Conversation

OK, good people. I'm giving a talk on political novels/art. So questions: Do you think political novel in general are bad, and if so, why? What makes a novel political and another not? Can art and politics be separated, and if so, should they be? Hit me!
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Your second question is the one that immediately came to my mind after reading "Do you think political novel in general are bad, and if so, why?"; and I'm struggling a bit (more than that) with an answer to it.
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Just a thought: Soviet propaganda inspired/shaped some of the greatest films in the history of cinema, from 'The Earth' to 'Battleship Potemkin' - all of them overtly political. But try and find a literary equivalent - impossible.
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But what are the great British novels if not British propaganda? American novels? They promote a way of life, a political system. We just don't see them as political because we're in them.
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It seems to me that writers these days are indoctrinated with the opposite: that being 'political' is of the utmost importance. I tend to believe that art simply isn't very good at politics: if you want to make a difference, go into actual politics.
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