Fictocriticism and Debutant Culture: An Intersection

Even though I took a Creative Writing class as part of my senior high school curriculum, I am foreign to the concept of Fictocriticism. I am not familiar and I’ve never heard of it until now. However, I can see myself enjoying this type of literary style throughout my writing journey here in BAE. What surprised me as I read the text is that it was able to blend criticism towards the enforced structure of essay writing at an Australian University while referencing imaginative elements like “I am professor Elephant” or “The student wearing a pink dress”  I find these phrases to rarely appear in formal essays as what I believe my instructors would say: “incoherent and disorganized”, if it was presented to me as a formal essay, I would take it as a random phrase that lacks context, but surprisingly, when you get in depth with the text, it makes sense with the point the author is trying to make. Despite the stubborn tone, It reached to me as cohesive and consistent, blending well theory, criticism and fiction. Because to me, it was a new form of writing, I am more eager to understand and explore the underlying themes of the text. In writing, I was conditioned to always follow a certain format  depending on the prompt of my essay. It would be the same structure again and again, even in Creative Writing where we had to create a reflection paper of a movie we watched, I knew I wouldn’t feel free to write in my own interpretation because there is a correct theory, there is a correct meaning to what I was watching. So, writing didn’t feel like it was my own if I had to credit someone else for saying the same thing too, except for when it is a research study, citing becomes necessary. However, in this case, that structure has become the standard, even in prompts where creativity should be encouraged. Like what Walwicz said, it has become linear and constrained. Fictocriticism presents a fresh and bold perspective on writing. 

I was intrigued by the title ‘No, No, No—The Reluctant Debutant’ and how it relates to the context of the text which seeks to conform and dismantle the standard of writing. Upon research, I found a 1958 film named; The Reluctant Debutant. The concept of the film appears to have an existing intersections with the excerpt. The film exhibits a satirical take about the debutante culture wherein women are pressured to conform on societal norms on having to participate on this event. To go into the specifics, one of the purpose for debutante cultures in the past is to showcase  women that are eligible for marriage, The phrase “I enter a formal essay now. I do my debut. The entry. I wear a pink dress now” could interpret to how such practices restricts their wishes to take on a different path that suits their interest and personal goals in life, like not wanting marriage at all. As I expressed on the first question, the text and the film meets in the sense that the writing criticizes having to follow a guide and making sure it complies to the standard formal essay. Creativity does not eliminate the importance of cohesiveness. Once I am passionate about something and let loose of my creativity, the structure follows, to me, a writing makes sense nevertheless if it came from what I am passionate about, the emotions will overflow throughout and the love for the process shows along the pages. Just like these women from old debutant parties, even if they may cross a different path, if it comes from what the heart wants, whatever the adversity one comes across, one is ready to take on. Overall, formality kills authenticity, just as women having to comply with societal norms does. 

In a fast paced era wherein people have become reliant to technology such as AI, and AI is glamorized as a tool that follows the conventional writing style, branding it as correct. It’s rather disturbing that I can see a  can see a future wherein  it will be harder for institutions to differentiate AI without tools to verify instead of a future where AI is used only as a tool to assist writing. Whether we like it or not, AI is fast to adapt standard forms of writing, and when we restrict creativity, we also restrict originality, and originality is stemmed from passion. When everything is linear and pre-established there will be no changes to society holistically. Writing is a form of art,  and creativity is essential to creating art because its the first apparatus of creation that refuses to fit in the restrictive norms of real life, it should know no boundaries, restriction and limits. Instead, it lets the writer let loose, because then, we will be able to navigate through different scopes of writing, settling with a structure in creative writing hinders us from exploring new concepts not only in the writing sphere but also creation in general. Encouraging creativity further hone and acknowledge the capacity of the human mind to be complex and unique.