Literature

I love literature. I am amazed at the way in which immortal words are able to influence generation after generation long after the author has moved on. They have the ability to inspire words of our own, or at least thoughts of our own, and sometimes even the will to act upon those thoughts; to change out little corner of the universe and expand our circle of influence. I believe that when literature has done this, it has fulfilled its purpose.

I have always envied those who are able to write about their otherwise boring lives in a way that captivates and seizes the attention of their once passive but now entranced readers. I have found few authors that are successful in this quest, but when I do, I can't get enough. I am amazed by their ability to employ charm and wit to captivate readers; to ensnare them in the telling of even the sweet, if not overwhelmingly exciting, novels. Their stories are ones in which anyone suddenly feels the unwavering desire to be part of; to somehow capture the feelings depicted there and implement them in their own lives. I don't know how they do it, but I am certain that this is the type of author I wish someday to be. I want to be captivating.

The Meaning of Literature

As I contemplate the ending of "Breaking Dawn," the fourth and final installment of the beloved "Twilight" series, I am left wondering on the definition of good literature. Is a good book one with a happy ending, picture-perfect, leaving the reader with a mushy warm feeling all over? Or is it, rather, ended poignantly? Should literature reflect the good, bad and ugly reality that is life, or it literature something that people should be able to escape to when the real world is just a bit too much? If the first is true, then the ending of the book was perfection. Bella, the weak, self-conscious anti-hero turn beautiful, graceful and, above all, the ultimate hero. A perfect romance was also carried out, one that every reader has been dreaming of even since they cracked the book and read the opening chapters of "Twilight." And yet I am left wondering if that is truly what makes good literature. I believe that the same quandary easily carries over to other forms of media as well. For example, should Meredith Grey end up with Mr. McDreamy in the end as is every "Grey's-Anatomy"-loving viewer's dream, or should the series end as reality dictates, with Mr. McDreamy dying on his was to end a misguided relationship in order to have good karma as he embarks on a renewed relationship with Grey? This ending would provide for additional character growth and development. If there was no grief in the story line (something, however, that "Grey's" has seen plenty of), then there would be no growth. This fact is obvious. But is that the point? Is media meant to be an escape from or an analysis of reality? I guess this question is the reason behind the plethora of genres in existence and the unending variety of endings given to every story line.

My amendment...

Ok, I have been corrected. Although I knew this was the case when I wrote the post and merely failed to mention it, I would like to state for the record that I know that Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" and various other feature films, as well as Kirsten Dunst in "Spiderman" have both made viable and significant contributions to the ginger community through their performances in said movies. I do have somewhat of a funny story to tell of an experience I had a while back in reference to "Spiderman." I was in a Blockbuster on the island of Guam, where very few gingers reside (luckies, I know) and this young man walks up to me and asks if I am the one girl that was in that "Spiderman" movie. Now, I am pretty sure that this query was based on the sole fact that we had the same color hair. Although, thinking back on that experience now, I am little offended, because I remember Kirsten's hair in that movie, and as I recall, it is a red similar to the color of fire trucks and stop signs... Jerk.