It's been a long time since I have written. Classes have been horrendous, and I'm surprised my eyes are well enough to look at this screen from all the reading I've done this semester. But only 24 days and then I'm done with college-hopefully forever! Here is a duel as I imagine it between Alexander Pope and J.K. Rowling. Who are some other contemporary and classic authors/critics it would be fun to throw against each other? And do you prefer classics or contemporary works/authors and why?
“How dare you insult my
work of art!” J.K. Rowling screeches, raising her sword high.
Alexander Pope straightens his shoulders and lifts his
gleaming saber high. “It cannot be a work of art, as you say, if it doesn’t
point to the ancient writers.”
“And why not? They had their faults. My novels have the
same unity found throughout the early works of fiction such as Joseph Andrews and Clarissa, without wandering in the woods of endless detail and
ranting like Fielding and Dickens.” She gives a quick flick of the hand holding
the wand, and images appear floating over the clearing: Harry Potter’s tale
flashes before their eyes, from his delivery to the Dursley’s to the defeat of
Lord Voldemort.
“That may be so,” Pope replies once the images vanish
into the cool mists of the evening, “but the early writers desired to teach
virtue to their readers so that they could become better people. Today,
however, authors merely wish to entertain and please their audience.”
“All writers to some extent want to entertain their
readers, be it through comedy or tragedy, or a mixture of both.” Rowling waves
the hand without the wand in the air. “I mean, look at Shakespeare. He had his
audiences usually either rolling on the floor in laughter or weeping rivers.”
“He used the old forms,” Pope says.
“Samuel Johnson didn’t think so. Shakespeare’s plots and
characters were more complex than those of the Greek’s, and he didn’t stick
with the categories of comedy and tragedy.”
“And,” Rowling places a hand on her hip, “There may be
many authors today who merely wish to make money with their writing and just
cater to the crowds, like the book Shades
of Grey,” (here she gags), “and those Amish romances, but most books teach
us something, whether the author intended it or not.”
“Yes, but the ancients wrote their books with the purpose to teach people, not just to let
the reader learn whatever they will. And most authors today do not hold the
same truths of beauty and order as the ancients did.”
J.K. Rowling frowns.“There are people in every generation who hold a
different standard than what nature says is beautiful. And yes, our society may
have wandered from this more than the rest, but you could argue that Shakespeare’s
works are too bawdy and coarse. Authors today could write more openly to teach,
but if it is too bold, the readers would abscond. Also, some people today do
manage to point to truths in their novels.”
Rowling flicks her wand, and an image of Harry’s mother,
Lily, dying for him pops into the air, with the whisper of words, “Your
mother’s sacrifice protects you.” Then the scene changes to Harry giving up his
life to Lord Voldemort to save his friends.
In the silence that follows these visions, Rowling says
quietly, “What is more truthful and good than the theme of sacrificial love?”
Pope shifts, then says, “Your books may have more beauty
in them than others. But they cannot show human nature realistically since they
take place in an unrealistic, fantasy world.”
Rowling stares at him, then chuckles softly. “What about
the monster in Frankenstein? What
about the Cyclops in The Odyssey and
the other creatures Odysseus fights? The vampire in Dracula? These tales all have elements of unreality, but they are
considered classics. And many people exalt Tolkien’s works, which most
definitely are ‘fantasy.’ But his works are so deep that even reading them
three times one can’t take in all of his truths about power, good and evil,
friendship, loyalty, nature (creation), love, and art."
“Even fantasy depicts human nature," Rowling continues, "for authors of this
genre must base their characters, even non-human ones, on humans, for that is
all we know. People can often learn better and more from fantasy than realism
because they are relaxed and not expecting to learn. And if we do not show the
exalted, how can we know what to strive for?” Rowling flips her wand around in her hand. “Tolkien also has
some great essays on the subject, but I can’t recall them at the moment.”
Pope opens his mouth to reply, probably in some melodious
poem, but Rowling waves her wand. “I’m weary of this.”
A large, dark blue dragon appears in the middle of the
clearing and stalks towards Pope. The man fights valiantly, but alas, in the
end the beast eats him.
