In the forward for the complete version of A Clockwork Orange for the American audience (when first released in the US, the last chapter was removed) the author, Anthony Burgess, writes a very interesting forward where he's basically like- Ugh, this book is so cringe guys, I can't believe you're making this preachy trash my legacy. In the forward, he writes, "It is not the novelist's job to preach; it is his duty to show."
It's a sentiment popular on this sub, especially when discussing books like James (by Percival Everett and Babel (by RF Kuang). There's been discussion, either through dedicated posts or in comments, about how books are becoming too black and white preachy now days and that's a sign of declining media literacy, virtue signaling by the authors and publishers, and how people have become too afraid to consume media that doesn't pass the morality sniff test with flying colors.
And, some of that is true, but maybe nuance was never the intention with these books.
I don't think these writers are being blunt because we've become so media illiterate that they have to hit us on the head with it. Bluntness is not a trend. A lot of beloved political books are very blunt. Where is the subtlety in A Brave New World? 1984? Animal Farm? The Jungle? Kurt Vonnegut will just come right out and say in his books that war is stupid and human are stupid. And we love him for it!
Instead, I think that marginalized writers are finally getting their voices out and they want to scream, "XYZ is bad!" because it feels good to shout it out when you're constantly told you're over reacting… it's not that serious… why do you people have to always make it about xyz… maybe it's you, not them… you're the only person that feels that way… watch your tone… don't be so aggressive about it… it's just a joke… omg, why are we still talking about this… etc. And, if you're the right audience, damn it feels validating to hear someone else recognize it. When you're constantly being told that you have to start a dialog, extend a hand, show empathy, etc- like you have to tirelessly logic the other side into respecting you- it feels cathartic to read a middle finger, FAFO scene.
There are authors who are writing, not to teach, to preach, to show, or ask for empathy, but to validate their marginalized audience and create a safe space. Sometimes when we criticize authors for lacking nuance and being too preachy I think we're missing the point, the point being, this book wasn't for us. We're not the audience. Like we can come, but the party wasn't planned around us, so if we don't like the food or the music, we should just leave instead of complaining. Because no, not all good works of literature have to be universal. Emotions are universal, experience and privilege (or lack of) are not.
And to be clear, I'm not stating, or suggesting that readers should self-flagellate themselves by being lectured at by these books. You're not obligated to appreciate them or recognize any literary merit in them. There are so many great authors who do an amazing job of showing vs telling. The TL:DR is that with some books, the lack of nuance is not to preach, but to validate. It's not a flaw, but the design.
by Anxious-Fun8829