tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953280070115140001.post7544608784301241813..comments2023-08-02T14:53:17.253+02:00Comments on At the Villa Rose: Unpopular Opinion: Down with Series CharactersXavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05702919450638993709noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953280070115140001.post-91643785711437996762018-03-01T03:21:31.683+01:002018-03-01T03:21:31.683+01:00I agree, Xavier, though would it be fair to say th...I agree, Xavier, though would it be fair to say that you’re not oppose to series character <i>per se</i> but rather to what you described as “series characters as they exist now”? I’ve long argued that books, movies, etc., especially in the genres of which I’m particularly fond (mystery, adventure, thriller, etc.) used to be outward-focused—what the characters did, where they went, whom they met. Now nearly every genre is inward-focused: who a single character, usually the protagonist, is. <br /><br />Both approaches have their place, obviously, but the latter has taken over the former, which works against the very essence of material; that is to say, we have moved from an outward-focused <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark</i> to an inward-focused <i>Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</i>, and both story and original character get lost in the process. (That’s why I’m very wary about the Marvel series—it’s all about itself, which is ultimately decadent.) <br /><br />At the risk of more unpopular opinions, I agree with some parts of dfordoom’s theory. As Dr. Daniel Olson at the excellent “Long Forgotten” blog phrased it, “For men, life is a test, a proving ground, an arena.” Men have to face decided obstacles in an unfriendly world and overcome them. Such, in a way, is the very essence of manliness (see the Art of Manliness blog, or Kipling’s “If—“). “The female outlook on life is quite different. The emphasis is on being rather than doing.” That is to say, one has to co-operate, work together, etc., to make home happy—but home ultimately will be happy, not out to get me. <br /><br />The classical detective-story is very “male,” in this analysis: we are given a problem, something fundamentally wrong that we have to beat back and overcome—to puzzle through, in other words. Carr is probably the exemplar here: we have to keep going, we have to solve this thing, we have to overcome the chaos of wild situations (corpses with fake beards, hollow men, vampires, etc.) via objective reason and logic. Even the female Golden Age authors have something of this, albeit filtered through a female lens (for Christie, it is ultimately about the restoration of order [’not the guilty who matter but the innocent’]; for Carr, it is about the overcoming of obstacles). Olson sums it like this: “YOU as main character + THE WORLD as an ordeal you pass through = masculine view of reality.” (This recalls Xavier’s point about series characters.) That’s definitely Carr. <br /><br />I’m not sure to what degree this speaks to modern crime fiction, of which I don’t read much, except that the lack of focus on the plot does seem, for lack of a better word, feminine—as do the small-town settings and focus on emotion and relationship. I’m not sure about the modern thrillers, sex and psycho killers, et al.—not exactly my cup of tea!<br /><br />Apologies for the digressions, Xavier, but many thanks for the post.<br /><br />KarlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953280070115140001.post-48518557295241710792018-01-02T01:04:39.875+01:002018-01-02T01:04:39.875+01:00I disagree with dfordoom about men leaning toward ...<em>I disagree with dfordoom about men leaning toward puzzles. These days<br />male writers and readers--and some women--like lots of action and lots of bodies (dead and/or female) and don't care much about clues and puzzles.</em><br /><br />As I said it's only a half-formed theory of mine. Something has definitely changed and I'm not quite sure exactly what it is. My suspicion is that it's not a change in the nature of crime fiction but a wider cultural change. Look at the extraordinary popularity of comic-book movies, not just among kids but among adults.<br /><br />So why do you think puzzles no longer appeal? Something significant must have changed. Is it the dumbing down of education? Are the puzzle-plots of writers like Christie, Carr, Crofts, etc, too complicated for modern readers? Is Christie too "male" for modern tastes? The essence of the puzzle-plot mystery is that the world can be understood by the use of logic and reason. Are reason and logic out of fashion?<br /><br />What intrigues me about modern crime fiction is that the most disgustingly depraved stuff seems to be written by women for a mostly female readership. Why do women want to read about sex killers and psycho killers?dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953280070115140001.post-47455983385856481862018-01-01T19:21:13.724+01:002018-01-01T19:21:13.724+01:00I disagree with dfordoom about men leaning toward ...I disagree with dfordoom about men leaning toward puzzles. These days<br />male writers and readers--and some women--like lots of action and lots of bodies (dead and/or female) and don't care much about clues and puzzles.Carolahttp://www.caroladunn.weebly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953280070115140001.post-42063511477694515282018-01-01T02:13:00.072+01:002018-01-01T02:13:00.072+01:00I agree with you, and I'm going to venture an ...I agree with you, and I'm going to venture an even more unpopular opinion. The problem with crime fiction is that it's become overly feminised. <br /><br />Men love puzzles. Women love reading about emotional dramas. Of course it's not quite as cut-and-dried as that. Some women do enjoy puzzles as well, and men do have some interest in emotional dramas. But as a general tendency men are more likely to lean toward puzzles and women are more likely to lean towards emotional content.<br /><br />In the golden age the balance seems to have been just about right, since the crime fiction of that era seemed to appeal to both men and women. The emphasis was on the puzzle-solving but the crimes were not motiveless and the motives involved emotions (revenge, greed, jealousy). The emotions were however mostly confined to the suspects. The detective was (mostly) a dispassionate observer.<br /><br />From the 50s onwards my impression is that crime fiction was aimed more and more at a female audience. Men switched to reading thrillers rather than detective stories.<br /><br />OK, it's just a theory and I haven't fully thought it through so feel free to pick holes in it!dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.com