Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Is this the same as Voyage and Return?
, started by Bailey on Jun 24th 2011 at 3:04:15 AM
I think this trope should deal exclusively with stories featuring young women in fantastical alternate realities. There are more than enough examples with just those criteria: Oz, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Labyrinth, The Nutcracker, Spirited Away, Coraline, Pan's Labyrinth, Yume Nikki, Silent Hill 3, etc. This does not need to be a catchall trope for things inspired by Alice in Wonderland, even though Alice is the Trope Maker/Ur Example. The "young girl coming of age in a fantasy world" is a common enough plot to merit a trope all by itself, and I'm sure there are numerous examples that I can't immediately name off the top of my head. While the Matrix definitely takes inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, I don't think it's worth including as an example because the "real world" is not a source of escapism for Neo, it's not a fantastical setting, and he is an adult man. And the toilet sequence from Trainspotting doesn't fit any of the trope criteria at all. I think there should just be a separate trope for stories which derive inspiration from Alice in Wonderland but don't necessarily conform to its plot structure. Perhaps that trope could be called "Down the Rabbit Hole", and this trope can be renamed to something more specific, like "Babes in Toyland" or something (they're a moderately well known girl band and the name fits the trope well). This trope could use some clarification and cleaning up in general. Permission to delete some examples that just don't fit? Also, anyone with ideas for how to rename this article, please speak up.
Edited by irishladdie727 Hide / Show Replies
One, you want the Trope Repair Shop or YKTTW.
Two, that's not the only thing Babes In Toyland refers to, not that that invalidates your point.
Three, would the laconic for this "inspired by Alice In Wonderland" trope be "someone gets transported to another world", the only tropable definition I can think of (and one I can't imagine Trainspotting would still fit)? If so, I think "Down the Rabbit Hole" might be too specific a title.
Edited by MorganWick
One, you want the Trope Repair Shop or YKTTW.
Two, that's not the only thing Babes In Toyland refers to, not that that invalidates your point.
Three, would the laconic for this "inspired by Alice In Wonderland" trope be "someone gets transported to another world", the only tropable definition I can think of (and one I can't imagine Trainspotting would still fit)? If so, I think "Down the Rabbit Hole" might be too specific a title.
Edited by MorganWick
Was Leggo Troppo's complete makeover on Feb 25th, 2012 the result of any discussion or voted-upon agreement? I see no evidence either here or on the Trope Repair Shop to suggest that this wasn't vandalism. Whatever the intent, the current description is unsuitably informal, incomplete, nattery, and poorly formatted. I will investigate further, with an intention to revert the article.
Edited by AdellePleven Hide / Show Replies
Looks like Leggo Troppo also deleted all of Trapped in Another World without discussion, the same day, and he hasn't been back since. That trope has since been restored, so I'll go ahead and do the same after I merge any edits made since.
The Feb 25th, 2012 makeover, for future reference:
In general, your life sucks because: at best, it’s just ... ordinary (booo-ring!) to at worst, being outright repressive. All in all, you feel you have no control over your life and a little out of place.
But wait! You just got snagged by a magic portal! It was your own fault, too. You just had to take the Schmuck Bait. You could have refused the call, you know. Oh wait! You couldn’t have! Your curiosity got the better of you.
Anyway, you’re here in this wonderful, wacky world where everything is much less and much more than it was Up the Real Rabbit Hole. Look on the bright side: for once, you are the center of it all. You actually get to have responsibility on your shoulders instead of just being told you do. Staying alive for one. Heck, it’s fun! Dangerous, sure, but no pain no gain, right?
Oh, I and did I forget to mention you can’t go back until Narrative Causality says so? This is why its alternate name is Trapped in Another World. I smell a quest brewing ...
This trope is a fundemental aspect of being a kid, as most kids are curious and put their nose where they shouldn’t, and wish parents would actually give them responsibility instead of merely telling them about it.
Christopher Booker categorizes this plot structure under Voyage and Return, which he identifies as being most suited to children's stories (not that it can't be used for adult ones as well).
This has been an Evolving Trope through various adaptations of the story. Also a specific variant of The Hero's Journey. Contrast Up the Real Rabbit Hole. Compare with Orphean Rescue.
With less than 40 brief strips, it's not clear that Holiday Wars falls under Down the Rabbit Hole yet, unless Scott King is a handle for one of the comic's creators. Judging from what little there is, Holiday Wars might ultimately belong here, but the entry seems premature.
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Split and Rename
, started by AdellePleven on Apr 4th 2011 at 11:25:46 PM
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