Mindhunting with Sarah Weinman
You're Wrong About
The allure of order and chaos in fiction during times of upheaval
During times of upheaval, people tend to gravitate towards either extreme order or extreme chaos. In the 20th century, especially in America, there was a constant oscillation between order and chaos due to various events like wars, pandemics, red scares, civil rights movements, and anti-communist witch hunts. This preference for order is reflected in fiction, particularly in the abundance of detective literature where the chaos of life is countered with the order brought by a great detective. This preference for fiction that offers a sense of order during precarious times is understandable.
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