Post by account_disabled on Dec 19, 2023 21:33:12 GMT -7
Reading Rodari's The Grammar of Fantasy , which I have cited several times in this blog, I found three interesting thoughts on writing, which are worth reflecting on and discussing. «All uses of the word to all» seems to me to be a good motto, with a nice democratic sound. Not because everyone is an artist, but because no one is a slave. This concept, that of giving the use of the written word to everyone, applies well to the world of the internet, often hindered by governments who fear its potential. On the other hand, it is an inalienable right of every citizen to be able to express themselves, even in written form, as they wish.
Rodari's last sentence is even more beautiful: “Not because everyone is an artist, but because no one is a slave”. It doesn't matter whether the writer does it well, it doesn't matter whether he writes a Special Data best seller or a front page article, it's important that he can write. Write so as not to be a slave. Slave to what? You might ask. Of the imposed silence. Of the illogical ban. Of the denied right. A story can only be born from a "fantastic combination". Once again the combination of fantasy returns. For Rodari it is fundamental for creating stories and he tells us with this phrase that he knows about dogma, but what a dogma it is not. The fantastic combination must be interpreted. It is not certain that the two elements must necessarily be distant in time and space. Rodari tells us that in a story there must be two elements that trigger its beginning.
It is up to the writer to choose these two elements and the decision to take them from worlds and contexts distant from each other lies in the imprint and genre that will distinguish the story. Each object, according to its nature, offers connections to the fairy tale. We could define it as a fantastic monomial , a solid element that triggers the mechanism of fantasy and triggers fairy-tale narration. Rodari is right in this case too, to write a fairy tale you need imagination, but this imagination can start from any object. Think intensely about a random object that is near you right now. I have the computer mouse, for example. An inanimate object, which at a certain point rebels and no longer wants to know about being connected to a USB port. The thread is ultimately his long tail, which he would like to use for other purposes. It then detaches itself from the computer and closes my USB port. I am forced to use the keys and everything becomes slower and more difficult. The mouse is happy and starts running around the room, jumping on the furniture, nibbling everything it comes across. Finally he jumps onto the sofa, right where the cat is peacefully sleeping.
Rodari's last sentence is even more beautiful: “Not because everyone is an artist, but because no one is a slave”. It doesn't matter whether the writer does it well, it doesn't matter whether he writes a Special Data best seller or a front page article, it's important that he can write. Write so as not to be a slave. Slave to what? You might ask. Of the imposed silence. Of the illogical ban. Of the denied right. A story can only be born from a "fantastic combination". Once again the combination of fantasy returns. For Rodari it is fundamental for creating stories and he tells us with this phrase that he knows about dogma, but what a dogma it is not. The fantastic combination must be interpreted. It is not certain that the two elements must necessarily be distant in time and space. Rodari tells us that in a story there must be two elements that trigger its beginning.
It is up to the writer to choose these two elements and the decision to take them from worlds and contexts distant from each other lies in the imprint and genre that will distinguish the story. Each object, according to its nature, offers connections to the fairy tale. We could define it as a fantastic monomial , a solid element that triggers the mechanism of fantasy and triggers fairy-tale narration. Rodari is right in this case too, to write a fairy tale you need imagination, but this imagination can start from any object. Think intensely about a random object that is near you right now. I have the computer mouse, for example. An inanimate object, which at a certain point rebels and no longer wants to know about being connected to a USB port. The thread is ultimately his long tail, which he would like to use for other purposes. It then detaches itself from the computer and closes my USB port. I am forced to use the keys and everything becomes slower and more difficult. The mouse is happy and starts running around the room, jumping on the furniture, nibbling everything it comes across. Finally he jumps onto the sofa, right where the cat is peacefully sleeping.