 |
| "Fantasy" by Sergey Solomko (1867-1928) |
So do you think Gottschall's claim is largely true or is it overestimated? Can you think of examples that demonstrate the vulnerability of our culture--or of someone you know (maybe you?)--to fantasy and fiction? It is easy to think of examples that demonstrate that we do not believe the fictional fantasies we read, watch or hear (who believes that Batman is an actual person?), but can you think of other ways that fictional fantasies shape the worldview of ordinary, everyday people?
I believe Gottschall's claim is largely true. If we look for it, we can see the recurring effects of particular stories; especially when the story reflects a widely held but otherwise non-articulated view, of the emerging population. I would say emotions well expressed in a fictional character, or characters, show a pattern of living, (lifestyle) that plays an important role in the evolution of society -- not necessarily in a healthy direction, but nevertheless moving. I want to emphasize "well expressed" because a well written story is much more likely to pull the reader into it than is a poorly written story, in my opinion..
ReplyDeleteI agree (I’m Batman.) Even though we would like to believe that we can tell the truth from fiction, we constantly find ourselves believing the wrong things. Take for instance the internet. We are on it constantly and we pride ourselves on having this steady stream of information at our fingertips, but how much of it is actually true? If we have a question, this is where we typically turn to, but anyone can change the information there. I used to have a friend who believed the world was flat (yes I am serious), and it took two science classes to prove her otherwise. She thought all the photos of the world being round were part of a conspiracy theory or something of that sort that she had read online. Even after finally proving to her that it was round, she then worried about what else media and internet was making her believe that wasn't true. (I’m Batman.) From a young age, we teach our children that a fat guy in a red suit travels around the whole world in less than 12 hours bringing gifts to children. We teach them that a small fairy will bring money if they lose their teeth. And then as we grow older we realize that this isn't true, but still wonder at how easily we believed the stories. Now there are some stories that we don't believe, like having the ability to fly or talk to animals, but sometimes we kind find some of these stories plausible. That's what makes them more interesting is how closely they *could* fit into our society. Iron Man is about a rich guy who is a genius that uses his money to create scientific advancements. Sounds plausible. The same goes for Batman, and seeing as no one has seen me and Batman in the same room, I could be Batman. Sounds plausible. I think it just depends on the type of culture you were raised in as to how much fiction will influence you. If you were raised in a nerdy family, you will be more likely to be influenced than by someone whose family is entirely into sports.
ReplyDelete-Batman
I love the points that Batm- I mean Miranda- brings up. We have pretty much all of the American youth, and even older, believing that fat men in red suits and giant rabbits travel around the earth for the sole purpose of giving presents and spreading cheer. Sure, some may say that that's children and children are easy to fool, but my mother believed in Santa until she was 23 and I know a few people in my grade that still have great faith. Not to mention the extensive amount of people that are on the hunt for bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. But the type of fiction that many people fall for (at least, I know I do) is romantic fiction. After reading a good Sarah Dessen or Nicholas Sparks or Jane Austen novel, I suddenly am pining for my own tall, dark and handsome who is rugged and yet still sensitive, soft spoken and yet protective, and seems to be the epitome of perfection and impossibility. He is a Landon-Carter-style badboy turned good, and our walk into the sunset is both dazzling and in slow motion. I set down the book upon reading the "Happily Ever After" and am left with a sense that this is how romance is. And I know I'm not the only one. My mom jumped into a wedding with the perfect fixer upper, thinking she could be his heroine, only for him to be just another bad guy. We often forget that life isn't a novel, and there's rarely a cut and dry happy ending. We love to think that fiction goes right over our heads, and yet how many times are we caught watching a good movie or reading a captivating story and think of ourselves in the character's shoes? Before we realize it, we're already looking for love in bookstores and searching for our own Mr. Darcy.
DeleteI agree with Gottschall’s claim. Back in July, I went on a mission trip to the Mexican border. During the journey our mission team went through the town of Pecos, Texas. A girl on the crew immediately shouted out, “Wow, that town is named after Pecos Bill!” A lot of us laughed because we thought she was simply joking; nonetheless, the girl began to tell us everything she knew about Pecos Bill and insisted that he was the real deal….
ReplyDeleteThis is only a small and rather harmless example of how members of society easily confuse fiction with fact. Just as Gottschall suggests, humans greatly desire for story, true or false, to be incorporated as reality. A strong example pertaining to this lies within the constant stream of information known as news casting. Have you ever really listened to the local news? I’m amazed at how live stories begin to form and circulate about tragic events where authorities have yet to release any facts. An hour or so after the initial report the news channel will then retract or modify its statement and apologize for inconsistencies. All the while, everyone who heard that initial broadcast will have been sharing the previous report like a fact to live by.
- Dillon Rea
Your story about Pecos Bill is hilarious! But I think it proves the point exactly. We think we have so much control over our minds and hearts, when in reality we are so weak. We can be persuaded to believe almost anything if it is worded the right way and spoken in the right tone of voice. Thinking about your reference to the news, if we heard to versions of a story, which one would we believe? Probably the one that sounds more exciting and/or the one that casts the person we like in the better light. It doesn't matter which story is more accurate. What matters is that we like the way it sounds. This makes it difficult to actually discern truth from fiction, just like Gottschall said.
Delete--Brittany Jolly
I agree with Gottschall that our minds have difficulties separating fantasy from fiction. Our emotions can be so easily influenced by fictional characters and stories. Millions are people are moved to tears, anger, happiness, or a new point of view after reading a fictional story or watching a fictional movie. An obvious one is how the American culture is influenced by love stories. We have a distorted view of what love is, the way we treat sexual encounters, how we date, and the way our own love stories should work out, all due to books, movies, the media, celebrities, you name it. Our wants for love are compromised or disappointed, and the world expects or waits for something that is unrealistic.
ReplyDelete-Elizabeth Keck