Comments | bookshop: The power of Story (juicy mangos, fat and well fed)

bookshop

The power of Story (juicy mangos, fat and well fed)

May 06, 2009 13:10

Whenever I describe Hikaru no Go, I always wind up talking about the power of the story itself. It's so epic and timeless and familiar yet so unusual and unique and strange, too. Usually when I read stories or watch movies/shows, I feel like I'm basically picking up a single strand of a story that is eternal, one that's been told over and over ( Read more... )

theatre, hikago, meta, music, yuletide

Comments 8

jlh May 6 2009, 17:27:45 UTC

I am so incapable of answering this question, so beaten down have I been by condescending genre fans (and not in fandom, but mostly out of fandom) that I may have to finally write a post about it.

Short answer: my favorite stories are ones in which "nothing happens" so they don't answer your narrative question.

bookshop May 6 2009, 21:12:12 UTC

that makes me so sad, except that when i really think about it, i have a hard time answering this question honestly, too - for different reasons. i think it's because, for me, everything I read does tend to feel so entrenched and sort of interwoven* that it's hard to pick out which part of stories i love for their uniqueness.

but the idea that other people may have told you your ideas are wrong or somehow invalid or WHATEVER, to the point where you can't tell... well. yeah. I'd like to read that post, but mainly I hope talking about it can be a kind of catharsis for you, because that is horrible.

* (which is one reason fanfiction feels like such a completely intrinsic and not-really-subversive part of a tradition where all stories are connected.)

greensweaterlj May 6 2009, 18:38:19 UTC

Nobuta wo Produce :)

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bookshop May 7 2009, 00:05:51 UTC

GOD I KNOW, ugh, but that just sort of makes the whole ending even better, because he is SUCH AN ASSHOLE, but yet the ending to me isn't tragic at all. Because she still carries all the positive memories and force of their love and she TURNS INTO A TREE HOLY SHIT and her power empowers the whole island and breaks down the class/social barriers between their descendents!

And just. sdk;fjfkd. I don't know, I just think it's one of the most awesome endings to a story ever, and not really tragic!

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bookshop May 12 2009, 21:44:36 UTC

I'm watching it now, and the scene where Tonton and Mama are saying goodbye to Timoune and begging her not to go is just undoing me. *SNIFFLES*

Story is wonderful. I also really should have mentioned Holes in this post. That story just amazes me every time I read it.

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bookshop May 13 2009, 00:03:46 UTC

OMG ME TOO. D:

spywindow May 7 2009, 05:10:50 UTC

Great question, and I'm really curious to see what answers will pop up.

For my own (fairly narrowly-focused) part, I'll say that of all the works I can remember off the top of my head:

stories with a very strong story premise (incidental of how that premise is developed): 20th Century Boys (manga, Urasawa Naoki), Please Save My Earth (manga, Hiwatari Saki) . . . I need to think of others, because I know they're there. But these jump out at me right away.

stories with a very strong story arc: Sweeney Todd (stage musical, Stephen Sondheim, this show is perfect in every way), Toy Story (film, Pixar), Song of Solomon (novel, Toni Morrison) <--this list needs work too! Let me think. I will probably write a second comment.