Are cell phones ruining some classic plot devices?
As fast as technology is catching on in reality, literature might be a little more techno-phobic. At least, that was my thought after reading this article from the New York Times. I must have also been thinking the same thing when I wrote a post, aptly titled: Is your fiction technophobic?
I’m talking about using modern technology, like cell phones and laptop computers, in fiction. In my earlier post I revealed that in most of the fiction I write, I hardly ever make use of modern conveniences. When I asked why, no compelling answer came to mind. But the article in the NYT might have shed a little more light on the subject of technology (or lack thereof) and fiction.
In part, the NYT article says:
Technology is rendering obsolete some classic narrative plot devices: missed connections, miscommunications, the inability to reach someone. Such gimmicks don’t pass the smell test when even the most remote destinations have wireless coverage.
True. While technology does pose problems to those classic plot devices, it’d be a poor excuse for any writer to use as a reason for not turning out fresh, revealing, intriguing and interesting fiction. But some authors intentionally set their fiction in the pre-cell phone era so they can stick with the time-test classic devices:
Some writers are just rejecting modernity. M. J. Rose, whose books about reincarnation are the basis for a planned pilot on the Fox Network, intends to set her next book in 1948 in part so she can let missed connections and miscommunications simmer.
Ms. Rose goes on to say:
"You miss a train in 1888 or even 1988, and have no way to contact the person waiting at the station on the other end," she said. "He thinks you’ve changed your mind, been captured, weren’t able to escape. You miss a train in 2009 and you pull out your cell and text that you’ll be two hours late."
Again, the point she makes is true. But honestly, I think this is a very reductionist way of viewing plot devices and the role technology can play in fiction. Rather than blaming a cell phone for ruining the plot, it’s the author’s job to utilize those different tools (like cell phones, computers, the internet, etc) and weave them into an original story.
While my own fiction has lacked in modern technology in the past, I am changing how I approach my characters communicating with one another. This change has been inspired not only by the science fiction I have been reading lately, but also by my own dependence on technology in my every day life.
Let’s face it, the technology most of us take for granted today is still fairly young. A little over a decade ago cell phones weren’t nearly as common (and much more expensive), pay phones still peppered street corners, and the internet was still in its infancy and searching for an identity.
I think literature has a tendency to lag behind the "real world" in many aspects, technology only being one. Ten, twenty, even thirty years from now, we’ll probably chuckle when we read a story where a character whips out a cell phone because those devices will be obsolete (replaced, hopefully, by telepathic devices implanted in our brains).
Instead of seeing technology as an obstacle, authors and readers alike should view technology as an opportunity to explore new dimensions in literature. Science fiction has indeed become "science reality."
Do you use modern technology in your own writing? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!
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