I find a lot of this optimism in horror as well, IT being my favorite example. Sure, there will be child eating demons from the ancient abyss, but love, loyalty and friendship will defeat it. Similar to the hobbits in Lord of the Rings. The small people win.
I went to the WWII Memorial in Washington DC a couple of years ago. On stone, they had quotes from soldiers and world leaders and thinkers. And what struck me was that it was the ordinary people, farmers and blue collar workers who fought and defeated Hitler. A reminder that ordinary people uphold the world. And it’s in those people, my own friends, family, neighbors and children, that I put my hope.
This is by no means an optimistic novel, but if there's a novel that captures the absolute depth of despair and nihilism it is Neville Shute's "On the Beach". This book rocked my world. Don't read it if you're looking for a good time. I'm mentioning it because it was the book that most accurately captured that sense of terminal despair.
For happy, cheerful books--well, I can't say exactly. There's only two kinds of books--books that I can read to escape, or books that I can read to learn. When I'm not feeling great I spend more time reading books for learning. An escape can be effective as an escape even without being happy. Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers was philosophically interesting and had an expansive world. If the world feels bigger than the story I will typically enjoy it for that reason.
Funnily, those on the other side of the aisle in politics have much the same feelings about the 90s changing into the post 9/11 era, and then moving onto the current world, but for different reasons.
I wonder if 90s nostalgia is just for a time period that's gone, but I genuinely do think it's because it was the last era where just about everyone expected things to keep getting better.
I liked Cory Doctorow's WALKAWAY, though it doesn't start out optimistic. There's a lot to go through before getting to that part. I pre-reviewed it at an old blogging site here.
This line "...grim scifi detective story in which everything is falling apart: but ultimately it’s going to be about finding a way through that collapse..." really speaks to me. It's hard to articulate why, exactly, but I think this line encapsulates how it feels to have grown up in the U.S. as a teenager in the 2000s. Absolutely including the sense that the real world is a grim sci-fi story and it takes a detective procedural to ever understand even innocuous events; treat every news story like a crime scene and hunt for motive, means, and opportunity.
What motivates characters to find a way through that collapse, though? What makes some (most, I think) of us try to find that way through, while some (only a few, I hope) would rather play the fiddle and watch while everything around them burns?
Are the answers down to the individual? Everyone must find their own reason to carry on?
Optimistic novel? I'm scanning my shelves for a happy optimistic sort novel and I don't see any. (Does that say something about novels or something about me?) Thinking about this though, I don't think optimism is very relevant to the art of the novel since the starting point of nearly every one of them is some sort of conflict. Even if a sunny resolution might be found, artistically speaking it should arrive after a certain amount of pain and struggle. I think "bittersweet" is as good as it gets when it comes to serious fiction. Happy Hollywood endings just end up feeling a bit cheap. Here's the thing though: Though a story line might end as a big bummer, hopefully there will be some laughs along the way. Or, if not laughs, some uplifting emotions will leak in. I recently read a couple of novels in which the emotional needle starts at "moderately depressed" and basically stays there all the way to the downbeat endings. (I think I'm straying from your question. Sorry.) I just think there should always be some room for happy (or at least humorous) moments in long-form fiction, even if there can't be a happy ending. I think humor is like the fresh-crushed tomato that tames that too-salty stew.
2016 was a disgusting year. I lived in Brixton at the time and the year began with Davie Bowie passing away unexpectedly. From that point, it was like everything else crumbled too, as if Bowie had been holding things together.
But I agree about optimistic fiction and actually believe the zeitgeist feels like it currently much prefers optimism over more pessimism. Possibly the reason for the success of Becky Chambers' scifi novels in recent years.
I find a lot of this optimism in horror as well, IT being my favorite example. Sure, there will be child eating demons from the ancient abyss, but love, loyalty and friendship will defeat it. Similar to the hobbits in Lord of the Rings. The small people win.
I went to the WWII Memorial in Washington DC a couple of years ago. On stone, they had quotes from soldiers and world leaders and thinkers. And what struck me was that it was the ordinary people, farmers and blue collar workers who fought and defeated Hitler. A reminder that ordinary people uphold the world. And it’s in those people, my own friends, family, neighbors and children, that I put my hope.
This is by no means an optimistic novel, but if there's a novel that captures the absolute depth of despair and nihilism it is Neville Shute's "On the Beach". This book rocked my world. Don't read it if you're looking for a good time. I'm mentioning it because it was the book that most accurately captured that sense of terminal despair.
For happy, cheerful books--well, I can't say exactly. There's only two kinds of books--books that I can read to escape, or books that I can read to learn. When I'm not feeling great I spend more time reading books for learning. An escape can be effective as an escape even without being happy. Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers was philosophically interesting and had an expansive world. If the world feels bigger than the story I will typically enjoy it for that reason.
Funnily, those on the other side of the aisle in politics have much the same feelings about the 90s changing into the post 9/11 era, and then moving onto the current world, but for different reasons.
I wonder if 90s nostalgia is just for a time period that's gone, but I genuinely do think it's because it was the last era where just about everyone expected things to keep getting better.
I liked Cory Doctorow's WALKAWAY, though it doesn't start out optimistic. There's a lot to go through before getting to that part. I pre-reviewed it at an old blogging site here.
https://steemit.com/scifi/@plotbot2015/post-scarcity-punk-review-of-walkaway-by-cory-doctorow
Already seen Becky Chambers mentioned, but her books are wonderfully hopeful examples of sci-fi. This post was amazing!
This line "...grim scifi detective story in which everything is falling apart: but ultimately it’s going to be about finding a way through that collapse..." really speaks to me. It's hard to articulate why, exactly, but I think this line encapsulates how it feels to have grown up in the U.S. as a teenager in the 2000s. Absolutely including the sense that the real world is a grim sci-fi story and it takes a detective procedural to ever understand even innocuous events; treat every news story like a crime scene and hunt for motive, means, and opportunity.
What motivates characters to find a way through that collapse, though? What makes some (most, I think) of us try to find that way through, while some (only a few, I hope) would rather play the fiddle and watch while everything around them burns?
Are the answers down to the individual? Everyone must find their own reason to carry on?
Optimistic novel? I'm scanning my shelves for a happy optimistic sort novel and I don't see any. (Does that say something about novels or something about me?) Thinking about this though, I don't think optimism is very relevant to the art of the novel since the starting point of nearly every one of them is some sort of conflict. Even if a sunny resolution might be found, artistically speaking it should arrive after a certain amount of pain and struggle. I think "bittersweet" is as good as it gets when it comes to serious fiction. Happy Hollywood endings just end up feeling a bit cheap. Here's the thing though: Though a story line might end as a big bummer, hopefully there will be some laughs along the way. Or, if not laughs, some uplifting emotions will leak in. I recently read a couple of novels in which the emotional needle starts at "moderately depressed" and basically stays there all the way to the downbeat endings. (I think I'm straying from your question. Sorry.) I just think there should always be some room for happy (or at least humorous) moments in long-form fiction, even if there can't be a happy ending. I think humor is like the fresh-crushed tomato that tames that too-salty stew.
“It’s not the end. Not yet.” Love this kernel of hope.
2016 was a disgusting year. I lived in Brixton at the time and the year began with Davie Bowie passing away unexpectedly. From that point, it was like everything else crumbled too, as if Bowie had been holding things together.
But I agree about optimistic fiction and actually believe the zeitgeist feels like it currently much prefers optimism over more pessimism. Possibly the reason for the success of Becky Chambers' scifi novels in recent years.