Stop Using Fiction to Push Politics

+ 2024 Q2 Update

I recently read two classic novels: The Stranger by Albert Camus, and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.

The two books differ in almost every way. The Stranger is set in the city of Algiers during the French occupation of Algeria; it is quite short, is written in a very stripped-back, Modernist style, and features a small cast of (mostly detestable) characters. For Whom the Bell Tolls is set in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, and while it is also written in a Modernist style, it is much longer with a more elaborate narrative, and features a larger cast of characters with more complex emotions and motivations.

What distinguishes the two novels most is the way in which each author uses his story to explore complex philosophical themes. For Camus, philosophy is front and centre. It is never stated outright, but when you read The Stranger, you know that you are reading a ‘philosophical novel’. The characters, though never unbelievable, do not feel quite real; it is perhaps more appropriate to think of them as archetypes, with the protagonist Meursault representing the Stranger or Outsider, Marie the Lover, and so on. In The Stranger, Camus is essentially exploring the interplay between certain archetypes (or personalities) and the various institutions and existential pressures of modern society¹.

For Hemingway, story and character development come first. Hemingway does explore philosophical topics throughout For Whom the Bell Tolls (e.g., by having characters openly discuss topics like the existence of God, or what constitutes acceptable behaviour in war), but the reader never feels like he is ‘doing philosophy’, and he certainly never feels that Hemingway is trying to convince him of anything. I was actually surprised at how impartial the author was throughout the story. Despite being a strong supporter of the Republican cause, Hemingway pulled no punches in describing the brutal treatment of Nationalist troops and civilians by the Republicans, or the cynical involvement of international stakeholders in what was ostensibly a Spanish affair. To put it simply, he was honest—he told a true story about real people. I found this approach to be far more compelling and enjoyable, and somewhat paradoxically, I found myself thinking more about the themes and ideas in For Whom the Bell Tolls than The Stranger.

Homelander, leader of The Seven in Amazon’s The Boys.

Consider a more contemporary example. Readers may be aware of the recent controversy surrounding The Boys, a satirical superhero series released on Prime Video. I have never watched the show myself, but the controversy is a familiar one. A series with once broad appeal has now ‘gone woke’, with the latest season supposedly crossing the line from entertainment to polemics. Fans point to on-the-nose comparisons between the cruel and narcissistic superhero Homelander and former president Donald Trump, as well as the retconning of a previously straight character as actually bisexual, as evidence of this shift. Showrunner Eric Kripke has dismissed this criticism, asserting that the show has always been political, but there has evidently been enough of a change that the entertainment value of the show has diminished.

What can we learn from this? It seems to me that there is a right way and a wrong way to explore political and philosophical themes via entertainment. When a storyteller beats us over the head with his opinions we quickly lose interest, especially when we disagree with him. On the other hand, when a storyteller grabs our attention with believable stories and characters, and makes us shout, laugh, and cry in the process, we become more willing to consider his ‘strange’ ideas. Any story that is too explicit in its political or philosophical messaging, or that is too intellectual, is bound to fail.

To be clear, I am not saying that stories should be entirely devoid of intellectual content. Some (perhaps all) of the greatest works of literature explore philosophical themes. But Kripke’s misstep was in writing a story in order to push a political message, rather than writing a realistic story in which his characters wrestle with deep philosophical conflicts. This is almost always a mistake, and the results speak for themselves. Hemingway understood this, and consequently, his novels will continue to be read for centuries to come.

Before anything else, then, a story needs to be just that—a story. Great storytellers seek above all to entertain us, to appeal to our emotions. It is only after we are already convinced that we can be persuaded by logic. Intellectuals and activists like to think of themselves as above such trivialities, but if you want to push a message and also write good stories, you need to do it the right way. Stop using fiction to push your politics—instead, focus on telling real stories about real people. If your worldview is right, the truth will out itself.

---

2024 Goal Progress - Q2

Substack

Mind & Mythos

2024 goals: monthly Essay Club posts, quarterly updates, and semi-regular essays on all the topics usually covered by M&M.

It’s been another productive three months at Mind & Mythos. I’ve managed to post approximately twice per month since the beginning of the year; since my last personal update in March I’ve published three Essay Club posts (on John Carter’s Cryptocracy, Jung’s Wotan, and Chesterton’s A Defence of Heraldry), the long-awaited first instalment of The Stories We Tell, and a short musing—a sermon of sorts—on the idea that we might expect too much of God. I’m pretty happy with my output and the quality of these posts, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed them as well. My grandma particularly enjoyed the one on God!

What’s next? Well, Essay Club continues—join us on the 13th of July to discuss Clark and Chalmer’s The Extended Mind (PDF)—but I also have a few of my own essays in the pipeline that currently have no set ETA. Among these are the second instalment of The Stories We Tell, a piece on the psychological interpretation(s) of the Holy Grail myths, an essay with the working title Against Originality, and another on the value of reading old books. I also hope to return to my series on the work of Jordan Peterson, and have a vague desire to revisit and expand one of my earliest works, Chaos, Order, and the Struggle for Survival.

So much to write! Unfortunately this all comes at a time when I have a lot going on in my personal life as well. For this reason, it’s hard to say when they’ll be published. All I can say is that I’ll do my darndest to keep writing, and won’t post anything until I’m sure that it’s worth reading.

Mythopoetics

In January I started a new Substack, Mythopoetics, a place for me to post poems and educational essays on the art of poetry.

Unfortunately, since my last update, I haven’t written much poetry. I did post my first piece on the use of rhyme and other forms of repetition in poetry, and I recently posted one poem, a fun little piece called Ode to an Instant Coffee, but otherwise my creative well has run a bit dry. I think I need to focus more on my creative output over the next few months. Which brings me to…

Songs of Sarenthé

I haven’t posted to Songs of Sarenthé in quite some time. I still enjoy reading and writing fantasy fiction, though, and I’m starting to get the itch to return to Sarenthé after spending so long away. I think you can expect to see some new content here in the coming months. Right now I have a few old story and poem fragments waiting to be written up, and I have a few new ideas bouncing around in my brain as well, so watch this space. If you’re not already subscribed, now’s the time!

Current works in progress:

• Selora #1: 15% complete

• Frayn and Whispertip #2: 10% complete.

• ‘Research notes’ #1: 50%

• Various poems: 5-10%

---

Reading

2024 goal: Familiarise myself with the Arthurian legends and develop an understanding of their mythological and psychological significance.

Last year I set a goal of reading 12 books over the course of the year. For various reasons, including having a baby, I wasn’t able to achieve this goal. This year, however, I find myself almost accidentally on track to achieve this. I think the difference has been the mental shift that has come with ‘reading with a purpose’. Reading with the intention of learning more about the mythological and psychological perspectives on King Arthur, or indeed, with the accountability of attending a book club each month, has kept me more motivated to read the same books regularly (instead of repeatedly starting new books).

I’ve also started listening to audiobooks. So far I’ve completed one—Neema Parvini’s The Prophets of Doom—and I’m on track to finish Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind, a classic of political psychology. Can we class these as ‘books read’? I’m counting them, and intend to ‘read’ more audiobooks in future. I enjoy having something substantial to listen to while driving or completing menial office and household tasks.

Current books:

• Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: 101/170 pages read

• Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind (audiobook): 7/12 chapters read

• Chretien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances: 60/497 pages read

• Joseph Campbell, Romance of the Grail: 95/233 pages read

• Numa de Coulanges, The Ancient City: 70/323 pages read.

Completed:

• Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King

• J. R. R. Tolkien (translator), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• Albert Camus, The Stranger

• John Whitworth, Writing Poetry

• Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

• Mircea Eliade, The Myth of the Eternal Return

• Epictetus, The Enchiridion

• Neema Parvini, The Prophets of Doom (audiobook)

---

Exercise

What must life be like for those lucky few who have endless free time? I can only assume they are all built like Arnie, reading a book a day, and engaged in numerous interesting hobbies. Alas, I’m not one of those people, so I’ve had to make some sacrifices.

For me, exercise is always the first thing to go. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but the forms of exercise I’ve tried in the past have almost all required me to go somewhere else, which after a long day at work just feels like a chore, and cuts into my limited relaxation + family time. I either need to muster the motivation and commitment to just do it, or find an alternative activity that doesn’t take me too far away from home. What are my options?

I’m still a member at the local pool, and intend to continue swimming when I can. As I see it, I also have three other choices: walking/running, cycling, and bodyweight exercises at home. Some combination of all of these would be ideal, of course, but when building a habit it’s generally best to start small.

I'm going to keep thinking about it. I hope to have more of a plan in place next time.

---

Poetry

2024 goal: Improve my poetry writing, and publish at least one poem per month.

Since starting my poetry journey, I've limited myself to poems written in English. The main reason for this is that I only speak English myself, and—as careful use of language is fundamental to the art of poetry—I don’t feel that a translation could ever truly measure up to the original work. That said, I also feel that it’s important not to limit oneself to reading just English works of literature. What a conundrum!

There are two clear solutions to this. The first is to put in the work to learn a new language. This is something that I’ve made initial steps toward in the past (Latin), but for various reasons I had to put this on hold. The other solution is to settle for reading translated works. Por qué no los dos? Well, I think that’s my eventual goal. I’ll never learn every major language, but I can try to learn one—and if I make it a language that I will actually use, one that I’m genuinely interested in learning for a practical purpose, I’ll be more motivated to stick with it (this is starting to become a running theme of these updates…).

So what interests me? In all of my reading and research, I keep stumbling upon German authors that I’d like to read and know more about. Goethe, Holderlin, Novalis, Schiller, Heidegger… the list goes on, and although most of these authors have been translated into English, many of their works are known to be more accessible or enjoyable in the original German. I recently started reading some of Holderlin’s poems, and this is what I’ve found—his ideas are of interest to me, but his poetry just isn’t doing it for me in English.

So this is a new goal I’m setting for myself: to learn German. It’s related to my interest in poetry, but it’s a whole other thing as well.

---

Language Learning: German

First goal: Complete section 1 of Duolingo’s German course.

---

That’s all for now. Adios!

- D

1. This is obviously only one of many possible interpretations, but it’s the one that has helped me to appreciate what was otherwise, for me, a rather underwhelming novel.