Layers in Fiction

I watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown last night with my family. My son really enjoyed the part where Snoopy flew his doghouse. After the World War I flying ace was shot down, he had to sneak across enemy lines. That part was definitely not something most kids would understand; it was written for adults.

Stories with different parts to appeal to different audiences have a long tradition. In many of Shakespeare's plays, there are the "high" characters who are part of the main plot, and then there are "low" characters like clowns and peasants who, while working for the main characters, also serve as comic relief. I find when I read epic stories told from multiple points of view, I prefer some characters and sections over others.

Do you consciously attempt to weave different layers for different audiences in your fiction? If so, what types of audiences do you target, and how do you do it?

Have a Happy Halloween, everyone! Monday is the start of NaNoWriMo. I'll have a blog post up for the Blog Chain, but I'll be posting less frequently here during November so I can concentrate on my NaNoWriMo project.