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Acolyte, v. 3, issue 2, whole no. 11, Summer 1945
Page 3
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CRITERIA for CRITICISM: THE PRELIMINARY TO A SURVEY by Francis T. Laney -o0o- The purpose of this essay is to set down in preliminary form a few notes on one or two of the factors upon which one may logically judge the literary merits of a fantastic story. Needless to say, these notes reflect the views of the author alone, and are not necessarily those of other members of The Acolyte staff. In an opinionative subject such as this, there is room for a wide divergence of opinions, and it is hoped that any differing with the present article will submit rebuttals and/or amplifying articles. The pages of this magazine are wide open fur such purpose. THE GENERAL PURPOSE OF FICTION. Every book which has ever been written represents the fulfillment of some underlying purpose on the part of the author. Every good book represents to a greater or lesser degree the fulfillment of some purpose other than the mere cashing of royalty checks. There is something of artistic attainment, of propagating a philosophy, of disseminating new information, or of some other non-commercial purpose. If his end result is to be worth reading, the author is not merely beating out so many words a minute at so much a word; while of course he must make a living, there is nevertheless a certain pride in achievement which has very little relationship to the cash aspect. In the case of all fiction, the basic purpose is, must be, to entertain the reader. If the reader has not been entertained, the book is a failure. This purpose of entertainment is not completely incompatable with certain axe-grinding intentions on the part of the author. Without vitiating his prime purpose of entertainment, he can, and often does, weave all manner of propaganda of one kind and another into the threads of his story. If this be done skillfully enough, the reader is not especially conscious of it; though his subconscious may lap it up, the entertainment value of the story had not suffered. When, however, any ulterior purposes are so poorly disguised that they impinge on the reader's consciousness, the story has been marred. An excellent example of the crudest type of propaganda story is Uncle Tom's Cabin, in which the story, such as it is, is no more than a roughly fitting shell, tossed on as a sugar-coating for the essay on social reform which Mrs. Stowe felt would have a wider appeal as fiction. This story may well be contrasted with Grapes of Wrath, which is absolutely nothing but story. Though not once did John Steinbeck forget he was writing a story, not once did he lapse into the rantings of the reformer, the book was one of the most potent weapons of social reform in its decade, a tribute to the artistic power and restraint with which Steinbeck handled his theme. THE NON-ENTERTAINMENT RESIDUE. The prophetic, philosophic, and Utopian nature of much science-fiction makes acceptable a considerably larger proportion of what might be termed non-entertainment purposes than would be palatable in mundane fiction. In a story of the far future, or one laid in any other fantastic environment, it is patent that the civilization depicted will be almost exclusively the brain-child of the author, and can hardly escape from being strongly tainted with his beliefs and philosophy. Aldous Huxley, in A Brave New World, in addition to propagandizing unabashedly for the abolition of sexual --3--
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CRITERIA for CRITICISM: THE PRELIMINARY TO A SURVEY by Francis T. Laney -o0o- The purpose of this essay is to set down in preliminary form a few notes on one or two of the factors upon which one may logically judge the literary merits of a fantastic story. Needless to say, these notes reflect the views of the author alone, and are not necessarily those of other members of The Acolyte staff. In an opinionative subject such as this, there is room for a wide divergence of opinions, and it is hoped that any differing with the present article will submit rebuttals and/or amplifying articles. The pages of this magazine are wide open fur such purpose. THE GENERAL PURPOSE OF FICTION. Every book which has ever been written represents the fulfillment of some underlying purpose on the part of the author. Every good book represents to a greater or lesser degree the fulfillment of some purpose other than the mere cashing of royalty checks. There is something of artistic attainment, of propagating a philosophy, of disseminating new information, or of some other non-commercial purpose. If his end result is to be worth reading, the author is not merely beating out so many words a minute at so much a word; while of course he must make a living, there is nevertheless a certain pride in achievement which has very little relationship to the cash aspect. In the case of all fiction, the basic purpose is, must be, to entertain the reader. If the reader has not been entertained, the book is a failure. This purpose of entertainment is not completely incompatable with certain axe-grinding intentions on the part of the author. Without vitiating his prime purpose of entertainment, he can, and often does, weave all manner of propaganda of one kind and another into the threads of his story. If this be done skillfully enough, the reader is not especially conscious of it; though his subconscious may lap it up, the entertainment value of the story had not suffered. When, however, any ulterior purposes are so poorly disguised that they impinge on the reader's consciousness, the story has been marred. An excellent example of the crudest type of propaganda story is Uncle Tom's Cabin, in which the story, such as it is, is no more than a roughly fitting shell, tossed on as a sugar-coating for the essay on social reform which Mrs. Stowe felt would have a wider appeal as fiction. This story may well be contrasted with Grapes of Wrath, which is absolutely nothing but story. Though not once did John Steinbeck forget he was writing a story, not once did he lapse into the rantings of the reformer, the book was one of the most potent weapons of social reform in its decade, a tribute to the artistic power and restraint with which Steinbeck handled his theme. THE NON-ENTERTAINMENT RESIDUE. The prophetic, philosophic, and Utopian nature of much science-fiction makes acceptable a considerably larger proportion of what might be termed non-entertainment purposes than would be palatable in mundane fiction. In a story of the far future, or one laid in any other fantastic environment, it is patent that the civilization depicted will be almost exclusively the brain-child of the author, and can hardly escape from being strongly tainted with his beliefs and philosophy. Aldous Huxley, in A Brave New World, in addition to propagandizing unabashedly for the abolition of sexual --3--
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