A
favorite blog writer of mine recently asked a question concerning things in
books as a reader you don’t like. She mentioned describing the male lead as
devastatingly handsome. It immediately brought to mind one of my top three pet
peeves – overselling the physical appearance of characters in a book.
Unlike
movies and television where you can actually see the characters, books offer a
chance to imagine the characters. I don’t need an excessive amount of details for
a literary character. My mind will sketch the characters as I see them. I’d
rather read about their hands shaking in anger than the color of the skin
covering those hands. Tell me about the excitement in their eyes before you wax
poetic about the ocean being the same shade. I’d rather have an abstract
picture of a character in a book than a paint-by-number portrait.
God gave
us sight and created each and every one of us to be wonderfully made. Physical
beauty is neither a curse nor a blessing. Society has defined what is
attractive and asks us to all conform. God asks us to view others not with the
eyes of the world, but through His eyes.
Where
does the responsibility end for a Christian author who is setting the scene and
describing the fictional world they have created? I have stopped reading more
than a couple of authors because their emphasis on physical attractiveness is
nearly worldly. I’ve become tired of reading about silky hair, long legs,
strong arms, flat stomachs, and beautiful faces. I need more than physical
attraction to believe two characters are going to commit to each other when
they are written as though they can’t stand to be in the same room together.
In TV
and movies I believe there is a direct correlation between the quality of
writing and the nudity of the characters. The more poorly written the story line
is the more likely you are to have nearly naked actors on screen. In the
literary world there is actually a designation when this happens on paper –
PWP, porn without plot. PWP lets the reader know there is no story here just
written porn. Christians authors more than likely aren’t writing PWP, but they
need to find motivation for attraction between their characters to be more than
just physical. Physical beauty fades or can be taken from us in an instant. The
beauty of a God-fearing heart and the fruit of a Godly life lives forever.
Christians
can’t ignore the physical traits of the opposite sex. I can list for you the
physical qualities I find attractive in a guy. God designed us with eyes to see
and brains to process what we see. We have to take care we don’t emphasize the
physical over the traits God has outlined as important. While we all can’t poke
out our eyes to prevent being physically attracted to someone, we can guard our
minds with the Word of God.
I
believe authors have a responsibility and should be held accountable. I won’t
read an author anymore if I believe their romantic storylines are led with worldly
views.
No comments:
Post a Comment