Morality in fiction?

[His_angel]

Would writing something that is not moral within Catholicism be scandal, or imply that you as the writer are ok with it?

It doesn’t seem to work with murder, lots of people write murder-mysteries and no one thinks they’re for it. But if the main character is a lesbian, most will assume the writer is ok with homosexual expression and relationships.

And then there are things that fall in the middle- if you’re writing a fantasy culture, can you be inspired by a culture that condones bigamy? Would that imply that you as a writer are ok with it, or just interested fictionally?

 

[Son_of_Jonah]

I don’t personally have an answer, but if you don’t mind my hijacking your thread to add… I have a question that relates to this very closely.

What of more common issues like premarital sex? For those of you who are familiar with his works, George R.R. Martin (Author of the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire) has many sexually explicit scenes written into his novels. The idea of premarital sex is also pervasive in The Wheel of Time series by the late Robert Jordan.

Is it a sin to write these sorts of books, if it presents these issues in a positive light, or at least leaves the characters who engage in such actions as suffering no consequences whatsoever for their promiscuity? And what of the culpability of those of us who read them?

 

[Bartolome_Casas]

To me, the answer is simple.

As a Catholic, if you want to be a faithful Catholic, you can write fiction with vampires, cannibals, homosexuals, mafia hit men, pedophiles, satanic demons, assassins, etc., but you must depict their character, or events that happen to such characters, such that the reader will not think that the story is approving of such “lifestyles,” or such that the story’s position on such activities is ambiguous.

The TV show “The Sopranos” is morally repulsive and could not be written by a faithful Catholic, since most people interpret that show as offering a lot of approval of the many elements of the criminal lifestyle.

 

[littlenothing]

I agree with Batholomew. I think you can write about murder, premarital sex or any sin *** long as there is no glorification of it to cause scandal to those who read it. A writer can use such things to demonstrate truth, but few do it seems.

 

[Non_sum_dignus]

The Bible itself is filled with scandalous behavior. It depends on the presentation. Writing a compelling story about Christian morality would pretty much require inclusion of sinful behavior, because that’s the way we see from what Jesus delivers us.

 

[Blue_Cricket]

Start with reading what’s in the Bible, and assume anything that falls in that line of –

–slander (Blessed Virgin trying to explain to everyone – except Elizabeth – “I am pregnant by the Holy Spirit” when even St. Joseph wanted to divorce her quietly),
–murder (Herod “A rival for the throne? Kill everyone under age two – now!”),
–scandal (Scribes and Pharasees “What is He up to now? Who gave Him the right? By the way – does He even know what harlot of a woman that is washing His feet with her hair?”),
–backstabbing (James and John and the rest "Look Mom, just ask Him to sit us one on His right and one on His left when He comes into His Kingdom . . .)
–betrayal (Judas “I need thirty pieces of silver to get this job done.”)
–and back to murder (Pilot "I wash my hands of this crucifixion – but you can have Barrabbas if it’s so all-mighty important . . . ")

–is fair game

–And don’t forget the requisite happy ending ("Who shall roll back the stone . . . ?) for a certain best-selling flair.

As for everything else, I consider that dime story. So as long as you can find it mentioned in “Jesus Christ: The Prequel” (AKA “The Old Testament”) just know there is a lesson that can be learned from it and be honest with your readers. Sometime a relatively modern lesson can be very gruesome. Let me tell you, in the original backwoods fairy tale, there was no ‘woodsman’ to save Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother from the wolf after she strayed until the Grimm Brothers came and sanitized things a bit for grownups afraid that women and children would get ideas.

Also, a list to put things in perspective (I hope):

Best horror books I have read with what I consider a moral compass: “Needful Things” and “It” – Stephen King, “Lightning” and “Watchers” Dean Koontz; “Farenhiet 451” – Ray Bradbury

Best Cinematic Horror: “Thing Thing” – both the original and John Carpenter’s remake, based on the creepy cold wire SF classic “Who Goes There?”

Best Comedic Books: “Bridge of Birds”, “The Story of the Stone”, “Eight Skilled Gentlemen”–Barry Hughart: Terri Pratchett (fantasy “Discworld” series)

Best “unscrupulous” (if dated) cinamatic Comedies: “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum”; “The 12 Chairs”; many of the works of Jackie Chan

 

[His_angel]

Best horror books I have read with what I consider a moral compass: “It” – Stephen King

It is really the only book I have a fairly good grasp of, so I’ll direct my question in regards to this-

There is a scene in the book that portrays the kids having sex, all the boys with Beverly so their bond can be renewed.

Now as a fictional plot point, I have little problem with this. I presume Mr. King isn’t endorsing it either, just writing about it. But to a lesser degree, I doubt Stephen King has a moral issue with premarital sex.

 

[Blue_Cricket]

True – but Beverly pays for consenting to that early action by becoming an abuse victim until she is an adult. (For those of you who haven’t read “It”–which deals with the an ancient evil that cycles every 28 years in the spiritually oppressed community of Derry, Maine–the book is told in flashbacks to when each of the kids tried to first take evil on, to when they come back for round 2 as still-ravaged adults. The main reason I choose “It” is because it gives a very good grasp of intergenerational attacks, and how shorter lived humans tend to be only aware that “something is wrong”, but not know exactly what.)

Anyway, Beverly’s first action toward liberation as an adult is to stand up to the evil of her abusive boyfriend by at least getting out of the situation. The description of the door slamming behind her and her boyfriend screaming as she runs to keep her promise is one of those that particularly stands out in the book’s beginning. The scene at the end (which I think comprises 1 actual paragraph) is only enough to let you know why and how they all ruined their lives in a way.

 

[Margarete_Faust]

I would think that it is fine to write about themes that are obviously Catholic as long as the themes themselves further some aspect of Catholic moral philosophy or critique something that is wrong with the secular world. Literature can be quite negative and still teach readers a valuable lesson.
Ever read works by Arthur Schnitzler? That guy wrote many works on sexual debauchery in the realm of the late 19th-century Viennese society. While his works do not show much moral development in the characters, they do show that the characters themselves are living nothing but vanities and are only searching for more purpose through their debauchery (but never quite achieving it). Before I get accused of promoting bad literature, Schnitzler’s works did represent a censored version of erotic themes, and more often than not he allowed the unscrupulous acts of the characters result in a fatal consequence. Now, if the works themselves had described the erotic acts in great detail, I would say that it would be a sin to read those works because they would be pornography. Schnitzler only hinted at the acts and focused on frivolous foreplay (kissing and pointless dialogue said by the characters to show that they are only playing a game with one another). No undressing is described, and no real dirty talk is used in the dialogues… only before and after dialogue. I say that can have its own moral purpose (maybe not for everyone, but for some people, yes).
The problem with literature is that some readers only see things in terms of black and white, and often do not consider events or personal issues that cause characters to fall into degrading acts. I think morality in fiction only goes as far as the reader interprets the acts. Of course, as the writer, it is your responsibility to make even an unscrupulous detail carry its own weight. Pray and use your gift to do God’s work.

 

[Baelor]

Would writing something that is not moral within Catholicism be scandal, or imply that you as the writer are ok with it?

No. How can you tell what the author believes? What level of ambiguity is permissible? Must the author preface each of his works with a comprehensive analysis of the morality of every decision with it?

Is it a sin to write these sorts of books, if it presents these issues in a positive light, or at least leaves the characters who engage in such actions as suffering no consequences whatsoever for their promiscuity?

I do not think that Martin’s portrayal of sex is glorifying at all – most of the sex in the book is extremely one-sided, violent, and abusive, either physically or psychologically. I think his treatment of sex is actually one of the most interesting ones that I have encountered in fiction.

More generally, I do not think the author is obligated to have promiscuous characters punished or anything like that. Do philanders get struck by lightning post-coitus in the real world? No.

And what of the culpability of those of us who read them?

Nonexistent.

The TV show “The Sopranos” is morally repulsive and could not be written by a faithful Catholic, since most people interpret that show as offering a lot of approval of the many elements of the criminal lifestyle.

This is a fallacious argument. Whether a Catholic faithful wrote it cannot be dependent on a future event, i.e. its reception.