Calvin Zhu: "Dear Bridget Smith: Our Love-Hate Relationship With Tropes"

Dear Bridget Smith: Our Love-Hate Relationship With Tropes

By Calvin Zhu

            Writing speculative fiction appears to be a process that can be optimized, to a certain degree. There are some things – topics, plot structures, or even character archetypes – that appeal to the reader, and then there are things that don’t. Thus, it should be possible to optimize this process by utilizing more of these proven, effective devices work and reducing the amount of boring material. The writing of fantasy and science fiction has already experienced some standardization as shown by structures like “The 17Stages of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth” and the large catalog of tropes at TVTropes.org. I, as a young reader, greatly value these classic elements of SF, but only when they are used in moderation.

            Classic elements are so important to readers because they provide a strong basis for the story. Classic elements provide a dependable, yet entertaining, basis for the rest of the story. Young readers such as myself develop a need for some of these elements as we read more and more stories and will look for them when we read. Take Frederik Pohl’s “Day Million” for example. I did not enjoy this story very much because many necessary components were severely lacking. “Day Million” introduces only two characters but neglects to develop them beyond their physical appearances. I find it very difficult to sympathize with these extremely static main characters. The plot is also a point of concern. Simply put, nothing interesting happens. A boy and a girl meet in the future, exchange analogues, and never see each other again. Where is the conflict? There doesn’t seem to be a point in reading this “story” because there is nothing interesting to focus on. “Day Million” feels like a snippet from an ordinary timeline, and the lack of a resolution leaves me feeling rather unsatisfied. I need classic elements, such as a high-stakes conflict, some form of resolution, and an interesting cast of characters, when I read SFF and am disappointed when they are not present.

            Although readers have such an emphasis on classic elements being present in SFF stories, we also need variations. A story can become boring quickly if it is predictable. George Martin’s The Hedge Knight is a short novelette following the adventure of a knight in a jousting tournament. It is interesting when the story uses the “damsel in distress” element to introduce the main conflict between Dunk and Aerion. However, it is a little predictable when Egg shows up at the last possible moment and reveals that he is a prince, saving Dunk’s life. I find it very uninteresting when a story uses predictable tropes like the “hero in the nick of time” or the “random luck saving the day”. The story feels very cliché because I find it unoriginal that they author chose to use many predictable classic elements when there were many opportunities for the author’s own creativity and variations. There is a very fine line between the effective use of classic elements to provide a comforting foundation for the readers and the oversaturation of predictable devices in an otherwise unoriginal story. It is thus necessary to achieve a happy-medium when using classic elements to balance reliable interest and predictable storytelling.

           

            I also find it very interesting when a story makes variations in a classic element to make a point. For example, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust appears to closely follow the 17 Stages of the Monomyth. The plot progresses through all three major phases of the classic fantasy story (Separation, Initiation, and Return), and most of the seventeen stages can be identified throughout Stardust. However, the story deviates from the monomyth in that it omits certain stages. Examination of these stages reveals an ulterior motive. Two omitted stages are the “Refusal of Call” and “Temptation”. The lack of these two stages shows that the main character has very strong convictions and always knows what he needs to do. Gaiman cleverly uses the reader’s understanding of the Hero’s Journey to indirectly communicate aspects of the main character. Small variations in classic elements make for unexpected but pleasant surprises that make the story unique and that much more interesting for the reader. It is these variations that keep me on my toes and make me invested in the story.