1 Meredith Duffy Project 3 Ms.

Lorelei Blackburn 16 June 2013

Morality; The Crucial Question of our time. For the vast majority of people, literature is a vital part of the learning experience. Whether it is reading textbooks, works of fiction, magazines, or newspapers; whether reading for academic purpose or purely for entertainment , reading is a common tool for learning. There is a variety of information acquired by reading, but one that we will specifically focus on is the use of morality and moral teachings in literature, specifically fiction. Literature conveys morality, or a moral viewpoint, that either reinforces or challenges conventional or societal morality. For decades an emphasis on moral question and morality has been referred to as a crucial question (Farrell, 3) and it is still as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. This being said, readers need to recognize that there is more going on than just the narrative in order to better understand and interpret literature. Especially for young readers and learners, it is crucial that they are able to distinguish the use of morality and understand its place in literature. This is because the presence of moral teaching in literature can affect an individuals own personal thoughts on morality. In a world full of questionable morals and a variety of teachings, it can be hard to develop a sense of personal morality. The

2 ability to distinguish and apply moral teachings, and which ones to disregard is an important skill for young, growing, and even seasoned learners; moral question remains as a crucial question of our times. The most important factor to establish is the definitions of morality and literature. The topic of morality itself cannot be defined in on particular way, as it is a subject that could have a variety of definitions given by different people. A persons concept or ideas about morality, what it is and how it applies to them, are formed through multiple and varying factors including; life experiences, family, friends, culture, religion, and education. This being said, it becomes difficult to define a simple word as it holds such an abstract concept. Although simply stated as a dictionary definition of the word, morality is beliefs regarding appropriate behavior, what is considered right and wrong, or what is thought to be ethical or not. Morality can be broken down into two subcategories of social morality and personal morality. Social morality is what is considered acceptable and ethical in society and in social situations. An example of social morality in America would be the consensus that things such as polygamy, human cloning, and marital affairs are morally wrong, where things such as gambling, divorce, and the death penalty are considered morally acceptable (Saad, Four Moral Issues..). On the other hand, there is personal morality. This refers to the set of morals individuals hold true for themselves. This set of morals differ from person

3 to person and generally develop from influence of family, friends, religion, and personal experiences. Both social and personal morals are typically very diverse throughout different cultures, but are both equally important in any society. In regards to literature, for the purpose of this paper we will confine literature to fictional writing. For the most part, little has changed in the use of morality in literature over time except the morals themselves. Literature reflects modern society and depicts its morals and beliefs as well as the authors personal set of moral beliefs (Farrell, 3). Not only is literature used to reflect modern morals of society; it has, and still often does attempt to push the boundaries of what society finds acceptable. It may be a personal belief the author has about life, the world, society, government, or humanity, or it may be the want to see change in the world, or possibly just to be controversial for the sake of it. One might ask why an author would be inclined to push societies moral boundaries or even peoples personal moral boundaries. The answer is simple. Literature holds great power, especially successful literary works. A well written and captivating story, novel, article, or play can reach hundreds of thousands of individuals. This ability to reach so many people through writing gives a great opportunity to encourage change or simply challenge social normality. Literature can have a great effect on social morality and culture, we can see it today especially in current teen

4 fiction. For example, the Twilight series became extremely successful, selling over 116 million copies worldwide (Twilight Saga, Wiki). Although the concept of vampires and werewolves was not new, the success of these novels had a great impact on young teen culture, and resulted in an onslaught of copycat novels featuring forbidden love, vampires, werewolves, and a variety of other mythical creatures. Although this is a very basic, modern day example of how literature can affect culture and its morals of what is socially acceptable, it is the basic formula by which all authors go about pushing moral boundaries and causing changes in culture through literature. Understanding the use of morality in literature and how it affects culture and social morality is a basic necessity for breaching the issue of morality being taught either purposefully or inadvertently through literature. When a person begins to read, they are generally directed to read certain pieces of literature over others by parents and teachers. Sometimes, people are warned against or restricted from reading certain things due to their content. This creates a means of constructing personal morals in someone who is learning to read or even a seasoned reader and can happen purposefully or inadvertently. I had a personal experience with this subject in my year 11 English class. In year 11 we were required to read a certain amount of books off an approved list. The list held a variety of novels with a wide range of content and story type. Although there was

5 a vast possible selection, my teacher chose novels that all presented the same social and moral issues and her moral agenda was obvious to the entire class. In the same way my teacher showed an attempt to bring a strong moral agenda to the class, parents and teachers can curb or influence childrens morals when they are beginning to read by specifying the content they allow them to access . Morality can also be taught through literature inadvertently, as in a way that is not controlled by parents and teachers, but by the author themselves. This happens by authors writing a piece of literature with embedded concepts of morality, and an individual reading the piece and either consciously or subconsciously being effected by the embedded concepts of morality. This potential subconscious effect on personal morals is one of the most important reasons all readers should be conscious of and capable of dissecting a piece of literature and assessing the moral content for themselves in hopes of not being subconsciously indoctrinated. Another important aspect literature and morality is how personal definitions of morality and what is and what is not moral shapes their experience when reading. Some individuals may ultimately stay away from or flock to certain types of literature based on their personal morals and beliefs. Others may read and analyze morals in literature critically to enable a better understanding of what is being said in the literary work and decide for themselves whether to challenge , accept, adapt to, or dismiss the moral standpoints of the author or subject

6 matter. On the other hand there are those whos greatest shortfall is the inability to read and analyze a piece of literature in a way to separate the moral subject matter and calculate their own opinion on it but rather just accept the moral standpoints of the author without thinking for themselves. These are extremely different types of people and while they can both read the same piece of literature, they will go about reading it very differently. The person that reads and critically analyzes a literary work will grow in their moral understanding and maybe even adapt a new moral set based on their reading, then there is the person who reads without analyzing and separating moral content from the piece of literature, this person has a very unstable and wavering moral set that is easily altered by the moral subject matter of literature. This being said, the way someone views morality and their grasp on moral content in literature can have a great effect on the individual, this is why it is so important to be critical readers of the moral content in literature. When discussing fiction, it is important to recognize that fiction can be a form of art. This art can be created through the use of moral responsibility. Moral responsibility is important in regards to literature because many people consider literature a form of art. For all intent and purposes, literature is an art form; it is a means of personal expression by an individual. In saying that literature is art the argument that true art is moral is brought into play, that there is some true universal morality in art. There are some things that define true art, other than

7 having a sense of morality, it has qualities that improve life, or serve a positive purpose. This being said, only positive moral literature can be considered true art. The benefit of literature being considered true art is that true art is timeless. Think of the Mona Lisa and how that is still a renowned and globally admired artwork although it was created 500 years ago, and even the works of Shakespeare, although his time has past, his writings are still widely read and performed to this day. Literature that has a good, positive, relatable moral foundation can be considered good and true art, and those literary works that are recognized as true art, go on to be timeless writings by renowned authors. Although literature being art through the use of a good moral foundation, there are other elements that come into play in regards to the use of morality to create a timeless piece of literature. Cultural and social morality shifts greatly over time and what truths people hold as personal morality changes as well. Because of these shifts in moral culture, a lot of literatures popularity diminishes and dies when its moral foundations are built upon and dictated by societies current moral viewpoints. This is simply because when the moral standing of society changes , the literary work becomes outdated and useless to people. Where timeless literary works of art share a common theme in their moral foundations. This is a theme of deeper truths about life and morality rather than whatever is true in current society and an expression of basic human nature. These characteristics

8 create a sturdy and lasting moral foundation that in turn allow the creation of a timeless literary work of art. Morality plays a big part in society, culture, and the individual and it is important to see how morality plays a part in literature today and in the past. Literature has the ability to reinforce or change cultural morality norms through the use of and authors own personal moral viewpoints. Having a firm understanding of morality and how it is incorporated in literature is crucial for knowing how to dissect and remove underlying morals in literary works. Recognizing that literature has a moral component allows you to remove yourself from the moral viewpoints offered by the author and analyze them critically to form opinions for yourself. As individuals we are greatly shaped by personal and social morality and to unknowingly be indoctrinated by others ideas of morality can be dangerous. Finally, understanding literature as art and understanding what creates timeless literature can help us have a further appreciation for morality both present day and in the past. Literature without morality would be empty, incorporating morality into writing brings the piece alive and can be used to agree upon, challenge, or fight for things you believe in. Dont let the moral of the story get lost.

9 Works Cited Allen, Brooke. On Moral Criticism. New York Times. March 27, 1994. Print.

Cefalu, Paul. Moral Identity in Early Modern English Literature. Cambridge University Press. 2004. Print.

Davies, Robertson. Literature and Moral Purpose. First Things. The Institute on Religion and Public life. 1990. Print.

Dudley, Robin. Morality And Literature And Graphic Novels. BiblioLabsII. 2011. Print.

Farrell, James T. Literature and Morality. 1st Edition. Vanguard Press. 1947. Print.

Gardner, John. On Moral Fiction. Basic Books, Inc., Publishers. New York. 1978. Print.

Grant, Patrick. Literature and Personal Values. St Martins Press, Inc., New York. 1992. Print.

10 Pojman, Louis P., and Lewis Vaughn. The Moral Life: And Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature. 4th Edition. Oxford University Press. 2010. Print.

Saad, Lydia. Four Moral Issues Sharply Divide Americans. Gallup Polls. (http://www.gallup.com/poll/137357/four-moral-issues-sharply-divideamericans.aspx) 2010. Website.

Tandon, Bharat. Jane Austen And The Morality Of Conversation. Anthem Press, 2003. Print.

Twilight (series) Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_(series) 2013. Website