Trying to find a quote about happy stories

May 8, 2021 9:28 AM

There's an excerpt from a speech/article/essay that floats around on tumblr that I'm trying to track down. I think it was by a female author, but I'm not sure. It's about how all these grimdark stories are presented as "mature" and "realistic" option, and that happy stories are seen as immature and joy is devalued, which is not a good thing. I'm trying to find it again. Does that ring any bells to anyone?
posted by platypus of the universe to Society & Culture (2 answers total)

I've seen that expressed multiple times, most memorably by Meg Cabot, although I'm not sure if that's the one you're looking for as she didn't refer to grimdark in particular.
posted by pie ninja at 9:39 AM on May 8 [2 favorites]

Best answer: "The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist; a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain." Ursula K. Leguin, though I believe it was in a narrator's voice, so I don't know if it should be directly attributed to her.
posted by praemunire at 10:19 AM on May 8 [33 favorites]