We evolved this way, it is one of the defining traits that set us apart from other hominid and pre-hominid mammals. Our communication skills are what gave us an advantage and took hundreds of years of evolution to develop fully. Communication and story telling was how information was passed from one generation to the next. It was how we learnt.
Nowadays, books, stories are almost limitless resources as we have collected centuries of work. However, books and writing still have a great influence on society, both fiction and non-fiction novels. An example of this is Bram Stoker's Dracula. Before this piece of fiction was released there was a great stigma surrounding the dead and in particular, the undead. The people of the time were very superstitious and would undergo great measures to ensure suspected vampires, witches, zombies and warlocks stayed in the ground. Even the Catholic church had some issues, with the people becoming uncomfortable with the "body" of Christ. Superstitious folk (who was almost everyone at the time) thought this could elude to vampirism or cannibalism. For ages after vampires were depicted as horrible grotesque creatures that brought about disease and pestilence. This description followed them into literature until one book was realised. This was of course, Dracula.
Suddenly, a creature that was feared became romanticised. They were no longer rotting and monstrous, but almost human in look and manner. Most vampire books in the modern era still hold this romantic theme. Vampire Academy, Evernight, The Vampire Lestat and of course, the Twilight saga are books which share the theme of romantic vampires with a human side.
Yet people still think literature has no effect on our society.
Another prime example is the movie Jaws which was a major hit when it was released. It inspired a fear in people of both the ocean and sharks. Sharks however kill (however comical it sounds) less people than both coconuts and bees. Sharks truly are man-eating beasts we must fear. So this movie did not only inspire fear but also the mass culling of sharks. If there was a killing by a shark, people insisted they be culled. Shark numbers are now dwindling and environmental issues tied with human interference has meant a severe decrease in their numbers. There are also multiple shark themed horror films for us to watch. Such as Deep Blue Sea, Great White, 2-Headed Shark Attack, Bait, Shark Night, Swamp Shark, Ghost Shark, Shark Attack, Sharknado and the list could go on. (Many of the movies have names so ridiculous I couldn't bring myself to type them down.)
Literature totally has no influence.
All of William Shakespeare's work is now considered iconic. His play-writes are constantly adapted and re-adapted especially his most famous piece, Romeo and Juliet. His writing is so famous almost anyone who hears his name knows who he is and knows at least the name of one of his plays.
Plays like Romeo and Juliet have for many shaped their definition of love and romance (ironic, considering that really was not the original point of the play). We have seen the same storyline again and again. A boy and girl fall in love then are separated by family or other division between them and strive to be together, often ending in tragedy. The setting may change, for instance they might be in the wild west amongst dust balls and gun fights, or in medieval times, or modern era, but the main theme stays true.
Shakespeare and his plays have not only influenced film, song and writing but also the way we speak. Many modern phrases or slang came from his works. For instance, the "green-eyed monster." A Term used to describe someone who is jealous. "Love is blind," meaning we often fail to see shortcomings or faults in those we care about. "Break the ice," when talking about striking conversation. "Method to his madness" and "laughing stock" are two more phrases you would probably recognise.
I could continue on, but instead I will give you homework. Think about what information you read and see and hear and think about where it came from. Take note of what influences you and try and notice what influences others. Because we are always processing and taking information in, even subconsciously. It does not matter if the writing if fictional, because lore, myth and fiction has been the basis of our society for as long as records show.
That's it for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment