Thursday, February 6, 2020
Week 5: A Rosy Past
The past will always feel more comfortable then the present. It is concrete, something that cannot be changed. One can always convince themselves the past is better then whatever is hidden in the fog of the future. This presents itself when writing a memoir. An author can spin some lofty moral or lesson from a certain event because that is how they themselves wish to view it, even if at that moment it was actually far more mundane. However this is certainly not at the fault of the author; no one can truly prevent their memories from warping over time. Moreover, it is somewhat necessary to add some embellishment to make a recounting more exciting. There is no point in realism for the sake of realism. I don't feel a more manufactured telling of an event is made lesser so because of the added frills. All that matters is the pint the author was trying to make.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Week 12: The View from Halfway Down
The View From Halfway Down: Mental Illness in Television Mental health on television shows is a tricky subject to navigate. There are too...
-
I always loved how different the lighting seemed in the morning. Bright, but not blinding. Soft, but still noticeable. As I walked along the...
-
First, a disclaimer. Despite the title, my memoir will not be about the actor/wrestler Dwayne Johnson. Sorry to disappoint, but if it’s... -
Most of my life I have had some crazy ideas, from political ones to ideas about where to put the picture on the wall. I like to be heard, an...
I love your opening phrase, "the past will always feel more comfortable then the present." I think this is very true. I would not necessarily say that the past is concrete. In terms of how it actually played out yes, but humans start to change their recollection of the past as time goes by. Memories start to get a little fuzzy and details may become flipped in comparison to how they actually happened. You highlighted this later in your post, which was very well said. An author can retell a story in a memoir based on how they wish to view it. No one else necessarily knows the real story, so they can do what they want with it. I think this is why fluidity and the blurring of fact and fiction can become problematic for the audience. Although what we are reading is entertaining and we enjoy it, we do not actually know which parts are true and which parts are not.
ReplyDelete