DR mar 13

Reading novels has long been deemed beneficial, a notion reinforced by studies like those from the New School for Social Research, which demonstrated that exposure to authors such as Don DeLillo and Lydia Davis enhances emotional cognition, or Emory University's research indicating heightened neural connectivity from literary engagement. A University of Sussex study further supports novels as potent stress relievers. This widespread belief renders the novel akin to a kale smoothie for the soul, perceived as inherently enriching regardless of content. While media such as violent video games or explicit films are often scrutinized for their potential corruption of impressionable minds, novels escape such censure. When they are described as 'dangerous,' it is typically in a metaphorical sense, often implying that those threatened by such works are themselves oppressive or intolerant, as British author Melvin Burgess contends regarding his controversial novel Junk.

Historically, however, novels were viewed with suspicion comparable to today's reception of extreme horror films. In the 19th century, critics like Jonathan Townley Crane argued that novels induced a form of self-estrangement, warning that readers might become engrossed in fictitious reveries, imagining themselves as protagonists and thus losing their grip on reality. This notion of reading as a form of psychic possession reflected a belief that narrative immersion could corrode individuality.

Beyond moralists like Crane, literary figures themselves have warned against the perilous sway of storytelling. Søren Kierkegaard, for instance, likened the artist to a vampire, draining vitality from the audience while instilling troubling dreams. Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray portrays this idea vividly. Dorian's descent into depravity is catalyzed by Lord Henry Wotton's influence and a 'little yellow book,' widely believed to be Huysmans' Against Nature. This enigmatic text intoxicates Dorian, instilling a malady of dreaming that severs his connection to reality and drives him towards aesthetic excess. Here, Wilde illustrates how literature can corrupt by shaping minds in its own decadent image, seducing readers into mimetic complicity.

The seductive storyteller motif recurs in Barbey d'Aurevilly's The Greatest Love of Don Juan, where a Count exploits narrative delay to tantalize his listeners. Within this tale, the Count's ability to convince a young woman that he had impregnated her merely through eye contact reflects a grim manipulation of perception. This dual seduction, both through explicit storytelling and the embedded narrative of his triumph, underscores literature's power to deform identity.

Kierkegaard's The Seducer’s Diary echoes this pattern. Johannes, the titular seducer, ensnares Cordelia by reconstructing her self-image through narrative persuasion. By mythologizing their relationship, he compels her to abandon conventional morality, achieving control through psychological manipulation. Johannes effectively supplants Cordelia's self-conception with his own, embodying the vampiric artist who drains and reshapes his subject's identity.

Novels, in this light, become parasitic. Like Dorian and Cordelia, readers risk internalizing destructive narratives, transforming themselves into aesthetic vampires who perpetuate the violence they consume. Octave Mirbeau's The Torture Garden exemplifies this notion, depicting a Chinese 'pleasure-garden' where grotesque torture is presented with linguistic beauty. Through ornate language, Mirbeau seduces the reader into aestheticizing horror, revealing literature's capacity to blur the boundary between empathy and complicity.

This convergence of seduction and narrative manipulation invites reflection on the duality of fiction's power. While modern discourse celebrates novels for their cognitive and psychological benefits, the cautionary tales of Kierkegaard, Wilde, and Mirbeau suggest a more unsettling truth: literature's ability to reshape the mind is potent, for better or worse. In embracing narrative immersion, we risk surrendering our sense of self to the tantalizing designs of masterful storytellers, who ensnare readers not unlike the vampires and seducers they depict.

Word Count: 590
Flesch-Kincaid Level: 16

Difficult Word Meanings:

1. Cognition - The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge.

2. Reverie - A state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts.

3. Mimetic - Relating to imitation or mimicry.

4. Aestheticize - To regard something as being aesthetically pleasing, especially something unpleasant.

5. Ensnare - To capture or trap someone.

6. Quasi-divine - Having characteristics resembling those of a deity.

7. Intoxicate - To affect deeply with emotions, ideas, or excitement.

8. Procrastination - The action of delaying or postponing something.

9. Conception - The way in which something is perceived or regarded.

10. Parasitic - Exploitative; drawing from another's resources without giving back.

 

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