(no subject)
Jun. 7th, 2023 10:21 amRecently I've been reading a bunch of short story collections based in/on Darkover. I almost shudder to write that as I know what your probable reaction is to that statement. I feel oddly defiant about still liking the stories and was happy to find a selection of free fan-fic anthologies, although I'm not sure if professional writers get to be "fan" writers. After reading those, I felt encouraged to add a few of the main novels into my Nook collection so I could more easily read them when the mood struck. I like the Free Amazons, and the stories about the families of the Seven Domains, and as much as I deplore the ethics of the author and one of her co-writers I can't force myself to discard the fictional world. I am glad that whatever profits come from my recent purchasing (won't be much) will go those who can use the funds to help with healing.
This bout of reading has led me to think, again, about how I feel about artists who may be terrible people but whose art brings joy or wonder to the viewer. I don't think it serves humanity, if you will, to throw out beauty because of its creator. I also don't think it behooves me to give 'praise' in the form of funds to creators whose ethics I know are reprehensible. *cough* Rowling *cough* Card *cough* *cough*
There was a woman I once knew who inspired many of us in the local SCA kingdom to be better than ourselves, to hold to standards higher than we would have, to be more generous and kind than a hard day would merit otherwise. She was so good at that that she was brought into the Order of the Pelican. And then the news hit - she had been defrauding her best friend/roommate of thousands of dollars, and was messed up in federal charges too. She ended up in prison. And all of us who had nearly worshipped the woman were left reeling in shock. Years passed, she served her term, and once free in the world she started making financial restitution to those she had stolen from. Her marriage settled back out, her life started to improve. And in the midst of that she and her husband were both killed in a head-on car crash. I attended their funeral. Not for her, but because I dearly loved him (as did many of us). And came face-to-face with her mother and sister during a time when we were being encouraged to speak about the departed. I couldn't look at those two grieving women and say, "she was a horrible person who crushed many of us once we learned of her deceit." And realised that if I had said that, it wouldn't have been true. Because of her, many of us grew beyond our boundaries. We were better for having known her, for having been influenced by her, even though we ended up learning we'd been betrayed. I know of no one who repudiated the positive changes she had inspired. So I could look at her family, and at our friends, and say, "She only had the strength to be her Higher Self for a portion of her life, and she chose to give us that portion; to inspire, to challenge, and to encourage us. I am grateful that she gave us that gift."
So in the same vein, I read my Darkover novels and try to not dwell on what I know about the author. There are a few that I can't really read any longer because of their sexual content but the rest are still havens of respite for me. So, too, many Heinlein novels, and a few other works by authors I've learned too much about to honor any longer. Maybe them being dead influences my views about their work.
This bout of reading has led me to think, again, about how I feel about artists who may be terrible people but whose art brings joy or wonder to the viewer. I don't think it serves humanity, if you will, to throw out beauty because of its creator. I also don't think it behooves me to give 'praise' in the form of funds to creators whose ethics I know are reprehensible. *cough* Rowling *cough* Card *cough* *cough*
There was a woman I once knew who inspired many of us in the local SCA kingdom to be better than ourselves, to hold to standards higher than we would have, to be more generous and kind than a hard day would merit otherwise. She was so good at that that she was brought into the Order of the Pelican. And then the news hit - she had been defrauding her best friend/roommate of thousands of dollars, and was messed up in federal charges too. She ended up in prison. And all of us who had nearly worshipped the woman were left reeling in shock. Years passed, she served her term, and once free in the world she started making financial restitution to those she had stolen from. Her marriage settled back out, her life started to improve. And in the midst of that she and her husband were both killed in a head-on car crash. I attended their funeral. Not for her, but because I dearly loved him (as did many of us). And came face-to-face with her mother and sister during a time when we were being encouraged to speak about the departed. I couldn't look at those two grieving women and say, "she was a horrible person who crushed many of us once we learned of her deceit." And realised that if I had said that, it wouldn't have been true. Because of her, many of us grew beyond our boundaries. We were better for having known her, for having been influenced by her, even though we ended up learning we'd been betrayed. I know of no one who repudiated the positive changes she had inspired. So I could look at her family, and at our friends, and say, "She only had the strength to be her Higher Self for a portion of her life, and she chose to give us that portion; to inspire, to challenge, and to encourage us. I am grateful that she gave us that gift."
So in the same vein, I read my Darkover novels and try to not dwell on what I know about the author. There are a few that I can't really read any longer because of their sexual content but the rest are still havens of respite for me. So, too, many Heinlein novels, and a few other works by authors I've learned too much about to honor any longer. Maybe them being dead influences my views about their work.