Do stories matter?

Does our collective human experience matter?

Does the power to inspire, to love, and to feel sorrow matter?

Think of what great literature has given us: “Moby Dick,” “The Scarlet Letter,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Huckleberry Finn.” Tales which, although they may depict worlds in which we have never lived, touch upon universal human themes and experiences and which resonate in our souls long after the final page is turned.

English and literature departments are shrinking in colleges and universities across the country, and the professors who remain report that students are increasingly unable to write, or even formulate independent opinions, without relying on technological assistance. But why does this matter?

Film is one way to bring great literature to the masses.

Does it replace the great works? No! It can never be the equal of the written word. It is a different medium, a different mode of storytelling, but it inspires people to read the original works.

West Virginians have had their share of stories told in literature and film.

The Hidden Figures movie told the story of Katherine Johnson and her amazing NASA career that led to her being awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom. Or, the movie “A Beautiful Mind” about Bluefield mathematician John Nash and Nash being awarded The Nobel Prize.

Telling great stories and preserving the literary heritage of America is the goal of Eternity Box Films.

To remember the stories that inspired our ancestors, and which can speak to us still, if we only listen.

Our latest film is “The Blithedale Romance.”

The Blithedale Romance will have its World Premiere at Bethany College at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 in Steinman Hall. This is a true Bethany College collaboration. As a 1990 graduate, I wrote and directed the film. Fellow Bethanians Edward Rose, director of photography and producer, and J.P. Silk (1987) helped to bring this cinematic vision to life.

Come meet members of the cast and crew and celebrate the arts with us!

We’ll have a red-carpet welcome starting at 6 p.m. Sept. 25, so come early, snap a photo, and mingle with the talent behind the film before the screening begins.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Blithedale Romance” deals with the madness that grips intellectuals and dreamers in their idealistic quest for a “better world.” At the conclusion, the tragic protagonist Zenobia realizes that “there are no new truths.”

History, mystery, and memory are the hallmarks of all great tales. The greatest and most enduring films are almost entirely derived from masterworks of fiction: “The Godfather,” “Gone with the Wind,” and “Doctor Zhivago.” Their heroes and heroines were very human, deeply flawed, and their personal struggles occur within the panorama of historical events.

There are other works, too, once lauded but now largely forgotten, which make up the fabric of American literature, and these are the works which Eternity Box Films seeks to bring to cinematic life for the first time.

American literature can teach us who we are now and how we came to be. Recently, the film marketplace has largely focused on science fiction, children’s novels, or superheroes. But American culture consists of more than this; our greatest literary works deal with real and omnipresent themes of love, sorrow, and betrayal.

Long-neglected stories of the American literary canon deserve to be brought to life for new audiences in the 21st century and beyond. Consider the success of recent films such as “The Witch” or “Midsommar,” which blended elements of Gothic literature and folk horror. Now consider the potential impact of films which emulate aspects of those successes while also bringing to life time-honored stories which are part of our cultural legacy.

That’s why our premiere of The Blithedale Romance matters, because culture and literature matter.

Cody Knotts is a writer and filmmaker. He is a 1990 graduate of Bethany College and wrote and produced his latest film, The Blithedale Romance.