By that definition nearly all serious fiction is didactic and there are plenty of people in the English department who find didactic elements in the rest.
blacktrance used didactic to mean “teachings that are applicable to one’s life”. I don’t think Orwell fits.
I wouldn’t say “nearly all”, but quite a lot of it, yes, and probably a larger fraction since 1945. That’s the point.
I don’t think we should restrict the word to everyday living, but if we did, I could point to Hermann Hesse, Kurt Vonnegut, Ayn Rand, and plenty of others.
By that definition nearly all serious fiction is didactic and there are plenty of people in the English department who find didactic elements in the rest.
blacktrance used didactic to mean “teachings that are applicable to one’s life”. I don’t think Orwell fits.
I wouldn’t say “nearly all”, but quite a lot of it, yes, and probably a larger fraction since 1945. That’s the point.
I don’t think we should restrict the word to everyday living, but if we did, I could point to Hermann Hesse, Kurt Vonnegut, Ayn Rand, and plenty of others.