Should Writers Only Write Positively About the Future?

[pdlloyd]

According to an article on Co.EXIST, Can Science Fiction Writers Inspire The World To Save Itself? there is a new collaboration between science fiction author Neal Stephenson and Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination. Project Hieroglyph, Co.EXIST reports, suggests that science fiction writers should stop writing stories

Comments

[marycatelli]

The movies of the Great Depression were full of comedy and mirth. I would think it would rather be that literature would indeed reflect life -- by inverting it. I know I go for the fluffy and cheerful when feeling down myself.

[pdlloyd]

Good point! It's true, a nice cheerful movie can be just the thing when we're feeling down. But, sometimes a movie full of trouble and strife, or action and mayhem, may be what we'd rather watch. There are many ways to lift one's spirits.

[heleninwales]

I thought dystopias were usually thought of as warnings, not predictions? So the writer isn't saying, "This is how I think the world will be," it's a case of, "If you don't stop doing X, this is what might happen!"

I also agree with marycatelli in that if life is basically comfortable, people like a bit of misery in their entertainment, but if things are going badly, they want cheering up with optimistic things.

[pdlloyd]

I agree, Helen. Dystopias are generally thought of as warnings. This is a big part of why I was bothered by the Co.EXIST article, which seemed to be treating them as little more than pessimistic predictions.

As for the issue of misery vs. cheer in entertainment when life is going well or not, I suspect that I expressed myself too simplistically in my post. There are many different kinds of dystopian fiction, and not all of these are science fiction. Mysteries, and detective and espionage stories often have very dystopian settings, but the perseverance of the protagonist in the face of the odds can result in a cathartic experience, one that leaves you feeling good by the end of the movie. Even movies that we rarely think of as dystopian-for example It's a Wonderful Life presents a very dark world, albeit one with a sliver of light shining in-but the ultimate message is one of hope and promise.

[marycatelli]

OTOH, a diet of pure dystopia does have the disadvantage of not raising the question, well, what can we do instead? After all, it's not possible to just not do somthing -- you must do something else.

[pdlloyd]

Which is precisely why I prefer a diverse menu of fictional options. :)