Arsenic-Poisoning of Fiction

During the early years of the internet revolution, it was an oft debated point whether books would be rendered pincus floydus (something that has far outlived its usefulness). Yet, paperbacks, hardbounds abound today possibly in greater numbers than ever before. The only difference is that it appears to me that the number of fiction titles is rapidly dwindling. There are large tomes to be consumed on cuisine, religion, self-improvement,special interests,and biographies. But when you look at the fiction rack, you seldom find anything that stands out. Even readers these days claim with some stuffiness that they don't read fiction, claiming that it doesn't appeal to them because it is not particularly useful. I wonder then what use fiction ever pretended to have for anyone?

As far as I can see, it was always about painting verbal sketches of some extraordinary lives. I say extraordinary because one can argue that every ordinary life could have certain aspects that are indeed extraordinary. A portrait of an ordinary life is like roast chicken; delicious but can get really boring after a while. So the writers have traditionally avoided this predicament by interspersing their roast chicken with controlled doses of hollandaise sauce (twists) , or prawn sambal (sex). But as you know there is probably also a natural limit to unbelievable coincidences or coital positions..what then is one to do? This is one issue.

Another is that, in the past, books were the mode of transport to go to different places. And I don't mean travel books. If you read "Ice Station Zebra" by Alistair Maclean, I daresay you will have learnt all there is to know about submarines. But it beats the hell out of opening Encyclopedia Britannica and search under "Submarines"...why would you ever do something like that? Similarly, the Ludlum omnibus gives you a fair idea of urban landscapes in Europe, names of important commercial airports, in-fashion alcoholic beverages, happening hotels and the like. There was no direct way of getting all this information and staying entertained except through movies and then there was never enough time to ponder the details. Fiction books as an alternative to Encycopedias were like Sports as an alternative to going to the gym. Now, you have google and wiki and all that and there is really no need for fiction to getyou in touch with the wonders of the world.

The third one of course is a lack of time at one's disposal. These are the days of short stories, and even shorter stories and finally flash fiction (just a few lines..). "There is no time to stand and stare"..as the poem goes. Everything is about impact and instant gratification. I rather like this to an extent. I cannot fathom people reading large descriptive passages that go on endlessly. I personally like to stay away from books that are larger than a regular Burger King whopper. NOT super-size versions with 17 beef patties. In other words, if I cannot put the book in my mouth, I don't read it.This also forces the writer to be brief and this has led to the demise of writers that were typefied by their languorous literary litanies..no room for them anymore, I'm afraid. However, on the flipside, it does result in work that is of extremely low literary quality. This is purely an aesthetic attribute and has to do with flowing language and delightful phrasing, not particularly of content. One relatively new Indian writer has very intentionally chosen to sacrifice literary merit for the higher purpose of instant gratification. Of course, a banker by day,he cannot be expected not to think in terms of "Return on Investment", especially these days..even if it means not making any dent in the literary horizon whatsoever.

Finally, speaking of "Return on Investment", this is also a key reason why Fiction does not seem to appeal as much. Of course, now I refer to RoI for the reader not the writer or publisher. If one is to spend 2 hours reading, it seems more logical to read about a real person who has achieved some success, or about how to win friends and influence people. After all, 2 hours is a long time and one could do many other things with one's time, like daydream about being a rock-star or look at the matromonial section in newspapers just for fun.. The fact is that this is logical. Fiction offers a satisfaction that is very touchy-feely and not based very tightly on logic. A bit like the Kellogg School MBA admissions process. Moroever, succesful fiction tends to be poignant and in some ways..melancholy. Like Khaled Hoseini for example. Does this world need any more melancholy? I don't think so.

If there is an anti-dote to arsenic poisoning, let fiction have it now. Otherwise, good story-telling, an essentially cerebral quality, may well go unsung.