A BRIEF TALK ON DARK THEMES IN LITERATURE

CONTENT WARNINGS FOR: DOMESTIC ABUSE, INCEST
(PLEASE DO NOT MISCONSTRUE THIS AS ME PROMOTING OR ENDORSING THE THEMES I WILL MENTION, OR ENCOURAGING ANYONE TO SEEK THIS CONTENT OUT. I AM TALKING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IT'S BEEN ON MY MIND LATELY AND I WANT PEOPLE TO APPROACH DARK THEMES IN LITERATURE AND ART WITH MORE NUANCE.)

I THINK PEOPLE WHO ARE IMMEDIATELY LIKE "IF THEY DRAW/WRITE IT, THEY CONDONE IT" ARE KIND OF ANNOYING. WHILE IT'S BEEN A SMALL MINORITY, I'VE SEEN A RISE IN THAT KIND OF RHETORIC FROM ALL SIDES OF THE INTERNET, AND I WISH PEOPLE WOULD APPROACH THINGS WITH GREATER DEALS OF NUANCE AND SENSITIVITY THAN IMMEDIATELY JUMPING TO LABEL SOMEONE WHO WRITES ABOUT ABUSE AS SOMEONE WHO CONDONES ABUSE. IT'S LIKE CALLING J.R. TOLKIEN A HOBBIT BECAUSE HE WROTE ABOUT HOBBITS.

THE EXAMPLE OF DARK THEMES THAT I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS IS INCEST. IT'S NOT ONLY (VERY OBVIOUSLY, MIND YOU) MORALLY REPUGNANT, BUT CAN ALSO SERVE AS AN EXPANSIVE METAPHOR FOR DISCUSSING OTHER SHADES OF VIOLENCE ADJACENT TO INCEST. IT'S THE AUTHOR OR ARTIST TAKING A VERY KNOWN VIOLENCE AND USING IT TO SHOW US SHADES AND DEEPER LEVELS OF THAT KIND OF TERROR THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN BEFORE. EXAMPLES OF THIS INCLUDE:

- USING INCEST TO EXPLORE THEMES OF RACISM AND WHITE SUPREMACY (AKA "KEEPING A BLOODLINE PURE") AND THEN FURTHER EXPOUNDING UPON THIS TO EXPLORE THE LOGIC OF FASCISM.
- USING INCEST TO PORTRAY THE VIOLENCE WITHIN THE NUCLEAR FAMILY STRUCTURE. IN PARTICULAR, HOW CHILDREN ARE SEEN AS LESS THAN HUMAN AND ARE MORESO SEEN AS STATUS SYMBOLS OR PROPERTY THAT THE PARENT OWNS.
- USING INCEST AS A METAPHOR FOR THE PERPETUATION OF ABUSE, WHEREIN THE TRAUMA OF THIS ABUSE CAN BE PORTRAYED AND ARTICULATED THROUGH A CHARACTER'S BREAKDOWN IN THEIR ABILITY TO NAVIGATE AND COMPREHEND RELATIONSHIPS.

PEOPLE, A LOT OF THE TIME, DRAW VERY ARBITRARY LINES BETWEEN WHAT IS INTELLECTUALLY SIGNIFICANT AND WHAT'S DRABBLE. DEPICTIONS OF DARK THEMES IN LITERATURE AND ART SHOULD BE HANDLED WITH MORE CARE THAN JUST "OH, THE AUTHOR/ARTIST IS SUPER INTO THIS." JUST BECAUSE ONE WRITES OR DRAWS SOMETHING DOESN'T MEAN THEY CONDONE IT. THOUGH, THERE IS A POINT WHERE YOU CAN TELL WHEN THE ARTIST/AUTHOR IS VERY INTO THE STUFF THEY WRITE ABOUT, AND THAT IS IF THEY PRODUCE THEIR CONTENT WITH THE INTENT TO TITILLATE THE AUDIENCE.

THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOLITA [BY VLADIMIR NABOKOV] AND SOME AO3 FIC ABOUT SHIPCEST. LOLITA IS A BOOK MADE BY VLADIMIR NABOKOV WHICH PUTS THE READER INTO THE MIND OF HUMBERT HUMBERT, A PAEDOPHILE WHO HAS KIDNAPPED A 12 YEAR CHILD (DOLORES) WHO HE CALLS "LOLITA". THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOLITA, WHICH PUTS YOU INTO THE SHOES OF HUMBERT HUMBERT AND SHOWS YOU HOW DELUSIONAL HE IS BY CONSTANTLY TRYING TO WOO THE READER WITH FANCY WORDPLAY AND OBFUSCATING WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING ON, AND SOMETHING LIKE AN AO3 SHIPCEST FIC.

THERE IS ALSO SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT VENT ART. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH SOMEONE WRITING OR DRAWING ABOUT ABUSE OR WHATEVER TO VENT ABOUT WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH. ARTISTIC DEPICTIONS OF ABUSE AND OTHER DARK TOPICS ARE TOTALLY FINE, BUT IT'S WHEN THEY BECOME PURELY FETISHISTIC IS WHERE THE LINE SHOULD BE DRAWN. AGAIN, BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTUAL VENT PIECES AND JUST STRAIGHT UP FETISHIZATION OF ABUSE. AGAIN, IT'S USUALLY VERY EASY TO SEE WHEN SOMEONE IS MAKING A VENT PIECE VERSUS WHEN SOMEONE IS JUST MAKING SOMETHING TO TITILLATE THEMSELVES AND THE AUDIENCE.

THE LAST THING I WANT TO TOUCH ON IS VERY BRIEF BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S SUPER COMPLEX. IF YOU SIMPLY DO NOT WANT TO SEE DARK THEMES IN ART AND WRITING, THAT'S FINE! I DON'T GO REWATCHING SALO EVERY OTHER DAY OF THE WEEK. I'VE SEEN IT ONCE AND I THINK THAT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME.

TO CONCLUDE, I THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD APPROACH DARK LITERATURE AND ART AND WHATNOT WITH A MORE SENSITIVE AND CRITICAL LENS. THERE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE PEOPLE WHO CREATE THIS STUFF FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF TITILLATION, BUT THOSE PEOPLE ARE USUALLY VERY EASY TO SPOT AND IGNORE.