It’s the End of the Literary World As We Know It (But Don’t Be Afraid—It’s a Good Thing)
At the risk of sounding pretentious (I know, like that’s ever been an actual concern of mine), I’m about to wax literary about something I believe to be very important for writers in a changing world.
There, you’ve been warned. If you want to leave, do it now. Still here? Wow. You’re such a glutton for punishment, and it’s time to feast.
Symbols.
Subtext.
Allusions.
Together, they’re the subtle backbone of the writer’s (and reader’s) world. There are the often invisible at first parts of a story that grant a sort of universal understanding to both the enjoyers and the creators of the work itself. They are the foundations that allow metaphorical shorthand to help us as writers convey our themes and tones and meanings even when we don’t realize that’s what we’re doing.
Don’t believe me?
Our classical canon of novels, poetry, and stories (and even non-fiction) all pull from just a few sources upon which they are understood. You’ve no doubt heard that there are no original stories, and just as truly, there are no more original symbols (at least in our classical, Western point of view).
All literature, whether high-brow or low-brow, can be analyzed and understood through a handful of older references. They are:
– Fairy tales
– Greco-Roman (and occasionally Norse) mythology
– The Bible
– Shakespeare
https://seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2022/02/its-end-of-literary-world-as-we-know-it.html
