Balance Between Critic and Child

Hi everyone! I wanted to talk for a bit about the good reading/bad reading thing.

I think that it's safe to say that everyone has been guilty of bad reading (or, in our case, watching) at some point. It's not like we are born with the ability to analyze a story, to break it down and see all of the levels it contains. Becoming a good reader takes time and practice; one has to develop the skills. And I don't believe that it is a thing that anyone should ever try to conquer on their own; it requires fellowship, a network of people all bouncing ideas and thoughts off of one another and learning from it.

I have always considered myself an avid reader, and a story-lover, but it wasn't until I took AP English my senior year that I truly began to develop good reading skills. We were assigned Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment as summer reading (among others). For anyone who is not familiar with the story, know that it is very long and complex, and very, very deep. When I finished it, I thought to myself, "man, that was a really good story. Complicated, but really good". And that was that. However, after spending a month in class tearing it apart and examining it from every angle possible, I realized what an amazing work of art it is. It had so many levels and symbols, and went so much deeper than what I had originally perceived. I was honestly blown away. It was a rough read, and even more taxing to analyze, but completely worth it.

This brings me to my next point, well, my only point, really, which stems from The Gospel as Fairy Tale. 

For us, becoming good readers/watchers is essential. As future storytellers, we have no choice; they are skills we must develop. However, as storytellers, it is equally essential that don't become so caught up in this complex, higher thinking that we lose our sense of wonder, that child-like perspective that drew us all to storytelling in the first place. It is child-like wonder that will continue to inspire us:

"If you still have something more than just eyes to see with, the world can give you these glimpses as well as fairy tales can-the smell of rain, the dazzle of sun on white clapboard with the shadows of ferns and wash on the line, the wildness of a winter storm when in the house the flame of a candle doesn't even flicker (Telling the Truth, pg. 83)."

I mean, take it from Jesus himself: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 18:3, NIV).

It is so important for us to find a good balance when we are analyzing a work, whether it be a novel or movie, or whatever. We can't let ourselves get so technical, what with symbol spotting, and figuring out just what a piece 'means', that we completely miss all of the joy of the story. If we do, it just becomes dull and hopeless. And then there really is no point to what we're doing.