Once upon a time they lived happily ever after
Group urges Da Vinci film changes
As I hope, one day, to be a published writer, stories like this concern me.
I found the Da Vinci code fascinating. I enjoyed re-examining familiar paintings and researching some of the issues brought up in the book. It's fun to have the familiar challenged in an exciting way.
These conspiracies and theories have been rumbling around for centuries and will continue to do so. There is so much history and intrigue surrounding the catholic church and christianity as a whole. People like a mystery.
But, and this is a big but, this is first and foremost a work of fiction. The author has made it clear that it is a work of fiction. Sony Entertainment have made it clear that they view the film as a work of fiction. Fiction takes the familiar, the bizarre, the theories, the myths and, with a pinch of artistic license, weaves them into a story.
It seems increasingly as if authors, script writers, playwrights, etc will be forced to avoid a growing number of subject areas for fear of causing offence.
What a bland and boring world that will lead to.
posted by Rhea at 2/15/2006 01:36:00 pm
5 Comments:
Hi! I'm here via Zinnia. Having read your post I wonder if I should be quailing? At writing non-fiction I mean. Maybe I'm too old to care.
Hello Pi. It's all rather daft really, isn't it.
Thanks for stopping by to say hello.
Whatever else I think about Catholicism, its strong enough to survive a few challenges. I don't know why they think this will cause them problems! I would imagine that most RC's are pleased that people are thinking about catholisim!
I guess what worries some people is the amount of truth that exists in fiction. 'The truth of a story lies not in its accuracy but in its meaning' (Gabriel 1998:136). In fact it can be argued that the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction are very blurred, because non-fiction is usually given a narrative structure, and some aspects of the subject matter are selected for emphasis in the narrative while others are marginalised, so almost any writing can be said to be 'fictionalised' to a greater or lesser extent. Saying 'but it's only fiction' when the meaning someone perceives in a story has upset them is a bit like saying 'but it was only a joke' in the same circumstances. I share your concern about the likelihood of the world becoming more bland. But then again, creative types through history have often done their best work in the face of considerable constraints - the Sistine chapel ceiling and Shostakovich's symphonies spring immediately to mind - and I'm sure that authors, scriptwriters, playwrights and, dare I say it, cartoonists will continue to find ways around the constraints society continues to try to fetter them with. After all, isn't that one of the purposes of art?
Very interesting points Zinnia. Given me some things to think about.
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