I read an article on the Guardian this past week and it really had me contemplating the subject:
Why does literary fiction hate happy endings?
It is something I noticed personally within the past year as one of my main goals was to read many of the classics I feel that I had been neglecting. And it seemed that every time I was explaining to those around me the great novel I was in the middle of reading or just read they always had been leading or actually ended rather depressingly. Was the novel great? Yes of course. But it did make me question why a serious work of fictional literature insists on having sad or depressing endings.
I think it is the very nature of a happy ending. It is quite difficult to write one and be taken seriously. Too often people want to dissect and over analyze their own happiness rather than merely being content and happy with how things are. It is this idea that we are constantly filling a void. It is the same reason we get into careers that we want to advance in, why we seek higher and higher payment for wages, why we are constantly working towards "improving" our lives.
Once upon a time we use to be happy with the bare essentials (or at least that is what we are lead to believe) but now it seems in our desire to aspire to better things we are constantly being disappointed.
Which brings me back to literary fiction.
Writers, most often, are the voice of their generation and therefore they attempt to reflect the tone and desires of their own and often the society in which they live.
But I do believe writers now have fallen into this trap that if they attempt to write something more upbeat it will not be taken seriously. But I think now it is important to note that we lack happy endings and are in dire need of them. Because a novel is uplifting and hopeful should not deem it unworthy as serious literature.
For the full article, click below:
Guardian article on literary fiction
What can I say? I'm a sucker for a happy ending :)
Questions? Comments? feel free to leave them below!
" But I think now it is important to note that we lack happy endings and are in dire need of them. Because a novel is uplifting and hopeful should not deem it unworthy as serious literature"
ReplyDeleteI agree and in any case, writers should be writing what they need to write in order to sleep well at night, not what they think will please someone else - that's a different profession entirely...
I meant to post my reply on here actually.
DeleteBut like i said before I completely agree. Writing is suppose to be about self-expression not catering to an audience. That is why its such a valuable art form. So if you want yours to have a sad or happy ending it should be how you as the writer feel is best, not what critics and your peers think is worthy to be deemed "serious literature"