Introduction
So far in this series of blog posts, we’ve discussed the responsibility that we, as parents, have to teach our children to exercise Godly wisdom as they ingest media, including music and movies and news, but specifically books. We’ve talked about reading “temporary” books in light of the Eternal book and using Scripture as a measuring stick upon which to assess the authority of what we’re reading. We’ve discussed what constitutes “Rubbish” and how to teach our children to identify and reject it. Today, let’s spend more time discussing what makes a book good.
Says Who?
A favorite author of mine often asks the following question as he determines the quality of something: By what standard? By what standard, or whose standard, are we determining whether a book is good? We all might have differing opinions on this subject, but we need to start with something immoveable and objective. The obvious answer to this question is “God’s standard!” What does God call good?
Philippians 4:8 helps give us a baseline. We’re told . . .
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things (NASB).
If we are to think (meditate) upon these things, then I believe that it’s not a stretch to say that we’re also supposed to imitate these things. Or, to put it another way, we should desire to see these character traits and values take root in our own hearts and in the hearts of our children.
Consider also Sir Philip Sidney’s (1554-1586) assertion from his Defense of Poesy, in which he tells us . . .
Poesy, therefore, is an art of imitation; for so Aristotle termeth it in the word mimesis; that is to say, a representing, counterfeiting, or figuring forth: to speak metaphorically, a speaking picture, with this end, to teach and delight.
Sidney argues that the purpose of poesy (not simply lyrical poetry, but that which would also include storytelling) is to teach and delight. He goes on the say that good poesy will teach virtue; a writer will create a virtuous character that readers will want to imitate, thereby creating numberless virtuous characters in real life.
What’s the Author Selling?
What does this look like in literary form? When our children are little, it can look like board books and picture books that teach about God and what He made, declaring it all good. As they grow and begin listening to or reading stories with plots, characters are introduced who have personalities. A character with a personality is rich soil from which all sorts of things can grow; likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, emotions, passions, motivations, opinions, convictions, etc. As you read with your children, you have the opportunity to ask questions and make observations about the characters. As your child’s comprehension and reading abilities grow, the books they’re reading are introducing trials and conflicts by varying degrees. What are the characters doing throughout the book? What’s motivating them, or what do they value, and are these motivations and values good according to Scripture? How are they tempted? What obstacles are standing in their way? In what ways does the character have to grow in order to overcome their trial? When all the loose ends are tied up at the end of the book, how is the character different from who they were at the beginning? How have they grown?
Answering these questions helps us determine whether a book imitates the pattern that Scripture has set for us, or whether it rebels against it. James 1 tells us that trials are meant to stretch, grow, and mature us. How do the characters in the book you’re reading grow and mature throughout their trials? Do they grow bitter, or seek revenge, or selfishly justify their actions? Do they become prideful and succeed, despite behaving sinfully? Or does the character, who may have struggled with cowardice, anger, or some other sin in the beginning, display courage and humility in order to overcome their trial, and ultimately grow in nobility? What character traits is the author telling you are good and worthy of imitation? Are they worldly character traits, or Godly ones? This is one way we can determine whether a book is good, or not.
Victimization as Justification
In recent years, it has become trendy to reexamine older stories and retell them from the antagonist’s perspective. The goal is to cause the reader/viewer to empathize with the villain, to understand how the villain is a victim themselves, and to justify their bad behavior. The thought process might be . . . We are all sinners, are we not? And as sinners, we can relate to the emotions that these villains feel as we come to understand their backstories. Perhaps they were abandoned, perhaps they were abused, perhaps they were scorned or hurt, or perhaps they endured a genuine unjust circumstance. We can certainly understand why they might seek revenge or hurt someone else.
This theme of “a person can only take so much” before they are justified in acting out is so subtle and prevalent in many books, especially, it seems, in those books that become movies. – Dave Mueller
The problem is this: We’re all responsible for our own actions, and we don’t get a pass because we shift the blame onto someone else. This used to be common sense thinking in our society, but there’s been a shift in our societal narrative the past decade or so. As Christian parents, we want to be careful to train our children to recognize this tempting – but sinful! – way of thinking whenever it appears in books or movies. We want our children to sympathize with others and show them compassion, not look for ways to justify their own sin or encourage others to pursue ungodly behaviors. They need to develop the skills to recognize those points where a character (either a protagonist or an antagonist) faces a choice to be a “good guy” or a “bad guy,” and articulate what the Godly response might be in that situation.
The Good Guys vs. the Bad Guys
Good books will reflect the truth that we all go through trials, just like Scripture says we will (James 1:2), and will show human weakness in temptation. But a good book will also reflect Scripture in how the “good guys” resist temptation, repent of sin, and grow in Godly character (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4), and reveal the “bad guys” as those who are lured away by their own evil desires, who give in to sin, and walk the path leading to death (James 1:14-15). Good books will teach virtue by showing the reader a “picture” of what virtuous character looks like, and thereby delight as the reader is impelled to imitate and grow into those virtues.
There are many other factors that can determine whether we find a book good or not. We all have differing opinions on genre or authors or writing styles, and those are worthy discussions for another time. The other big factor to take into consideration is how sin and evil are represented within the story, and we’ll dive into that next.
