Yakoob on 3/8/2013 at 03:26
So I am reading a book I will not mention as not to spoil, and some 60 pages in the protagonist is alone in the woods, surrounded by evil beasts trying to claw at him, protected only by flimsy "wards" drawn in the sand. The whole scene is supposed to be tense and captivating, I mean, our hero COULD DIE any minute!!!
Except he wont.
Many books, movies, and games have such scenes and it finally hit me today that, instead of captivating and drawing me in like they are supposed to, they actually do the opposite making me roll my eyes and break the suspension of disbelief.
We're only 60 pages into a 500 page book and it's the protagonist. He'll be fine, with maybe a scratch or two at worst.
I only started really reading books in the past 2 years (don't ask) so I'm just learning what it means to really read a lot of narrative... and begin getting used to the "formulaic" or oft repeated storylines (I cant stand Hero-Myth stories, they are just so predictable).
One reason I loved LOST, you really got the feeling anything could happen. The protagonist is in trouble? Oh shi- he might actually die for real! and half the time... he did :p
faetal on 3/8/2013 at 03:31
Game of Thrones.
SubJeff on 3/8/2013 at 03:57
I hear you Yakoob. Same reason I like GoT and The Walking Dead - you can't tell who is going to get it, whatever it may be.
Books are a little different for me. Maybe it's because I don't read books that try to make you concerned for the protagonist's safety, but I never get this feeling of "yeah, yeah, but we know he's the hero" that I do in films and TV shows.
Sometimes the hero goes through hell though and that's bad enough. They don't need to be in life threatening situations for there to be a danger to them.
nicked on 3/8/2013 at 06:01
Yeah it all depends on the story surely.
A good mystery can still captivate you without ever putting the protagonist in mortal danger. A romance or character drama doesn't necessarily have to ever focus on death as a topic.
But even in stories where it is an adventure or thriller and the protagonist is in mortal danger - a good story will still keep you hooked by wondering *how* they're going to get out of danger, even if you know they will.
Gryzemuis on 3/8/2013 at 11:43
Quote Posted by faetal
Game of Thrones.
Even in A Song of Ice and Fire, there is a pattern of who can die, and who can't. It's not obvious in the first book. But later on, things become a lot more predictable. I'm not sure how much we should/can discuss here.
Also, GRRM (the author of ASOIAF) started to "bring back people". He criticised Tolkien for bringing Gandalf back from the dead. ("LotR would have been even better if Gandalf had stayed dead"). But he has introduced a number of ways to resurrect characters. Examples: [spoiler]Presumed dead, but was hiding in a monastry. Assumed to have died as a baby, but babies were swapped. Zombies (called wights). Kiss of R'hllor. Died, but parts are used to build a monster of Frankenstein. At the time of death, warg into an animal.[/spoiler]
Imho, after the third book [spoiler]no main character has died anymore.[/spoiler]
At the end of the 5th book, there is a huge cliff-hanger. Call me cynical, but I know what's (not) gonna happen. GRRM's rigorous way of handling characters worked up to a certain point. It became a lot more predictable after a while.
Angel Dust on 3/8/2013 at 12:27
Sounds like you need to move on from genre fiction for a bit, Yakoob. Once you do that you'll find a ton of stuff out there that doesn't fall into the same old conventions. You don't even have to dig that deeply. I mostly read popular literary authors, many of whom add splashes of genre to their work, like Murakami, Delillo, Auster, Lethem, Chabon, Franzen, McCarthy and find plenty to be surprised and intrigued about in my reading. The other bonus is that reading stuff like this means when I do get into a genre phase, it's a nice change of pace.
Vasquez on 3/8/2013 at 15:38
Quote Posted by nicked
a good story will still keep you hooked by wondering *how* they're going to get out of danger, even if you know they will.
This.
Also, I suggest you try books that have more of a plot than who dies and who doesn't.
Nicker on 3/8/2013 at 16:11
I think the predictability also feeds the same wish fulfillment need that religion does, that there be order and justice in the universe, despite the obvious fact that there are no supernatural forces imposing any such order (IMnotsoHO).
At the very least, tragic heroes should leave a hole in the great narrative whereas in reality, most are simply swept up and lost to time.
Stories that deal with stark realities are called the news. We read fiction partly to escape that.
henke on 3/8/2013 at 17:46
Quote Posted by LittleFlower
Even in A Song of Ice and Fire, there is a pattern of who can die, and who can't. It's not obvious in the first book. But later on, things become a lot more predictable.
Whaaaaaat. I've read (or rather listened to the audiobooks of) all the released books so far and I haven't noticed any pattern. :erg:
