Young Writers Society

I was wondering how people felt about inserting meaning into their stories. This mostly springs from discussions in English class, when I wonder if Shakespere ever thought his symbolism would be totally missed by everyone (no, I'm not talking about "cultural" references such as Greek gods and goddesses, I know it was the Renaissance).

When I write, I'm never sure if things like symbols and themes and foreshadowing are obvious enough. Of course they'll be obvious to me, I'm the one writing it.

So I suppose the general jist of my question is: how do you find a balance of enough meaning to mean something, but not so much as to be condescending to the reader?

I like it when the symbolism isn't apparent. I love figuring things out on my own, sometimes years after I originally read the book. I'll be reading up on something and be like oh, hey! I remember this was in that book... and it feels like you share an inside joke with the author/character(s).
That could just be me, though.

I think the best way to tell if they're obvious enough is to have people read over them for you. If they don't comment on the symbolism, ask. If they look at you and say "what symbolism?" either their clueless, or you need to be a leeeetle more obvious.

(Do try to avoid the Lord of the Flies-style super-obvious symbolism, though. I hate that.)

Thanks Meep!

Never really liked Lord of the Flies....

Y'know, I always wonder whether people mean to put as much symbolism/themes/symbols etc. in their books as the GCSE examiners make out. Did Harper Lee really mean To Kill A Mockingbird to be as full of themes as my GCSE folder says it is, or are they reading things that aren't really there?

I never liked Lord of the Flies either. The Great Gadsby was far worse though.

I think that people often find more there than the author really thought of. symbolism and foreshadowing I think is best done on a subliminal level, and authers even put them in at that level, not even realizing they did until later in the work. At least that's my look on it.

Such techniques should flow to the point that if the reader doesn't catch on, they're not confused; they just missed it. They should catch it late in the reading so that the beginning of the book is in the back of their mind as they read through to the end.

Personally, I tend to avoid putting actually "putting" symbolism and such in. It usually works itself in by itself with other elements. If you overthink it, it's simply going to be obvious because you're trying too hard.

Anyway, that's my thoughts. Hope they help.

Meaning is hard to figure. It sometimes is a good thing, because it adds intrigue to your story, but other times, it detracts, by the blatentcy of it. I say, experiment. In several short stories, try filling one with meaning, put barely any in another, etc. It may help you figure out how much is too much.

Good luck
Pros

Balancing meaning isn't easy by any stretch. After all, some people will evaluate the level of symbolism in your work differently than others will. Ultimately, I find that it's best to just go with what feels natural - don't pump the meaning in there where it doesn't belong, just to make a point or try to emulate the classics.

If you think of an object (character/event) in your story that has a dual meaning and you think "Oh, that's really neat, I'll do that" - then it's probably something you want to stick with.

On the other hand, if your thought process runs more along the lines of "Oh. More symbolism. I should probably write it down somewhere - but I thought in the last draft the ring was supposed to represent the family bond...? No, it was to show the loyalty. No, that was the painting..." - you know you're vastly out of your comfort range with the amount of meaning you're attributing to every little thing.

Just don't force it, and the balance is remarkably good at finding itself. ^_~

Roaming Shadow wrote:I think that people often find more there than the author really thought of. symbolism and foreshadowing I think is best done on a subliminal level, and authors even put them in at that level, not even realizing they did until later in the work. At least that's my look on it.

I think that especially in English courses and such, meanings and complex symbolism and all that junk gets read into places where it's not. According to my dad's ex (awkward? a tad?) her Master's in English consisted of finding things that the author definitely didn't think of. "She went to by new sneakers, hence she finds abortion to be morally wrong. However, since she bought the second pair she looked at, she supports gay marriage."

But, um, to stay on track: Better too subtle than too obvious. About anything.

Because too obvious brings me to A Separate Peace. I hate that book with more passion than that Malory woman hates Harry Potter.