At the still point of the turning world
Latterly for assorted reasons I have been given to thinking about the trope of the quest or the hero's journey and what other narratives there might be that don't involved moving from point a to point b. (Okay, maybe all narratives could be described as a journey on some level of metaphor: youth to experience, ignorance to knowledge, to enlightenment, to redemption - but doesn't this somehow weaken via generalising what is a useful trope if more contained?) And also considering the gendering of this.
(Do narratives in which the structure is one person flees from/is pursued by another count as quests or heroic journeys? - discuss, possibly with reference to Farscape.)
So I have been thinking about narratives in which the protag/s remain in the same place: this was possibly additionally provoked by that interview I linked yesterday with Aung San Suu Kyi; also by a vague recollection of my darling Dame Rebecca being a bit scathing about the New Woman novel trope of the young woman leaving home, and wishing there were more about young woman staying at home and effectively imposing her will and wishes upon her family.
Is the archetype here Penelope, sitting at home weaving and waiting and maintaining a fragile peace?
It also occurred to me that one instance of staying the same spot and doing one's duty might be BtVS - with some divagations, sure, but basically, she's staying where she's put on the Hellmouth.
What do people do that might make plots where they stay in one place?
- Building something.
- Defending something.
- Sorting something out (e.g. classic murder within closed-circle of some kind mysteries)
- Manoeuvring one's way through court intrigue (or analogous - massive corporate entity might work just as well?)
Anywa, I would be interested in other suggestions of staying in one spot plots, and of stories that involve someone doing just that.
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