"THERE IT IS. Right there on the novel's first page. Right there in the first line, staring the reader in the face. A lie.
Nothing against Tolstoy. I'm an admirer. I simply happen to believe he's responsible for the most widely quoted whopper in world literature.
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Literary types swoon over that line, which opens Anna Karenina. But have they considered the philosophy they're embracing?
If Tolstoy is to be taken at his word, a person must be unhappy in order to be interesting. If this is true, then certain other things follow. Happy people have no stories you might possibly want to hear. In order to be happy, you must whitewash your personality; steamroll your curiosities, your irritations, your honesty and indignation. You must shed idiosyncratic dreams and march in lock-step with the hordes of the content. Happiness, according to this witticism of Tolstoy's, is not a plant with spikes and gnarled roots; it is a daisy in a field of a thousand daisies. It is for lovers of kitsch and those with subpar intelligence."
There's more, so check out the book if you're interested. I'm only on page 11, so I can't attest to the rest. But I'm so glad someone put into words what I've railed against for so long. Not that I have anything against unhappy people's stories, I just don't believe they're the only ones whose stories are worth telling.
I'm getting the book!
ReplyDeleteHUZZAH! Bless this woman!! I am seriously considering taking this quite to my night class of Modern Literature, where a bunch of cynics think that high brow literature is depressing literature.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we're not alone. I'm stealing this and reposting that quote to my blog, it must be known!
I should mention that this book is fiction, and the main character is the one making the statements. She's a faculty member in an English department, and, says on page 2 that "Literature professors don't, ever, call books depressing. The correct word is "disquieting." Cracks me up.
ReplyDeleteCollette, it's a culture that streams through most of the arts--visual arts, literature and film. A sort of group-think that believes that if it's not dark, it's not art. If you can, check this book out of your college library and read the first few pages, so you can get a fuller sense of the writing. Go girl!!
Yay!!! I MUST read this book. I like the narrator already. I've been trying to start a new story lately, and I am struggling because I have this modern mentality that happy stories are boring, but I also know that I have to write what I know and, is it bad?, I've had a pretty happy life, so (pant pant) WHAT AM I TO DO??? You've pushed me a little closer toward the road of the believers, the truth-tellers, the happy, and, yes, the still-literary!
ReplyDeleteThe book is described as a love story, and, I admit, my expectations are pretty high after that opening. I'm almost afraid to continue, for fear of let-down. I'm not sure why the negative outlook is so appealing to literary critics--I know the 4 women who posted here, and others in our family are absolutely interesting, and we have a generally positive outlook. Later tonight, I'll post a bit more of the same page--she's good!
ReplyDeleteTHE TRUTH: Every happy family is happy in its own way. So there! (I'm so enjoying these comments.)
ReplyDeleteWOW! Love it. It's amazing how we literary lovers swallow concepts just because a sentence has a tantalizing twist.
ReplyDeleteI know, Jessie--it's so easy go along with something simply because it's cleverly said. I do SO appreciate a well-turned phrase!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa, for setting the record straight!