Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl!
My Top Ten Favorite Tropes
1. "Mary Sues"
I love strong, smart capable women like Wonder Woman and Tasha Yar and Jadzia Dax, and I don't think that's a downside to any story. There's a thorough exploration of the "Mary Sue" perfect woman self-insert trope in The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel (and argument for why, imo, there's nothing wrong with that).
2. Quests
I love quests. Think The Hobbit, LOTR, the Belgariad and Malloreon, the Holy Grail, and lots of epic fantasy novels. I love a quest and the resulting journey.
3. Fellowships/found families
Similarly, I love the fellowships and found families that form along the quests or journeys, like LOTR, Firefly, The Raven Boys, the Wayfarers, etc.
4. Actual families/siblings
I also love stories about actual families, usually sibling groups, finding their way in the wilderness, like in the Chronicles of Narnia, Half Magic, Knight's Castle, the Swiss Family Robinson, Lost in Space (I love the Netflix adaptation of the latter--hope there's more seasons!).
5. Tricksters
I adore tricksters. Tricksters bring fiction (and nonfiction) to life, from Jack Sparrow to Gollum to Coyote or the Monkey King. Trickster keeps the plot moving. I even love trickster elements of books, like riddles or choose-your-own or my favorite:
6. Intrusive Narrators
I LOVE intrusive narrators. From "Cide Hamete Benengele" in Don Quixote to "S. Morgenstern" in The Princess Bride to Lemony Snicket, I love narrators who stick their noses in, define words, tell side stories, and generally get in the way. Jane Austen is the queen of snarky commentary on her characters and Mark Twain nails Hick Finn's innocent voice. The nineteenth century in general was gold for this, but it's never really gone away (as trickster never really does)!
7. Latent magic/hidden strength
I love when some latent magic or hidden strength pops up in a character, like Neville Longbottom standing up to his friends for sneaking out, or Meg Murry digging deep into her love to stand up to IT.
8. Sacrifice for Friends/Last Grand Stand
Ok...I make endless fun of my husband for his predictable love of last grand stands, but truth be told...I'm a sucker for them too. Whether it's the ending of Glory or Lee Scoresby's last stand for Lyra in The Golden Compass or even Boromir protecting Merry and Pippin, there's something beautiful about a willing sacrifice made for people you love.
9. Aliens/the other/the outsider [being accepted]
I love the trope of having an alien/other/outsider figure within a larger group and part of the story of the journey being the group coming to accept, love, and value the other. The classic example is Spock in Star Trek TOS, but also Data in Next Generation, and the Doctor and also Seven of Nine in Voyager.
10. "The Call"/The threshold
I love the moment of "The Call," or the moment the protagonist steps over the threshold and accepts the quest, whether it's stepping into a wardrobe or a painting, into a magical alleyway, or setting off to save one's village, destroy the Ring, or return a dragon's egg to the rightful owner.
My Top Ten Favorite Tropes
I love strong, smart capable women like Wonder Woman and Tasha Yar and Jadzia Dax, and I don't think that's a downside to any story. There's a thorough exploration of the "Mary Sue" perfect woman self-insert trope in The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel (and argument for why, imo, there's nothing wrong with that).
2. Quests
I love quests. Think The Hobbit, LOTR, the Belgariad and Malloreon, the Holy Grail, and lots of epic fantasy novels. I love a quest and the resulting journey.
3. Fellowships/found families
Similarly, I love the fellowships and found families that form along the quests or journeys, like LOTR, Firefly, The Raven Boys, the Wayfarers, etc.4. Actual families/siblings
I also love stories about actual families, usually sibling groups, finding their way in the wilderness, like in the Chronicles of Narnia, Half Magic, Knight's Castle, the Swiss Family Robinson, Lost in Space (I love the Netflix adaptation of the latter--hope there's more seasons!).
5. Tricksters
I adore tricksters. Tricksters bring fiction (and nonfiction) to life, from Jack Sparrow to Gollum to Coyote or the Monkey King. Trickster keeps the plot moving. I even love trickster elements of books, like riddles or choose-your-own or my favorite:
6. Intrusive Narrators
I LOVE intrusive narrators. From "Cide Hamete Benengele" in Don Quixote to "S. Morgenstern" in The Princess Bride to Lemony Snicket, I love narrators who stick their noses in, define words, tell side stories, and generally get in the way. Jane Austen is the queen of snarky commentary on her characters and Mark Twain nails Hick Finn's innocent voice. The nineteenth century in general was gold for this, but it's never really gone away (as trickster never really does)!
7. Latent magic/hidden strength
I love when some latent magic or hidden strength pops up in a character, like Neville Longbottom standing up to his friends for sneaking out, or Meg Murry digging deep into her love to stand up to IT.
Ok...I make endless fun of my husband for his predictable love of last grand stands, but truth be told...I'm a sucker for them too. Whether it's the ending of Glory or Lee Scoresby's last stand for Lyra in The Golden Compass or even Boromir protecting Merry and Pippin, there's something beautiful about a willing sacrifice made for people you love.
9. Aliens/the other/the outsider [being accepted]
I love the trope of having an alien/other/outsider figure within a larger group and part of the story of the journey being the group coming to accept, love, and value the other. The classic example is Spock in Star Trek TOS, but also Data in Next Generation, and the Doctor and also Seven of Nine in Voyager.
10. "The Call"/The threshold
I love the moment of "The Call," or the moment the protagonist steps over the threshold and accepts the quest, whether it's stepping into a wardrobe or a painting, into a magical alleyway, or setting off to save one's village, destroy the Ring, or return a dragon's egg to the rightful owner.
Comments
My TTT