Where is the Subtext?

Evening, Bartender.

I'll have two fingers of Highland Park 12. Neat.

I have this consistent issue with contemporary novels, movies and television shows, where I feel like the writers/directors don't trust (or respect) the audience enough to understand subtext. Last night I finished a horror series that was an excruciatingly slow burn, that took the time to explore the character's motivations, to unravel the compelling mystery, all to just burst at the seams near the final act, resulting in a series of drawn out monologues that over-explained any subtext that was painstakingly crafted at a snail's pace from the opening scene. It felt like the director had just told me a joke, and before I was able to laugh, quickly explained to me why the joke was funny.

A lot has been made of the "show, don't tell" advice that is often conveyed to writers and filmmakers. Some think it's bad advice because it leads to the dreaded "purple prose" and obfuscation, and others think it's the best advice, because nobody wants to read prose that lists events like a grocery list. These days it seems we have met somewhere in the middle, where creatives are capable of showing their audience cleverly crafted subtext, only to dispel those ideas by explaining the joke.

I think a growing number of readers/viewers have come to expect this from authors, writers and directors they enjoy. It's like we've collectively come around to the notion that there's no place for abstraction and ambiguity in fiction anymore. We're time poor and we'd like the joke explained to us so we don't have to strain ourselves too hard to connect the dots. Never mind the fact that a good metaphor is tantamount to an apple landing on Newton's head. I've seen such writers garner high praise for their well constructed and carefully considered narratives, but I can't help chalking this up to quantity over quality. We no longer care for great works of fiction in this content driven economy. Less is no longer more. More is more.

You see, the funny thing about it is...

outdoorminer

Everyone is so quick to slot you onto one side of the culture war that ambiguity actually arouses fear in some members of the audience if your intentions aren't laid out clearly, since they can't easily determine which "side" you are on. A disturbingly large number of people, I think, really do have such a mindset.

I think the synthesis you've identified is correct, because even if you do decide to deal with something ambiguous it is expected that you tip your hand clearly to the audience as to what you feel the "right answer" is. People consume entertainment the way they consume fast food -- an easy burst of pleasure that lightens the burdens of the day for a brief moment. To be confronted with indeterminacy or obscurity is like finding a hair in your burger.

eskimonk

I agree. It's ironic that society has become so overwhelmed with information that we reduce everything down to binary statements.