Telling a story, or even living through one, is one of the most human creative and personal experiences. Be it either told through word of mouth or written on a page, storytelling is, in my opinion, one of the most magical capabilities of the human imagination. Although the words on a page remain the same, they hold the power to affect everyone who reads those words differently; holding an imagination to ransom while sculpting emotions and individual responses, creating an fully fledged world which we inhabit while the book is open. Making us fall in love with the villain or protagonist, cry over those who came to be out best friends when they die or meet an untimely end and ultimately leave us screaming out in frustration while we wait for the sequel to be published because we need to know if the uprising will be successful/who will survive/will they fall in love/when will the zombies appear. All this because of a connection to created to the words placed in front of us.
I am not alone in my love of books (and indeed their respective protagonists). From early literary characters such as Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) and Mr Rochester (Jayne Eyre) to modern ones such as Augustus Waters (The Fault in Our Stars) and Charlie (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), our expectations of men has been forever tainted by these dark, mysterious and ultimately heart-melting fictional characters. While also challenging our perceptions of male characters and healthy relationships, literature also allows room for role-models to emerge with strong female leads such as Hermione Granger (Harry Potter), Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games), Jayne Eyre (Jayne Eyre), Celie (The Color Purple) and Hazel Grace (The Fault in Our Stars). So while encouraging the imagination through the creation of new worlds, reading can also help craft and construct consciousness, developed, independent and strong personal qualities.
To fall head over heels with a fictional character to then have t0 finish a book and leave them in their universe leaves a strange void in a readers life (well, mine anyway). Trying to cherish the last few pages of a story, knowing that as you turn the last page your adventure in the created universe will come to an end. Yet knowing you can pick up where you left off, having the option to re-live the entire adventure by simply opening the book again. The opportunity will always be there.
Creating their own worlds, within their own genres, authors allow their readers to live multiple lives through the lives of the characters. Jumping from monster to pirate, heaven to a dystopian future, running from an infectious virus to worrying about passing an exam. Living in different decades and places, books offer you the gift of time-travel, giving you the chance to become completely immersed in a new/old time period of your choice.
The immersive world of a book is something which amazes me, and an ability which I am grateful for when reading. It is this immersive atmosphere which I want to create during my solo performance – allowing the audience to feel comfortable and at home in a space where they can become engrossed in a story, surrounded by images from different stories and created worlds, being welcomed into a space where characters and fiction collide with reality.
Works Cited
Fletcher, Carrie Hope (2013) Boys In Books Are Better, dir Carrie Hope Fletcher, Online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80r-ifiy53U (accessed 18 February 2014).