|
Narrative
|
Lisa: You can't be cool just by spouting off a bunch of worn-out buzzwords. Bart: Don't have a cow, Lise! Marge: Bart's right. Let's none of us have a cow. --The Simpsons, "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochy Show" (1997) Norman: I just don't want to be cliche! There is one thing that you must keep in mind to retain your sanity here, and that is that tropes are not good or bad in and of themselves, nor by featuring one in any form of entertainment make it "ruined." If your favorite shows have long lists of tropes associated with them, well, so do everybody's. When some bastard out there calls your favorite character a Flanderization of his former self, or suggests your favorite show Jumped The Shark somewhere around season 16, there are good reasons to remember Tropes Are Not Bad:
There is nothing new under the sun. Including that very statement. And the book it comes from. Completely ignoring the possibility that one's favorite show just might not be hewn from the very essence of the universe by Thor himself and placed in the periodic table under Or for "Originalium" doesn't change the fact that it wasn't. And acknowledging that it isn't should not lessen its appeal, either.
Every story is influenced by what came before it -- and storytellers (e.g., writers, directors, actors) are bound to show that influence, intentionally or not, in the process of telling. Just because something's been used before doesn't mean it's a cliché.
Fiction isn't necessarily supposed to be realistic. When your reader wants to escape from the tired drudgery of reality, you shouldn't be trying to digitally recreate it. Much fiction seeks to show not what is, but what could be, or what should be. A trope being unrealistic isn't necessarily a flaw. Indeed, a trope, however unrealistic, can be a convenient shorthand; aversions and subversions are often more prolix, or at least more expository, than straight manifestations.
Every trope has a silver lining. Just because there's a lot of bad, bad Mary Sues out there doesn't mean nobody could ever, or has ever, done it well. The much-reviled All Just A Dream was, let's not forget, used in one of the best series finales in the history of television, as well as one of the best twist endings in any movie. While becoming Darker and Edgier isn't always a good thing, it's not necessarily a bad thing either. Remember, while this site is fairly snarky, most of the snark is directed towards shows who don't use tropes well.
And when someone points out a less-than-flattering trope in a less-than-flattering way, remember that Star Trek fans have learned to live with and even love annoying characters, outbursts of "Khaaaaaaan!", Rubber Forehead Aliens, Green Skinned Space Babes, etc. Seriously, you can learn to love it while still acknowledging it. The only exception is when part of a trope revolves around how bad it is, such as So Bad Its Horrible or Wall Banger, but these entries are inherently subjective, and even then, someone might be able to find a moment of Fridge Brilliance in there somewhere.
Just because nobody points out a trope doesn't mean it isn't there. TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life, one way or another. When you read a long and hilarious list of trope examples, and you know deep in your heart of hearts that your pet show belongs, save yourself the heartache and list it yourself. It is the only way, my friend, and you won't have to give up your fan-club membership just because you acknowledged the truth. Be specific, be funny, and resist that Fan Boy temptation to add that prefix averted or justified.
"'Justified' trope" doesn't mean what you think it means, anyway.
The point of this wiki is that tropes are fun, and that there's no such thing as Serious Business. So think before sniping that example with a Justifying Edit, take a deep breath, and remember that Tropes Are Not Bad, and that it's just a show, you should really just relax.
Chuck: It's not cliche, Norman, it's the formula, and it works! --Sidekick |
This wiki is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.