can do both…and should.
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Comments are always welcome.
The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan. This bridge book between my “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series” and the “Clones and Mutants Trilogy” is full of themes—retirement (what will U.S. government agencies do in the future with their agents who know too much?), autumnal romance (can people over fifty find love?), and shadowy conspiracies (are they the government’s or some other actors’?). The action and suspense start on page one of this novel and don’t stop. Available in ebook format on Amazon and Smashwords and all the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.) and lending and library services (Scribd, Overdrive, Baker & Taylor, Gardners, etc.).
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
