One of the first things most people are taught as children about polite society is that the discussion of politics and religion in public gatherings is inappropriate. The reason for this is that politics and religion are the two main topics that most people get very passionate about. It would be very tacky for someone to talk loudly about their own political views at dinner, forcing others to, who may not agree with them, to listen as they attempt to swallow their roasted quail.
And that’s one thing that most sensible people can agree on: it’s rude to talk about politics and religion at points in time when the topic is unsolicited. But, many writers wonder, how does that relate to writing?
When you write a novel, it’s as though you’re having a conversation with potentially thousands – if not millions – of people. Even though you’re writing about your characters, if you’re a fiction writer, it’s only natural that your own personal views seep through, even in small ways. As a writer, it’s important that you be very diplomatic so that you don’t alienate people. And therein lays the question: is it possible to be diplomatic when writing a mainstream novel that’s tinged with political/religious undertones or overtones?
Before I give my view, let’s take a further look at the commonly accepted view of what exactly mainstream fiction is. When I entered the search into Google, this definition popped up: “Non-genre fiction, excluding literary or avant-garde fiction that appeals to a general readership.” This info came from this site, and it definitely fits the generalized definition of the term; furthermore, if I had to define it off the top of my head, that’s basically how I would put it as well.
By the very definition of mainstream fiction, we know that it’s the type of literature that’s supposed to appeal to the masses. It’s the book that the Average Joe or Jane will pick up when they’re in browsing the bestselling section at Books-a-Million or Borders.
Since mainstream fiction usually isn’t speculative, it’s really hard to work sensitive topics into the manuscript without offending someone or accidentally delving into the realm of genre fiction. (Your editor or agent would be particularly offended if they accepting your query of a mainstream fiction manuscript and you ended up sending them something that delved into an entirely different genre.)
So, the question is: What are the rules of working in politics and religion into mainstream fiction. The truth is, there are no rigid rules. It’s always best to follow your agent or publisher’s guidelines, but what I’m about to discuss is really just some common sense approaches to keep in mind.
Politics
Politics are easy to discuss in genre fiction, particularly in the realms of the historical, alternate history, fantasy, and science fiction genres. Aside of historical fiction, the other genres are very speculative. They rely largely on your imagination; you are charged with creating these worlds. And in these worlds you create, politics can -- and might very well -- play a prominent role.
In mainstream fiction, it’s hard to approach politics without sounding biased. Mainstream fiction is usually set in the real-world. If the book is set in America, you might get into pitting Republicans against Democrats, and it would simply turn into a huge mess. The book would take on political overtones, and most people who didn’t agree with the views of your protagonist wouldn’t even read the book (or else would be pissed off after reading it and never buy another one of your books ever again). If that happened, you’d be alienating a large fan base, which, as a mainstream fiction author, would be a terrible faux pas.
The easiest solution is to take the rule that we apply to polite social gatherings: just don’t talk about it. Don’t make politics too much of an issue if you’re worried about a backlash or alienating the majority of your readership (that is if the book was even accepted for publication at all).
But that doesn’t mean you can ignore politics altogether. The trick is to approach it in a safe, unbiased way. To err on the side of caution, steer clear of the really hot issues that get people worked up such as abortion or gay marriage. That doesn’t mean you can’t deal with abortion or gay marriage; it simply means that, from an unbiased and careful standpoint, it’s best to ignore the political aspects of those hot issues.
An easy way to work politics into a mainstream story without generating too many angry responses is to use it to describe a character. I would avoid assigning your main character to a political party, unless the main theme of your book is related to politics, which would be a very risky thing.
So, a safe way to casually mention politics in a character description would be to say something like “Poor old Uncle Edgar. He’s so senile; he’s still convinced Reagan is in office.” That’s a safe way to mention politics. You’re not stating your character’s political party; however you’re mentioning politics in a way that won’t offend people.
Simply put, the key is not to offend a large group of potential readers. Save politics for a genre that’s suitable for it. (That way, it’ll attract readers with that particular interest. Those who would be offended by it, won’t pick it up and buy it by mistake, because they’ll instantly know it’s not their cup of tea.)
Religion
Most people are even more passionate about religion than politics whether they’re religious or not. And since religion is such a personal thing, they’re more apt to be sensitive to it than anything else.
Mainstream fiction isn’t the place for religious overtones. That’s the bottom line. The Average Joe or Jane doesn’t want to hear your main character’s religious views (which are usually an extension of your own).
Religion is a complex thing. Even people belonging to the same religion have different beliefs; just look at all the thousands of denominations within Christianity or the different sects of Judaism. They all practice the same religion, but they all have different beliefs in how to represent, respect, and worship in their religion.
Furthermore, people within the same denomination or religious sect will also have varying beliefs from one another. After all, every person on this planet is unique.
As some of my readers know, I’m from Alabama. Christianity is very dominant here. My mom was raised Episcopalian and my dad was raised Church of Christ. When I was little, they sent me to a private Methodist school. Despite this, my parents didn’t enforce religion on me. They taught me values, instead of dogma. Thus, they allowed me to come to my own conclusions about what I believe is right instead of telling me to believe what their church says we should believe.
To add more to the mix, I was also raised around Catholic, Hindu, and Buddhist beliefs. I lived in a religious melting pot. That allowed me to understand that a person’s religious beliefs more depend on the way they perceive their religion as well as their own values, as opposed to what the standard dogma of their religion or denomination is. In other words, everyone interprets their professed faith differently.
And that’s the thing. This blog is a writing blog geared at a multitude of genres. It’s many things, but one thing it’s not: it’s not a religious writing blog, which is why religion really doesn’t have much of a place here. The same can be said for mainstream fiction. Religion doesn’t have much of a place there either.
Now, there are some small exceptions. Sometimes, religion is closely related to culture. For instance, many Jews keep kosher and many Muslim women (even in the west) make the commitment to wear the hijab. However, while these religious-related cultural aspects are important for describing the character’s world, it’s wise not to delve too deep into religion when writing a novel geared at the Average Joe or Jane.
If you must reference religion, do so very minimally, such in the instances I explained above. Don’t go into a religious crusade on paper. It will offend even more people than politics will. It’s true that controversy is a great promotional tool, but not when it’s inappropriate to the genre you’re writing for.
Mainstream fiction is general fiction. The goal is to keep it general and, referring back to the above definition, keep it appealing to the masses.
The One Thing You Should Remember
The one thing you should remember about politics and religion in mainstream literature is to never, under any circumstances, write anything that would offend 99% of the “general readership”. Your editor would probably stop it from being published, but that’s a bad thing too: you don’t want the editor to say “hell no” to your manuscript and chunk it in the rubbish pile.
2 comments:
Gore Vidal recalled that his grandfather taught him that there were only two things worth talking about: Politics and Religion.
That's an interesting viewpoint. In an ideal world, it's one we should all try to emulate. But, we live in a world where talking about such things can lead to violence and all sorts of other evils -- not to mention, a drop in book sales.
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