I love this quote I just came across in Stephen King’s It, it snips nicely through the pretentious, academic bullshit of all the so-called literary experts. I get the not altogether subtle impression that what we have here is an author surrogate!
“I don’t understand this at all. I don’t understand any of this. Why does a story have to be socio-anything? Politics… culture… history… aren’t those natural ingredients in any story, if it’s told well? I mean…’ He looks around, sees hostile eyes, and realizes dimly that they see this as some sort of attack. Maybe it even is. They are thinking, he realizes, that maybe there is a sexist death merchant in their midst. ‘I mean… can’t you guys just let a story be a story?”