To what extent do you feel you have to agree with an author to like his work?

[philmophlegm]

Here's a question...

It occurs to me that many of the authors whose work I have been enjoying recently are or were people whose views on morality, religion, politics or economics I disagree with. In some cases those views are diametrically opposed to my views. In a few, their views are (to me at least) quite repugnant.

Examples? Well, there's the racist H.P. Lovecraft (see his poem that I added to ladyofastolat's journal here http://ladyofastolat.livejournal.com/310358.html). Or how about Michael Moorcock's argument that most of the people reading this journal are more or less Nazi sympathisers? "If I were sitting in a tube train and all the people opposite me were reading Mein Kampf with obvious enjoyment and approval it probably wouldn't disturb me much more than if they were reading Heinlein, Tolkein (sic) or Richard Adams." (Full essay* here: http://flag.blackened.net/liberty/moorcock.html .)

Now none of this makes me less likely to read 'Herbert West, Re-Animator' or 'The Warhound and the World's Pain'. In fact, I've read both those works and enjoyed them immensely. But, I get the strong impression from t'internet that many fans are not only fans of their favourite authors' works, but also agree with that author on moral / religious / political and economic issues.

Now I'm not sure what comes first. Do they find an author whose views they agree with and start reading? Do they start reading, but stop if they find out that the author holds unpleasant views? Do they read lots of authors' work, but only allow themselves to become a 'fan' of morally / religiously / politically / economically acceptable writers?

Dear readers, are you in this category? I'm not saying that it's wrong in any way. I'm not in it, but maybe that means I'm not identifying as closely with my favourite authors as you are. Be honest with yourself. Perhaps you hadn't appreciated this on a conscious level before. I would be interested to see your views.





* I say "essay". I mean rambling and confused rant.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I would find HP Lovecraft's racism disturbing if I were reading it in a work penned today, but as the product of a man 'of his time', I judge it rather to be a representation of the viewpoint of the society in which he moved. In the same way, I don't find it repugnant to play or GM a Call of Cthulhu game in which the characters are frequently both misogynistic and racist.

I find it abhorrent when _current_ celebrities, authors, athletes etc. display such behaviour or opinions, as by now I expect a better level of enlightenment from them. I have ceased to watch anything with Russell Crowe or Mel Gibson in, as one example.

[firin.livejournal.com]

Uh, that was me. I keep forgetting to log in after cleaning cookies recently in a bid to get some malware to sod off (this part was succesful).

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

I'm no expert on this, but he's living in a 1920s New England, not the deep south. Those views seem racist by those standards as well as by today's.

But no, it's not going to stop me reading and enjoying his work. Although I don't think I would, for example, feel comfortable running a Call of Cthulhu scenario in which the investigators fought not against shoggoths but against 'vice-ridden niggers'.