Fiction should be about moral dilemmas that are so bloody difficult that the author doesn't know the answer.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
People look for morals in fiction because there has always been a confusion between fiction and philosophy.
I think that novels are tools of thought. They are moral philosophy with the theory left out, with just the examples of the moral situations left standing.
The truth is, everything ultimately comes down to the relationship between the reader and the writer and the characters. Does or does not a character address moral being in a universal and important way? If it does, then it's literature.
I think that's what fiction writing is actually all about. It's about trying to solve problems in creative ways.
Readers of novels often fall into the bad habit of being overly exacting about the characters' moral flaws. They apply to these fictional beings standards that no one they know in real life could possibly meet.
Fiction should be an ethically safe space, free of fancy ideas. It should be dedicated modestly to relationships or escapism or the needs of luscious voyeurs.
Fiction is often most powerful when the author is exploring an issue - and not writing like a know-it-all who has the perfect answer.
I think fiction lends itself to messiness rather than the ideal, and plays well with the ironies surrounding what happens versus what should happen.
The novel is a penetrating study of morals and ethics.
There are some subjects that can only be tackled in fiction.
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