(A Cultural Zeitgeist Introspection)

 World View and Books

Do the books you love match your world view? Does the way you look at the world influence the books you read or gravitate to?

Cultural Zeitgeist Shift

The cultural zeitgeist is basically what’s trending. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, each era has a unique spirit that sets it apart from others. In German, the spirit is known as Zeitgeist: Zeit, meaning “time” and Geist meaning “spirit”.

The Novel Marketing podcast recently discussed the new culture shift. Readers in the last five years wanted the grim dark stories. “The good guys weren’t that good, and the bad guys made some good points.”  ~ Thomas Umstattd. 

What do Readers Crave Now?

They “now want characters who are good and powerful enough to make a difference and fix that dark world” ~ Thomas Umstattd. This is seen in many manga comics or the K-Pop Demon Hunters cartoon. Readers want to escape from a corrupt and scary world when they read. They want to know that even though evil exists, it can be defeated. They don’t mind the dark setting if the good guy wins.

“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.” ~ G.K. Chesterton 

There’s a hunger for that feeling of “I did it, I accomplished it, I won, and I get the medal at the end.” We saw the very tail end of that with the original Star Wars. What do the heroes get at the end? A medal. There’s a moment of glory where they get to experience and celebrate their victory. ~ Thomas Umstattd

Where do Readers Find Hopeful Stories?

You can follow manga, but what about western culture? Since indie authors don’t answer to a publisher, many have written stories for the current zeitgeist shift. Start following groups that promote independent authors and find tales that answer that new call.

Author Note

I think my own preferences have always been out of sync with the current trends. I wanted the hero to win, so I compromised with reader’s desires. I wrote about the morally gray guy/villain, but he or she became the “good guy”. The Aerowyn Tales are a perfect example of this. Redemption for past sins or missteps gives hope. It tells the reader they can overcome flaws or mistakes.

What attracts me to stories are redemption arcs where Darth Vadar turns from the dark side at the end and helps his son. Harry Potter finally defeats Voldemort. The depressing ending has never been my thing. Give me a happily ever after all the time!

People make sense of reality by making sense of it narratively through stories first. As an author, I want to help the reader do that. I want to help people navigate change while society catches up.

We can live in the world, but we don’t have to become a part of it. We get to choose how we react to the evil that attacks literally and figuratively. We don’t want to follow that saying, “If you can’t beat it, join it.” We need hope that we will beat it!

For all things are possible through Christ.