Taboos and Tropes: Part I “Necessity, Balance, and Thematic Sincerity”
Rae Bryant
On December 10, 2008, Ecstatic Days ran “Dear Genre Fiction Writers: Quit This Sh*t” by Fantasy Magazine Managing Editor, Tempest K. Bradford. This article expanded into side bar discussions: sex, femme fallacies, and the taboo tropes with which these issues associate. Comments explored these issues with passionate stances and counterpoints. Should I curtail premises, or should I just write what I want? How do I best approach sex, aggression, and gender in my writing? Should I approach gender at all?
To answer these questions, one might employ three main litmus tests: necessity, balance, and thematic sincerity. If a taboo or trope can survive these, then the taboo and/or trope may serve the story’s needs, but this is the exception to the rule. As noted in the 12/10/2008 Ecstatic Days post, taboos and tropes are often misguided or overused.
First, let’s take a look at what taboos and tropes are.
Taboos
Why do taboos stay with us? They are the dark underbellies. Incest, rape, torture — we can’t ignore them. As distasteful and decrepit as taboos are, we keep them around like crusted scabs on our collective skin. Taboos dare us to pick, but as enticing as they can be, taboos can also be barriers. The difference between hook and barrier depends upon thematic sincerity. Tropes, however, are a different matter.
Tropes
Tropes are not so much a question of sincerity, as one of necessity. Harmon and Holman’s The Handbook to Literature defines a trope as:
[A rhetorical figure] of speech involving a “turn” or change of sense – the use of a word in a sense other than the literal; . . . figures of comparison [metaphor, simile] as well as ironical expressions are tropes. Until recently, tropes occupied a subordinate place in literary studies. When the New Criticism began to regard poetry as a special kind of use of language, however, certain tropes – irony and paradox in particular – began to enjoy an unprecedented measure of prestige.
In summation, tropes may enjoy linguistic and rhetorical respect, but tropes in a thematic or motif sense can become too common. For this reason, literary tropes often lack credibility. It is this literary credibility that we will explore, and whether or not using a trope is worth its risk.
Trope Risk
For many readers, literary tropes [theme, motif, simile, and metaphor] can too often turn into clichés ad nauseam. So why use them at all? Sometimes it’s hard to cut them out altogether. In an epic, the protagonist must go on a journey. In a medieval fantasy, characters will carry swords. Whether the story intends for the sword to represent a penis or not is irrelevant. The trope follows the sword regardless of intention. Some might say this is why epics and medieval fantasies are problematic, but many readers still crave these stories.
How Do Tropes and Taboos Affect a Reader’s Experience?
As an audience, we want creativity, familiarity, and at the last resonating word, we want a connection to the world or even ourselves. Do taboos and tropes provide this connection? Not by default.
On one hand, a trope can render exposition at breakneck speed. A taboo can perk interest, but both tropes and taboos offer pitfalls. One misstep or overstep, and the story falls laden with preconceived ideas, themes, and expectations. The story slips through the crevices. Down, down it goes, and the jaded reader stands waving good-bye.
So, how might a story use tropes and/or taboos successfully?
It comes down to rhetoric: the art of persuasion. A story must persuade a reader’s acceptance of credibility, setting, characters, and conflicts. With a masterful pen, tropes and taboos can work, when consciously employed, but this is arguably the exception.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: The Unbeliever
One exception is Stephen Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series. The first story in this series, Lord Foul’s Bane (1977), depicts rape, a risky taboo trope for any story, but in the Covenant series, this taboo trope is a conscious addition to the characters’ journeys. Despite critical friction in response to the series, rape is arguably a thematically relevant taboo trope.
SPOILER ALERT: In Lord Foul’s Bane, Thomas Covenant — the tragic protagonist and leper — falls asleep and wakes in a new world, The Land. In this new world, Covenant’s leprosy goes into recession. Even as he believes The Land to be a delusion, he experiences hope. Enter the lovely young girl, “who did not look any older than sixteen.”
Lena finds Covenant atop “Kevin’s Watch,” and she believes him to be a savior. She fawns over him and takes him to Mithil Stonedown, where the villagers revere him with awe. Covenant — flawed, unstable, and suddenly hopeful — finds himself cured of impotence and in a hysterical moment, rapes Lena.
This act reveals and damns Covenant by taboo trope, no less. So why does it work for so many readers? Perhaps it is the complicated motivations or the raw brutal descriptions. The scene focuses on Covenant’s horrific act upon an innocent girl, and Covenant hates himself for it. Good! Story end? Right? No.
The Land, Lena, and the villagers need Covenant, and so necessity propels him toward redemption. It is a juxtaposition of savior, misogyny, and crime, a seemingly impossible reconciliation to make, and it is the hook into Covenant’s story. The reader wants Covenant to be the savior, or better yet, the sacrifice. Covenant must rise above himself, his crime, disease, and self-pity in order to be this savior, but self-loathing governs Covenant’s attitude, and though the reader needs and wants Covenant to loathe himself, the reader also needs Covenant to transcend.
Covenant is a protagonist who the reader cannot dismiss, because the reader needs him to be more; therefore, the taboo trope must be more than a cliché, it must be the catalyst to Covenant’s hit-bottom turnaround. Already in love with Lena and The Land, the reader sticks around to make sure Covenant atones. He must atone, so he can save The Land — an obvious analogy, but effective nonetheless.
Of course, any good feminist will chaff at the “rapist as savior,” and rightly, so; however, this chafing does not dismiss the rape as relevant to theme. Still, it took Donaldson six original books within the series to form closure. Even so, a significant reader pool will simply not read beyond the rape scene. What does this example teach us? Taboo tropes are not to be used lightly. They are a lengthy investment of time and craft, and they will prompt criticism. END SPOILER.
Necessity, Balance, and Thematic Sincerity
In answering the necessity question, ask if the taboo or trope progresses the story along. Is it organic to characters and conflicts? Can some other plot element do the job just as well?
If the taboo or trope is necessary, the next step is balance. This balance is hard to achieve, as taboos and tropes tend to associate with provocative material — material, perhaps, unintended. Let’s consider the portal in an epic journey. Because this trope is so far-reaching, it is a compulsory caution when crafting windows, doorways, drains, and rabbit holes. Any little space where a character can squeeze through will smell like a trope whether intended or not. Another portal? Yada, yada, yada . . . A portal, even if committed by accident, can jar the reader out of the story, and subsequently, out of thematic focus. For this reason, the window, if necessary, had better be the best damn window ever; otherwise, craft the window as a true window and not an accidental portal.
Even after all good attempts, the window may still associate to the portal, hence the inescapable use of tropes. They sneak in like drunken wedding crashers, and the story must have the grace to handle this inevitability. It’s no excuse to say “But, but . . . I didn’t invite the trope!” Readers won’t care, and the caterer will still charge for the extra plate.
Taboo Tropes
Even more risky is the taboo trope (the double whammy). Taboo tropes must not only satisfy necessity and balance, but also the question of “Do you want to go there?” Ask this question: Is the rape scene necessary to the medieval epic, and if so, how does it relate to theme? Does it take over the story? In the Covenant series, the rape does take over the story, but it was meant to take over the story.
The writer must be the forever rhetorician, persuading the reader to focus on the central themes at hand. Difficult to do with taboo tropes, as they are by nature, scene-stealers, and they tend to leave a stain.
In all consideration, it isn’t whether or not taboos/tropes can be used successfully — success is subjective and worrying over it is wasted energy — but rather is the taboo or trope necessary, balanced, and relevant to theme. If not, take it out. Let me repeat . . . remove the taboo or trope. The story will be better for it.
In “Taboos and Tropes: Part II,” we will further address rhetoric and why tropes can often dissuade readers from a story’s credibility. We’ll also address specific pitfalls to consider when writing taboos and tropes with an exercise on writing about rape.
Rae Bryant is a short story author, poet, columnist, Assistant Editor for Fantasy Magazine, on staff with Weird Tales, and a reviewer for The Fix. She is the July 2008 recipient of the Whidbey Writers’ Prize. Her works have appeared or will soon be appearing in Weird Tales, Frederick News-Post, Literary Traveler, Southern Fried Weirdness, and The Willows, among others. Rae is currently a graduate student at Johns Hopkins finishing an M.A. in Writing. She’s also writing a novel and lives in a little valley just outside Washington D.C. Read more about Rae at RaeBryant.com or visit her at RaeBryant.LiveJournal.com.
1 • Elliot Martin said:
April 7th, 2009 at 3:54 pm, permalink
I found this article interesting and insightful. Thank you. I look forward to part II.
2 • Rae Bryant said:
April 7th, 2009 at 3:56 pm, permalink
Thank you. I’m glad you liked it.
3 • Marshall Payne said:
April 7th, 2009 at 5:04 pm, permalink
Good piece, Rae! I’m looking forward to Part II.
4 • Rae Bryant said:
April 7th, 2009 at 5:28 pm, permalink
Thanks, Marshall. Part II has a taboo writing exercise.
5 • Marshall Payne said:
April 7th, 2009 at 5:33 pm, permalink
Cool! I’ll break out and polish my best taboo then.
6 • Rae Bryant said:
April 7th, 2009 at 5:36 pm, permalink
Oh my! Yes, and I know that your best will be something to read!
7 • Elliot Martin said:
April 7th, 2009 at 5:41 pm, permalink
Hi Rae,
I’ve been thinking about tropes that reappear in literature. Tell me if you disagree but it seems that unimaginative use of tropes is a little like using stock characters (the faithful sidekick, the overbearing in-law).
Perhaps success in using tropes (other than for comic purposes) is not unlike creating robust believable characters. A reader needs to see how a character is unique and different in order to build a personal connection. The same thing may be true when approaching a taboo or using a trope. Is this what you meant in your article when said it required rhetoric and persuasion?
I’m interested in other reader’s and Rae’s thoughts on this topic. It often feels impossible to avoid re-using some common themes and motifs in writing (i.e., suffering and redemption, the oppressed rebelling against their oppressor, etc). The trick is in making it fresh. Any ideas?
8 • Marshall Payne said:
April 7th, 2009 at 5:50 pm, permalink
One example that comes to mind, Elliot, is Michael Swanwick’s The Iron Dragon’s Daughter, where he uses various Dickens tropes of the work house and from Great Expectations, but the invention of the story, by placing it in Faery with dragons as fighter aircraft, makes it new. Though you recognize what he’s drawing from, the sheer invention makes it seem so fresh.
9 • Rae Bryant said:
April 7th, 2009 at 5:55 pm, permalink
Hi Elliot,
These are all excellent comments. Yes, I agree that the trick is creating unique or fresh characters, and sometimes, perhaps, its the combining of both fresh and more familiar attributes that build a bridge between characters and readers.
In my own reading/writing, I look for points of familiarity and difference. Something to hook and anchor all at once. Tropes tend to bore rather than anchor me. Taboos can too often be gratuitous. Just my take.
10 • Elliot Martin said:
April 7th, 2009 at 5:59 pm, permalink
Thanks for the example. The Iron Dragon’s Daughter is story I haven’t read but will look up. Dickens is terrific and I can imagine his themes being effective in a variety of stories and settings.
Some say there is nothing new and everything is derivative. I guess we are dealing with an age old issue for writers.
11 • Rae Bryant said:
April 7th, 2009 at 6:02 pm, permalink
Good example, Marshall. I’ll add to that with Pullman’s Dark Materials. The series is based on Paradise Lost, a regurgitated reference used in more plots than any one person has time to count, but it works in Pullman’s stories, because he takes a new perspective on original sin, good versus evil, he gives it a new landscape with new characters.
Some argue the case that every plot has already been used, and it’s a case that can be made if one goes back far enough in antiquated literature, so perhaps, its more a twisting of ideas that writers strive for. Writers of the twisted word. Interesting thought.
12 • Marshall Payne said:
April 7th, 2009 at 6:54 pm, permalink
Sure, every plot has already been used, so twisting old familiar elements into new one’s is the key, I think. Personally, I enjoy irony quite a bit. The thin line to walk is whether the reader will get your meaning. If your references are too arcane, only the most experienced readers will draw the reference and unfortunately many readers will miss the allusions. If you use too obvious of allusions, more experienced readers will groan. Probably comes down to who your target audience is. But a really good writer can often make it work on both levels where most readers come away with something and enjoy the work.
13 • Cat C. said:
April 7th, 2009 at 7:47 pm, permalink
Hi Rae,
Very interesting article. I just read Tempest’s article too via the link you posted. I agree with what you both have to say.
I guess I don’t mind the taboos or the tropes so much if they make sense contextually. But if they don’t fit contextually…that’s just being lazy and unoriginal. I mean, if you’re writing a fantasy or a sci-fi, why go to extremes to be original on some points and not others? I get aggravated when authors take the time to develop a whole new world, language, geography, magical abilities or objects, whatever…but the characters act like they would in our world. It’s like the physical trappings are different but the cultural and moral values are the same, and that doesn’t always make sense.
For example, say you want to show how evil your bad guy is by having him do something awful to your female protagonist. If you write a story set on an ice planet and your bad guy goes head to head with your protagonist girl in the middle of an icy wasteland, is the bad guy really going to try and rape her out there? I would think that after living on an ice planet his whole life, he would know better than to drop trou and expend all of his energy in the middle of an icy wasteland…energy = heat and heat = life in a cold environment. He would have been conditioned since birth to protect his energy and his body temp. Wouldn’t it be more evil of him to deny her the opportunity to share his bedroll and body heat in that circumstance? I’m not saying that raping her wouldn’t be evil also (of course), but contextually it doesn’t make sense. If you’re going to create a new world, play within the structures you create.
Anyway…wow, OK, I’m done ranting.
14 • Rae Bryant said:
April 7th, 2009 at 8:02 pm, permalink
Good points and so true. It’s particularly alarming when taboo tropes, such as rape, are pushed into a plot simply for shock value, further gratuitous when enacted in an illogical setting.
Part II of this series will discuss more ways in which rape is used inappropriately.
Thanks for your comments.
15 • Rae Bryant said:
April 7th, 2009 at 8:16 pm, permalink
I also like Marshall’s comment on irony. This can definitely be a sticky situation, especially when working with taboos. I’ll return to my favorite satirist for an example of ironic genius — Jonathan Swift. His use of taboo and satire in “A Modest Proposal” is nothing less than inspirational.
16 • Jaym said:
April 7th, 2009 at 8:23 pm, permalink
Pullman’s series seemed to be one long string of tropes and taboos. Sacrificing a child, animal companions with magical powers, a child saving the day with the help of magic, etc.
Back in the earlier centuries of Western civilization, there were plenty of taboos to choose from. Homosexuality, sexuality in general, women’s freedom, etc, were all issues that needed to be addressed, but didn’t cross over that last line that we reserve for rape, child abuse and murder. Now, we’re short on taboos, so it gets gratuitous more often than not.
Are there new taboos being formed? ‘Cause otherwise, we’ll be seeing more and more tropes and gratuitous taboos.
17 • Angela Slatter said:
April 7th, 2009 at 8:29 pm, permalink
Great piece, Rae!
18 • TJ McIntyre said:
April 7th, 2009 at 10:29 pm, permalink
Well said, Rae.
Regarding tropes (this goes with what Marshall was saying above):
“What has been will be again,
What has been done will be done again;
There is nothing new under the sun.”
-Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV)
I could say it again and quantify this statement, but in the end that would be nothing more than repeating this particular trope*.
That said, you can still mix familiar elements to create the unexpected. It can be done.
And sometimes, depending on the story, there is nothing wrong with relying completely on tropes. Look at how well Harlequin Romance novels sell, for example. The authors put a lot of love and time into their books, the readers buy the heck out of ‘em, but in the end these books are all playing with the same formulas, just variations on the same characters. Not my cuppa, but you know many of the fantasy novels I grew up reading during my early teenage years worked with their own formulas that were not much different (just more bloodshed — probably the similar amounts of heaving bosoms, however).
Regarding the “taboo” — having grown up reading William Burroughs, Clive Barker, and even Lillian Jackson Braun**, are there any real taboos left? I am okay with a dark story, with a disturbing story, but I guess what you got to ask yourself is if the taboo adds to the story? Does the taboo in your story have some relevance beyond shock value? Palahniuk and some of the “Bizarro” authors I enjoy reading can do a great job of using taboos in original and (here’s the key) thought-provoking ways, but they are a rare breed. All too often, the shock has no thought behind it. Just the shock for the sake of shocking the audience. There has to be more than that gut-twisting shock to keep me reading. It must provoke thought. Like Cat pointed out above, there must be a measure of logic in the framework of the story and what the author is trying to say to warrant inclusion.
I agree, Swift’s “Modest Proposal” is an excellent example of this being done right.
But you said all that much more eloquently in your article, Rae. Thanks for writing this up. I look forward to Part II.
***
*More of a theme, really, but you know what I mean.
** Cats solving murders? Come on! Really? That’s just so very wrong. Everyone knows that dogs are the *real* mystery solvers. Let me quantify this statement by noting Scooby Doo, Rin Tin Tin, and Lassie, just to name a few.
19 • Rochita said:
April 8th, 2009 at 5:34 am, permalink
I look forward to reading part II. This has been a thought-provoking read and I had to go back and reread Tempest’s article on Ecstatic Days. Now I have to go back and examine my work to find out whether I’m employing these tropes/taboos and whether I’m doing them for the right reason.
20 • Rae Bryant said:
April 8th, 2009 at 9:02 am, permalink
I’m glad you liked the article TJ and Rochita. Thanks for your comments.
21 • Rae Bryant said:
April 8th, 2009 at 11:16 am, permalink
Thanks, Angela.
Yes, Jaym, Pullman uses many of the same elements, even basic structure. Difficult to escape regurgitation when dealing with epics of any kind. Many would say Pullman was writing to a YA audience, and the rules are slightly different there, because the targeted audience is, in general, not as diversely read as an adult audience is.
Perhaps this is what gives the YA author more room to explore old ideas. From a parental and teaching standpoint, I don’t mind YA works exploring old ideas (even when they border on trope) because these are ideas that my younger children/students have yet to fully engage. So where it is trope to me, it is something new to them.
Heh, yes, with children’s and YA, talking animals seem to be compulsory material.
Good discussion, Jaym, troping does have a lot to do with audience.
22 • Rae Bryant said:
April 8th, 2009 at 11:39 am, permalink
Oh, and as far as new taboos . . .
It would seem that as we progress societally, our sensitivity to social taboos has numbed over time. “Yesterday’s” hypersensitivity to difference in sexuality, etc. seems to be less now, at least on a general scale. Certainly, we’re not where we’d like to be, and additional complications have appeared along the way.
In the case of what I like to call “primal taboos,” the seemingly hardwired no-nos, a case could be made that all the taboos have been explored in some medium or another. So with primal taboos, perhaps, it’s not so much a matter of discovering new taboos, but rather giving them a new twist. That’s a big order.
I personally like to delve into social taboos, the no-nos ordained by some arbitrary authority as being “bad.” The don’t mix classes and cultures kind of stuff. Often these are the taboos that really “speak” thematically for me.
Then again, Swift, used a primal taboo (eating children) as a vehicle to discuss social taboos based on classicism and prejudice. Doesn’t get much better than that.
23 • Fantasy Magazine » Taboos And Tropes: Part II “Rhetoric And Writing About Rape” said:
April 29th, 2009 at 8:01 am, permalink
[...] Rae Bryant Articles, Wednesday, April 29th, 2009permalink, jump to commentsAs discussed in “T&T: Part I,” taboos and tropes are risky endeavors for any story; however, if a story does necessitate one [...]
24 • Kay Kenyon said:
April 30th, 2009 at 3:45 pm, permalink
Rae, fascinating discussion. I would point readers interested in the topic to Rhetorics of Fantasy by Farah Mendelsohn, for her treatement of types of fantasy and her take on the portal trope. (Perhaps you’ve already mentioned this book–I’m new to your blog.)
I received quite a bit of comment from readers on the scene of the child’s murder in my Bk. 1 of The Entire and the Rose quartet, Bright of the Sky. I applied your rules (just now), and feel I got it right, though still uneasy. I’ll have to think some more about this. The crime chases my character and resonates with the themes. Also, I am intrigued by your warning against familiar tropes which I used in a spirit of celebration of what sf/f is, while creating much that was new. It has given me a lot to think about this morning. Thank you.
25 • Rae Bryant said:
May 1st, 2009 at 11:53 am, permalink
Hi, Kay. I’m so glad that these guidelines have provided some practical application. It’s entirely too easy for theory to take over and reassuring when practicality can take the lead.
In “Taboos and Tropes: Part II” there is an excerpt from Benedict’s Virgin or Vamp that really brings home the full scope of victim and perpetrator. I thought it was particularly helpful in my dealing with the topic.
Yes, I have crossed paths with the “portal trope” discussion prompted by Mendelsohn. In fact, that may be an excellent focus for future discussion.
26 • Rae Bryant said:
May 1st, 2009 at 12:25 pm, permalink
This work is an excellent resource suggestion compliments of Kay. Rhetorics of Fantasy — http://www.amazon.com/dp/0819568686/?tag=wwwfantasymag-20
27 • becky kao said:
December 17th, 2009 at 6:29 pm, permalink
(a reader from the Oriental world)
I enjoy your dialogues, which are delivering a seminar class to me! Do you agree that taboos play a role of obligatory transmition, making reflexive and transcendent dialogues between the older and the younger generations, a man and his societies. a man and animals, etc? Yet how much can a taboo be less personal than societal or tribal in terms of postmodernity? Can taboos be, without pardoy, traced back with their own religous, sacred/mysterious flavors?
Also, I am not “western” – physically and psychoanalytically, and to me, you are opening a door of cultural translation for me: the section “necessity, balance, and thematic sincerity” are wonderful, but can you share more?
And, what makes taboo gain and fail its power? As u mentioned, Swift in A Modest Proposal used the primal taboo, child-eating, to criticize his English people. To my students, they felt that this work could be impossibly printed out in modern Taiwan, even in the manner of satire. Because its tone was so serious and sincere. Therefore, there leaves little dialoguing room for me to “dispassionately” explain the Bibical infanticide. But it’s Ok for them to know Cronus’ eating his sons. Is child-eating something horrible and therefore a taboo?
28 • Rae Bryant said:
December 17th, 2009 at 11:19 pm, permalink
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the discussion on this article, Becky. Your questions are both interesting and provocative. I’m going to respond in parts, and will admit that this is lengthy, but you’ve really gotten me thinking.
“Do you agree that taboos play a role of obligatory transmission, making reflexive and transcendent dialogues between the older and the younger generations, a man and his societies. a man and animals, etc?”
If I’m understanding the context of your question correctly, yes, I would agree that taboos can trigger instinctually reactive and reflexive paradigms by which readers have an opportunity to share “transmission” points, intuitions or “higher consciousness,” depending upon the reader’s own set of cultural norms. If considering this through the lens of a single culture or set of similar cultures with similar mores, yes, I believe that multiple generations can certainly share connection points, too.
“Yet how much can a taboo be less personal than societal or tribal in terms of postmodernity?”
I’m not sure I completely understand your proposed topic here. Let me give it a stab. Are you considering how a taboo can be less personal than societal or tribal mores in terms of postmodernism? I assume you’re speaking of postmodern past, and not the “post-postmodernism” of today.
If I’m understanding you correctly, this is an interesting consideration, given that postmodernism basically shirked the modernist “norm” while still keeping a place for it in the overall scheme. Postmodernism adopted an “all goes” philosophy and seemingly opened the literary canvas to taboo exploration more so than ever before. In this context, perhaps consider artistic reflection of “tribe” or “society” as a progression–modernism turns to the post-modernist all-is-fair-in-love-and-art and the basic principles or “taboos” as being more than mere moralistic judgments but also structural vehicles by which the true parameters of a civilization, the beast as a whole and/or an individuated collection of beasts, might be studied.
One reason for this study might be to investigate how taboo personalizes a particular society or tribe in comparison to others, to unveil differences with a concentration on societal “underbellies.” Postmodernism allowed writers and artists to do this more in depth than ever before. Add to that the cyberpunk and fantasist settings and readers may ask these hard, underbelly questions in less personal contexts: what are my hypothetical “tribe’s” limits? What are my hypothetical self’s limits? Easier to explore the dark side in less personal venues. Throw in existentialism versus transcendentalism, and you get not only a more palatable venue for difficult exploration but also a theoretical exploration of the tangible versus higher consciousness. It is easy to debate morals in reality, both practical and artistic “realities”–i.e. realism–but taboos and nastiness are much harder to navigate in “real” terms, uncomfortable. Postmodernism by adopting magic realism, surrealism, fantasy, SF, etc. gave us the critical canvas and vehicle for taboo exploration. Fantastical settings give us a place to explore without getting too personal. It is also interesting to consider that it is sometimes easier to study the societal canvas by its negative spaces–what a society or individual will not accept as practice–more so than a study of positive, “moralistic” spaces. Sometimes the negative spaces can create a more complete picture. It’s all good critical discourse and highly applicable in a post-postmodernism sense.
“Can taboos be, without parody, traced back with their own religious, sacred/mysterious flavors?”
I believe that they can be traced back to origins in the context of the story. I would be hard-pressed to find a current taboo exploration that has not already been explored in classical Greek texts, and my personal take is that origins, in all their flavors, add depth to stories.
“Also, I am not “western” – physically and psychoanalytically, and to me, you are opening a door of cultural translation for me: the section “necessity, balance, and thematic sincerity” are wonderful, but can you share more?”
Taboos and Tropes II discusses further the “taboo trope” and some things one might consider in writing taboos so that the taboo is written with sincerity and doesn’t take over the entire work, unless of course, it is the writer’s intention artistically for the taboo to do so. Experimentalists sometimes play with this overarching theme concept. I’ll be happy to discuss this further. Do you have any particular areas or applications for consideration?
“And, what makes taboo gain and fail its power? As u mentioned, Swift in A Modest Proposal used the primal taboo, child-eating, to criticize his English people. To my students, they felt that this work could be impossibly printed out in modern Taiwan, even in the manner of satire. Because its tone was so serious and sincere. Therefore, there leaves little dialoguing room for me to “dispassionately” explain the Bibical infanticide. But it’s Ok for them to know Cronus’ eating his sons. Is child-eating something horrible and therefore a taboo?”
Ah, yes, you are not alone. I have found English/American readers and students who haven’t had the context, be it culturally or experientially, to appreciate or “get” the high comedy and satire of Swift and other great writers. I often taught “A Modest Proposal” to students without forewarning. In this venue, the work seemed to provide a litmus test for students of literature, a memorable one, and therefore one that created a fantastic teachable moment. It was one of my favorite lessons, because it needed no bells or whistles. The essay itself was all my students needed, and they were on the edge of their seats with feverish interest and disgust.
Yes, the satire can be difficult for readers who are not familiar to the device, regardless of language, and I’m sure translation of it would cause the same difficulty. Even English/American reactions can vary from “getting it” and disgusted to being “clueless” and disgusted, unable to make the bridge to Swift’s intention. Disgust is certainly his intention, so it is a good question as to how one might translate the full satirical iintention.
I wonder how it would work if translated accompanied historical footnotes as well as notes on Deconstruction theory and the text’s absurdism.
In terms of Cronus eating his children, perhaps it is more easily grasped because it follows a universally expectation and pattern. Cronus is a titan who can be seen as a giant, godlike, a negative entity, so for him to eat Hera, Poseidon, etc. is acceptable because he is a “monster.” We expect monsters to eat humans, children, etc.; however, for a human to suggest that other humans, noble humans at that, eat children, goes against what we expect from humans. Herein lies the irony of it and the difficult concept, not to mention, as you say the seriousness of the piece. Not only is the outcome different from our expectation, but the voice is as well. The narrator of “A Modest Proposal” speaks with a voice of logic, political necessity, social concern. The context is horrid, the voice is measured, even eloquent. The narrator appears civilized, and so the suggestion of Irish infants as being tasty even to the point of suggesting ways to prepare and cook the infants is shocking, heinous. Would we be so shocked if a giant Cyclops suggested the same thing? No, this suggestion has no irony, because our mores expect a mythological giant to eat humans. Swift’s work is so brilliant because he presents the heinous through human logic, a reflection of what the English were doing to the Irish, allowing the Irish to starve on the principle of economic “logic.” Wouldn’t it be interesting to have students rewrite “A Modest Proposal,” making the English into titans or some sort of mythical monster?
I believe that the best way to make the satirical bridge for readers is through this historical context. When the translation is immediately juxtaposed to the atrocities of the time period, the connect comes more easily, so a translation, in the context of your student’s suggestion, may require this connect to be made up front.
Thanks so much for your thoughts and interest. Rae