[ SECRET POST #2596 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2596 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


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02.
[Star Trek: The Next Generation]


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03.
[The Croods]


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04.
[Elementary]


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05.
[Final Fantasy XIII]


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06.
[SCP Foundation]


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07.
[Philip Seymour Hoffman]


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08.
[Twin Peaks]


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09.
[Richard Armitage]


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10.
[Reign]


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11.
[The Hobbit]


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12.
[Hunger Games]


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13.
[Don't Hug Me I'm Scared]


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14.
[Teen Wolf]


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15.
[Panic! at The Disco/Dallon Weekes]















Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 063 secrets from Secret Submission Post #371.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: Secret #1: Manic Pixie Girl

[lynx]

The thing is, the authors that use MPDG as a trope tend to be male, and you cannot take the weight of "why the MPDG was created as a trope" from the character. The origin is a sexist one, and the trope rings hollow when the character is (un)developed in such a way it loses all plausibility.

It's a male fantasy made to further the plot of a male narrative.

Minor characters exist /only/ to further the plot. Major characters should exist in such a way they are characters and not plot-devices, even if they are indeed created to help further the plot.

There are many, many ways to subvert this that don't mean "we should make male characters into Manic Pixie Dream Boys" (a la John Green). Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind is a good example: The girl starts as a MPDG to the protagonist, but it's obvious she has depth and complex emotions that go way beyond her smart quirkyness.

Re: Secret #1: Manic Pixie Girl

[(Anonymous)]

What differentiates a minor from a major character? Is it a function of the character's importance to the protagonist? Is it screen/page time? I think there are times when the protagonist is the only major character, and I think in such cases, it's okay for every other character to serve the plot rather than themselves.

On the other hand, there are times when I feel that a character who appears to be minor serves a greater purpose than simply the advancement of the plot. It depends on the story and the quality of the writing.

I understand what you're saying and I understand why the trope can be problematic. I think my issue with the direction in which you have taken it is that I don't see it as necessarily wrong to make every character (even characters that might be considered "major") serve the narrative of the single, central character, depending on the story. Again, the problem to me comes down to the fact that the central character is too often male and so too often operating from a male perspective.