I enjoy these kinds
of stories quite a lot, but recently I have been rediscovering the joys of what
I’ll call “simple fiction” as I’ve read a couple of Trenton lee Stewarts Mysterious Benedict Society novels and
poked back through the Harry Potter books. Much of what I call “simple” is
children’s literature, but any good story for a child is a good story for
someone who used to be a child. I have found these simple stories to be
refreshing for a handful of reasons.
The characters in these stories are basically good or
basically bad, and sometimes bad then good, almost never good and bad. They are as good or bad as the
reader needs them to be. Bad guys in the stories for younger children do things
like call names, look grotesque, and kick kittens because that’s what screams
“bad” to a young child. For older readers there are more subtle, but no less
clear marks of good or evil – traits such as self-sacrifice or self-serving –
as well as more bold and fearsome depictions of evil. This allows the reader to
relate consistently to characters throughout. Even as they stumble, the good
guys are sympathetic characters because, even in their failings, they don’t
exhibit a dark side, just a fallible one. When we read these stories we know who we are rooting for.
With characters that so clearly depict good or evil it only
makes sense that these stories depict clear virtues and morality. I don’t mean
a fable-like “moral of the story” but rather a moral direction and a virtuous
inclination. When the reader completes these books he comes away with a clearer
sense of right and wrong, nobility and ignobility. There is something
delightfully refreshing about this in a literary milieu of vagaries and, at
least, fifty shades of gray.
These kinds of stories are written to be enjoyable, and
their simplicity is what gives them their uniquely enjoyable flavor. Despite
what some might say in downplaying their legitimacy as literature for mature
readers, it is this straight-forward, virtuous simplicity that makes them legitimate. Stories are means
of truth, not just entertainment, and these simple stories communicate truth
more efficiently and clearly than their more complicated brethren and do so
without sacrificing their entertaining faculties.
Good literature comes in many flavors, and I encourage you
to seek out some of the simpler forms. Re-discover those stories that you loved
as a child. You’re wiser now, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to
realize just how well those stories still communicate to you.
