I’ve begun noticing a trend in popular fiction books over the past few years, and that’s the word “cozy”. Cozy romance, cozy mystery, cozy fantasy. We’re surrounded by books and stories of picture-perfect relationships, dreamy Hallmark settings, and adventures-that-aren’t-really adventurous.
The indoctrination of the idealistic has affected everything from clothing, housing, and friendships, to personal looks, home decor, and summer vacations. It has also significantly impacted the entertainment market. We’re constantly surrounded by idealistic pictures of what life should be like. Magazines, movies, and ads paint an alluring picture of happiness, peace, and no discomfort. Is this constant indoctrination healthy for us? Is it healthy for our children?
One of my favorite authors, S. D. Smith, responded to a critic’s comment about his books with a beautiful summary of why he wrote stories containing villains and danger. As his article states, “My stories are dangerous. But I think [the critic] mistakes me for an enemy, when I’m an ally—an ardent one…My books are not overly grotesque and very tastefully deal with battle scenes and the sad deaths that sometimes occur. The adventures are full of humor, love, and an inspirational hope for a Mending. They are, I have been told by tens of thousands of parents, beautiful and good. They are also very dangerous.”
So what makes a story safe or dangerous? And in a world surrounded by the “cozy”, why should young people read dangerous stories? Here are my thoughts…
Good, Dangerous Stories Show Darkness And Light
G. K. Chesterton once wrote, “Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.”
Good, dangerous stories show the darkness of evil. They don’t lie to their readers and say that the world is perfect, happy, and good. They don’t lie to their readers about the idealistic life culture preaches every person should be living. Good, dangerous stories don’t shy away from darkness; they encounter it with light. The White Witch enslaves Edmund, and Aslan sets him free. Frodo is overcome with the power of the Ring, and Samwise Gamgee helps him defeat it. Dangerous stories show that love comes with a price, that mercy requires someone else who pays the debt, and that evil will one day be eradicated.
This is certainly not comfortable and cozy. But it is true.
Good, Dangerous Stories Show True Battles
S. D. Smith writes in his article, “I don’t set out to shock or cross useful lines set up to protect innocent kids. I have a far more subversive aim. I want to invite kids into a vicarious encounter with Reality—monsters and all—that will serve them as they grow in virtue and wisdom. That, today, is radical.”
In a world where modern technologies often minimize effort and discomfort, books have the ability to draw readers of all ages, but especially young people, into “a vicarious encounter with Reality”.
Reality is not “cozy”. Reality is the story of wayward sheep, hungry wolves, and a sacrificial Shepherd. Reality is a painful journey to the Celestial City where the Faithful die and the Hopeful are inspired.
Good, dangerous stories show true battles, heart-wrenching conflicts, and courageous heroes. As J. R. R. Tolkien wrote in The Two Towers, “There is some good in this world… and it is worth fighting for.”
Good, Dangerous Stories Show Triumphant Victories
Smith finishes his article with this point: “I write stories for courageous kids who know that dragons are real, that they are evil, and that they must be defeated.” A good, dangerous story is one that shows that evil cannot be allowed to reign.
When the Pevensie children are thrust into Narnia after leaving the devastation of their beloved England, they ask Mr. Beaver about the safety of the ruler of this new land. He responds, “’Course [Aslan] isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
Good, dangerous stories show children the mirage of materialistic lies. They teach children the moral virtues that should be the cornerstones of society. They teach the necessity of justice, the heroism of courage, and the ultimate triumph over darkness. Dangerous stories show triumphant victories.
Because one day, as lovers of Tolkien, Bunyan, Lewis, and The Green Ember know, the dragon will be finally defeated.
Let Kids Read Dangerous Stories
Good, dangerous stories point to Reality. As Aslan tells Lucy in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, “This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
The cozy genre isn’t wrong to read and enjoy. But it does seem to reflect a trending idealistic approach to life and struggles. In the face of a culture where “picture-perfect” is becoming the highest ideal, and health, wealth, and happiness are the primary goals people often strive for, kids need to read dangerous stories.
We need adventurous tales that show darkness and light battling it out to a dragon-crushing victory. These stories are not safe, as Mr. Beaver would probably remind us, but through the danger, they show us what is true and good.
