History Literature / TheBlackSwan

** Odile, as you'd expect for a woman who so closely identifies with her heavily misogynistic father. She firmly believes that women are treacherous and fickle by nature (and she's the rare exception to the rule). It takes her quite a while to grow out of it.

[[WellThisIsNotThatTrope Except this novel is not about her.'' This is about the ''other'' swan.

Except this novel is not about her. This is about the ''other'' swan.

This novel is not about her. This is about the ''other'' swan.

** It's unclear if Lackey intended it at the time, but the hawk-princess (also an enthusiastic falconer) is also Foreshadowing. Some time after the book (both in-universe and real time) Honoria received ADayInTheLimelight in the short story "Wide Wings", where she body-swaps with a magical hawk (who did an earlier BodySwap herself, and states that she was the latest in a long line of girls to do so) in order to escape her arranged marriage.

* OriginalPositionFallacy: Odile doesn't have any problem with her father keeping a 'flock' of captive women, thinking they deserve it for being disloyal to their fathers or husbands. She doesn't realize that her father thinks of ''her'' as just another swan: someone he can use and steal magic from as needed.

* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Odile and Von Rothbart. At their fateful appearance at Clothide's ball, he puts his [[WellDoneSonGuy loving and obedient daughter who would have done anything he asked]] under his direct control with magic, making her dance like a puppet to deceive Siegfried. Even at the end, when his true colors are out, he ''still'' tries to force Odile to help him instead of asking her, which leads her to sever their father-daughter bond for good.

** The finale [[spoiler: with Odile being brought onto the council]] suggests that Seigfried is working on fixing this, if only a little.

* OutdoorBathPeeping: Siegfried spies the gypsy girl bathing in a river. It doesn't end well.
* PeoplePuppets: [[spoiler: Von Rothbart uses magic to take control of Odile at the ball so that she can seduce and distract Siegfried—or at least, not warn him.]]

* ChekhovsSkill: Odile mentions learning how to swim early in the book, and how nobles rarely cultivate the skill.[[spoiler:In the climax when Siegfried and Odette are drowning, Odile jumps in to save them with the aid of the peasant girls in the flock.]]

* AssholeVictim: The secondary villains of the book end up being killed by Baron von Rothbart's magic and few mourn once they realize [[EvilPlan what they were plotting]]. Nobody really mourns for Von Rothbart either.

* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Odile and Von Rothbart. Odile admits that she would probably have done anything for him if he'd just asked...but instead he forcibly bespells her to betray her friend, stealing her ''own magic'' to do it, and that's the end of that. [[spoiler: Even at the very end after she ''stabbed'' him, Odile is such a [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done Daughter Gal]] that she would have [[SaveTheVillain saved him]]...if he had asked. But he tried to ''force'' her to help him, so she struck him down for good.]]

* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Odile accepts what her father does without question, believing he acts in her best interests. When she considers, for example, that he might have magically changed her appearance or hair color, she takes it as a reasonable precaution -- it never even occurs to her to be outraged or disturbed. She eventually realizes that her father [[ItsAllAbouMe only thinks about himself.]]

* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Odile accepts what her father does without question, believing he acts in her best interests. When she considers, for example, that he might have magically changed her appearance or hair color, she takes it as a reasonable precaution -- it never even occurs to her to be outraged or disturbed.

* {{Bishonen}}: Siegfried is very handsome, taking after his beautiful mother. Even after he stops actively pursuing women, plenty of them throw themselves at him.

* UnwittingPawn: Odile to her father, as she realizes tragically late in the story.

** The swan for Odile, an eagle-owl for Baron von Rothbart, and Princess Honoria (one of Siegfried's potential brides at the ball) is garbed as a hawk.

* RapeAsDrama: Siegfried, how could you? However, the description can lead one to truly believe Siegfried interpreted the gypsy girl's actions when she tried to run away as being all an act and didn't recognize that he had actually ''raped'' her until ''much later''! This leads him to a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment.

* TwiceToldTale

* BalefulPolymorph: Odette and the rest of the flock turn into swans due to a spell cast by Baron von Rothbart, in contrast to the {{voluntary shapeshifting}} of Von Rothbart and Odile.

* CryCute: One of the freshly-caught swan maidens at the beginning of the book. Odile's inner monologue is full of acid comments about how it looks nice by moonlight but would be [[InelegantBlubbering hideous]] in the full light of day.

* DisproportionateRetribution: As Odette herself points out, betrayal of a man doesn't warrant imprisonment for life. Not only is it excessive, it gives the swans no reason to repent and change their ways, as Von Rothbart is ostensibly intending that they should.

* RapunzelHair: Odile's white-blonde hair falls past her waist. Lackey goes into more detail than most about how hard it is to maintain hair that long without servants, plus Odile has to wear it up at all times, lest it work itself into tangles that would take hours to unsnarl.

* CostumePorn: Though it's prevalent throughout the book (including for weapons!), Odile's ballgown is ''the'' moment. Think PimpedOutDress plus DominoMask plus [[FluffyFashionFeathers black swan wings]] ''plus'' [[GemEncrusted jewels all over]]. Odile is embarrassed at how over-the-top it is and notes that if it weren't magical in nature it would be so heavy moving would be impossible.

* CurseEscapeClause: If Odette can get a man to swear fidelity to her and remain true for a month, the curse will be broken.

** Odile, as you'd expect for a character defined by her loyalty to her heavily misogynistic father. She firmly believes that women are treacherous and faithless by nature and she's the exception to the rule, and it takes her quite a while to grow out of it.
** Clothhilde is the same, often sneering and looking down her nose at other women. Unlike Odile, Clothilde never changes her stance.

%%* LadykillerInLove: Siegfried.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The misogyny of the times is a key theme, Roma people are so insignificant that [[spoiler:even a priest doesn't care if one is raped and killed]], and old men marrying young women isn't considered odd if the parties involved like each other.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Clothilde and Uwe]] end up being killed by Von Rothbart's magic and few mourn once they realize [[EvilPlan what they were plotting]]. Later, nobody really mourns when Von Rothbart in turn is killed by [[spoiler:Odile]].

* BalefulPolymorph: Odette and the rest of the flock turn into swans due to a spell cast by Baron von Rothbard, in contrast to the {{voluntary shapeshifting}} of Von Rothbard and Odile.

* HiddenDisdainReveal: Clothilde secretly despises her accomplice Yue and plans to be rid of him once Siegfried is out of the way. At the ball, Odile has a chance to observe that Yue hates Clothilde too.

* [[BoltOfDivineRetribution Bolt of Sorcerous Retribution]]: [[spoiler: This is how von Rothbart puts an end to Clothilde's wickedness. Her fellow plotter Uwe is caught in it as well but survives long enough to make a full confession and reveal everything. Had Clothilde survived, she would have been humiliated and lost everything she had worked for. Soon after that [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Odile does the same to him.]]]]

* CorruptChurch: Siegfried's priest, upon hearing that he raped a commoner and possibly drove her to suicide, assigns him a trivial penance and broadly hints that she was asking for it. He is replaced near the end of the book by a GoodShepherd.

* AbusiveParents