Narrative

Girls are supposed to like the fairytale narrative. Well, that’s the way it comes over in the mainstream river of ‘Norms-ville’. I’m trying to keep an eye out for a novel to read whilst taking a train journey to London’s Euston Station. However, I am having a job finding one which is aimed at a female reader which doesn’t fulfil the ‘I’m a weak female and my world isn’t complete unless I find a ‘male lover’ to make me complete’ role. When you read the prelude, we read things such as ..

'Mary was looking for love. Her sisters left her but Derrick moved into town and soon became important to her. Or, after Mary lost her job in PR, she thought it was all over. But when Johnny started working in the same office, things soon got better’.

This kind of narrative is beyond obvious. Then, when you meet people, they say “Oh, I love this film” or “that book is great, you should read it!”. However, I can’t help but feel rather disappointed. Whilst being a student, I studied crime fiction. It was here where I was made aware that narrative can fulfil a much more powerful function. Even if you just wanted to relax, you could still be presented with something new. For instance, whilst reading a novel by Spanish author, Manuel Montalban, it is not uncommon to find a cooking recipe in the middle of a criminal investigation, all carried out in the back-streets of Barcelona.

It is worrying how Fairytale narrative creates a set of morals for society that are not based on reality. I'm a big fan of raising children in a gender-neutral environment. That means letting the kids decide what toys they wish to play with and not resorting to 'Sit down girl and watch this Cinderella DVD, whilst your brother plays with his Action-Man'.

What is more disturbing is how many adults cling on to this narrow view of normality as a guide in how life should be. However, they are bound to if they are programmed from childhood.