Unreasonable Expectations? (Part 1 of 2)

[rj_anderson]

I've seen a couple of criticisms cropping up in reviews lately -- not reviews of my own books necessarily, but of some very fine books by other authors. They're often stated somewhat crankily, as though they are universal rules and every author worth her word count ought to know better than to flout them -- but as a matter of fact they are

Comments

[pontisbright]

The one that always springs to my mind is Arthur Dent in Hitch-Hiker's Guide. He's the ultimate 'guy that stuff happens to' - but how ridiculous would his story be if he suddenly leapt into the fray claiming to know better than anyone else how to deal with a Vogon in full flood?

Looking forward to your thoughts on #2!

[rj_anderson]

Oh, that is a good one! The eternally befuddled [Babel]fish-out-of-water protagonist is sometimes exactly the right one for a story.

Perhaps it's a little more obvious that such a protagonist is needed when the worldbuilding is central to the story. Alice in Wonderland or Gulliver's Travels is this kind of tale, as is HHGTHG in its modern way; I'd also include D.M. Cornish's Foundling, in which the hero is a sweet young boy making his goggle-eyed way through a big scary world full of monsters and strange people.

Or as C.S. Lewis put it, "Every good writer knows that the more unusual the scenes and events of his story are, the slighter, the more ordinary, the more typical his persons should be. Hence Gulliver is a commonplace little man and Alice a commonplace little girl."

[pontisbright]

Ooh, what a lovely quote to have at your fingertips!

(And re the below, I have a suspicion I know the blockbuster you're talking about, and YES, THAT. Many many odd writing/editorial choices there.)

[mary_j_59]

Yes - love that quote! It sounds like a couple of Chesterton essays my sister and Adam Gidwitz were just citing at a library meeting.

And I don't mean to spam this thread, really. I'm just curious. What on earth is HHGTHG? I've been trying to figure it out, but can't. Is it a book I should read?

[rj_anderson]

It's short for Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.