Post for 10/15/13

What's the use of commenting on the fictionality of a story? It's not new. What does it do? It plays with the boundaries of storytelling. But what is the point of that? Is it just another game to play, or is there a reason we're playing? I keep coming back to this, as I consider and re-consider Nabokov and Joyce. Joyce does a lot of play on the fictionality of the story. Is it just a reminder? By the way, this is all made up. Is it a comfort? Don't worry, this is all made up. Is it a claim of virtuosity? "I'm so great, this is all made up." Is it a disclaimer? Don't blame me, this is all made up. Maybe it's a bit of all of these things. I think about the way authors lives are used to invalidate their fictions. In that way, Nabokov is constantly claiming that this story is made up, and that it's not him. It's not his life. I have a hard time buying that as the idea. I don't know. I think about the importance of fiction. About the importance of made up stories. I think stories are important because they allow us to see something, or somebody we normally might not see. Now, this is sort of complicated by the fact that a great deal of fiction is about just the opposite. It tries to create intentionally hollowed-out characters, so that people will see themselves in the work they're reading. Does this mean that the importance of made up stories is not in connecting to others, or does it mean that different fictions have different purposes?  I have so many questions. I keep wondering about why we care so much about fiction. Maybe fiction is about both identifying and welcoming the other. Well no, I don't like that definition because it excludes the possibility to appreciate a story that one does not see a piece of themselves in. But at the same time, aren't those the stories we like most? Stories that reflect certain parts of us, or our likes, and deflect others? The stories I like, even if I don't agree with them per se, have elements I agree with. Is a complete inversion automatically unlikeable? If I see something that is completely opposite of me, in my personality, and in my literary preferences, is that reason enough to dislike a story? I don't know. Hm.