Decay

Does anyone out there have any idea where all the great fiction writers went? It's pretty obvious that we live in a time where the content of literature matters less than the ability for it to sell, but there are typically a few that remain unfortunately unnoticed. Is literature really the same anymore? Do we really have to rely on the next Chuck Palahniuk book to provide with validation for how we feel about our fellow man?

It should be expected I suppose as on a basic level the idea of writing as a form of creative expression is continuously oppressed, and twisted into a horrible parody of itself. There is a natural human need to grind every once of worth from anything, or to latch onto the things that bring us the most joy and accentuate them until you alienate everyone but yourself. I believe this is why poetry has become such a modern joke. But it applies to modern fiction as well. In the same way that poetry is now an pillar of self-validation for ultra-cool coffee shops and underground beatnik clubs, fiction has become an endless conveyor belt of souped-up glamour novels filled based on 16th century Europe.

Whatever happened to realistic fiction as a commentary on modern life? Is there not room on the shelves next to the 10,000th book about how the Iraq war is bad for a statement on the ridiculous construction of American society? I am beginning to think that people are failing to understand the difference between entertainment and learning. As if reading about the standard operating procedure for a billion dollar company will teach them anything about their own lives and the world they live in.

I have always believed that fiction writing was the cry of the unappreciated. Thus, my theory is that we (and I'm not sure if this is America or just natural human society) treat everything as if it the most important and cherished thing ever created by man. Do we really have standards for literature that are so low we have to publish anything that comes though the doors to soothe the egos of the already rich and self important? I know there are great writers out there, what I don't understand is why they are not given a fair shot when the non-fiction celebrity trash remains a constant.