I suppose this follows with the popular tsundere character in Japanese culture, which makes sense and I'm okay with when there aren't alternatives available. Which is why they do it: to drive us viewers bonkers with frustration and keep us watching. But this kind of shit represents to me an elementary school concept of romance. Grow up already. If a woman falls for someone who treats her like shit, (and I'm not saying it doesn't happen) then there is some kind of fundamental, psychological problem there. In short, daddy issues shouldn't be the crux of an ideal love story. Not only is it insulting to watch and endure as a woman, but it's just plain stupid and unrealistic. I swear I will never succumb to this trope in my writing, as uncomfortable as it may be at times for my readers.
Apologies. I seem to be revisiting topics that are related but only just. Bear with me here as I follow this train of thought.
My recent Netflix binges (and the fact that "Netflix binge" is a common, well-known term in this day and age) leads me back to a topic I've written about before as I struggle to explain my own actions (to myself).
See my blog from 2017 YA Fairy Tales
Why do we read? Why do we binge on Netflix? What is the appeal? Yes, we do it to escape from reality to experience something we may or may not ever be able to experience in life. But in addition, the stories we immerse ourselves in usually provide an undercurrent of reliability. We have expectations, especially within a given genre. The script is carefully controlled. Although there may be plot twists and turns, generally, we know or can guess the ending. However, my question is, if we break with tropes, tradition, and a reader/viewer's expectations, can we be successful? Or will the end result be terrible? I may need to test this theory to find out.
So synchronicity.
I randomly selected a show to watch on Netflix called "Myths and Monsters." The creepy English dude narrating from his library nearly turned me off, but when he brought up a book called A Hero with a Thousand Faces, I became interested. I had purchased the book last year after becoming interested in the history of the hero in fiction. I started to read it, but haven't finished (as is my custom with non-fiction), but I learned more from the show about Campbell's theories than I had so far in the book.
The very next day, I came across a quote in Watership Down from that very same book:
"On his dreadful journey, after the shaman had wandered through dark forests and over great ranges of mountains ... he reaches an opening in the ground. The most difficult stage of his adventure now begins. The depths of the underworld now open before him. - Uno Harva, quoted by James Campbell"
Hmmm. Am I quoting a quote within a quote within a quote? I think I am.
Wait. What is Uno Harva? Is that an ancient text or something?
A quick search reveals he is a who, not a what, and was a Finnish theologian. More rabbit holes.
A strange coincidence, at the very least. Is this the collective unconscious? I know Campbell was influenced by Jung, so he may say so. Is this Frith, pointing me in the right direction? Either way, I'm going to dive into that damn non-fiction and see what I can dig up.
J. L. Dodd
Links:
https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uno_Harva
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