From a chat with Mariesue

[velvetpage]

re: redemption in writing

Let's see. In most books, there are at least two complimentary plot lines - one for the events of the book, and the other for the relationships. At the climax, the two should come together, and the characters use their relationships that they've been developing, and the traits that have been portrayed through the relationships, as the basis for their decisions that result in the resolution of the event conflict. The climax of the relationship plot line should lead to a massive, counter-intuitive choice for most or all of the main characters. Their history leads the reader to believe they will do A, even though they've been getting closer and closer to doing B - but B is what they need to do to solve the event conflict. You're on the edge of your seat wondering if they'll make the RIGHT choice or the one to which they are predisposed.
The redemption comes in eschewing the old them, and making the choice based on the character growth they've experienced. Without the character growth, you've got, at best, a fable. With it, you have the capacity for literature.

Comments

[gracevlikevrain.livejournal.com]

That's why I liked Rilla of Ingleside so much - it took all the characters you've been following throughout series, put them in the midst of the biggest conflict the world has ever faced, and then watched them pull together and rise to the challenge. It was a very satisfying way to wrap up the series.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I love Rilla, though I haven't reread it very often. It takes a certain mindset for me to knowingly reread something which is guaranteed to make me cry at several points. Montgomery was a master of characterization, and I've learned a lot from reading her books as much as I did.

[gracevlikevrain.livejournal.com]

And she also knew how to end a book. I always kind of rolled my eyes at Jane Austen's "alrighty, let's wrap things up now and have everyone get married" last chapter (although I still love her stuff!) or Dicken's "worst-case scenario but everyone learns a lesson" (even though I haven't read much of his stuff, but Great Expectations did me in) but I found her stories to be so perfectly resolved. Emily's Quest and The Golden Road come to mind.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Dickens' other books weren't quite that bad. It's the curse of writing for serials - he had to have a calamity with which to end every episode, and then he had to get the hero out of the scrape quickly, but into the next almost immediately. In terms of novel technique, A Tale of Two Cities is the best, because it was written as a novel.

Emily's Quest was a depressing book, but the ending was satisfying. It was a pity to have to take a trip through Montgomery's depression and loneliness to get there, though. The other books had elements of that, but Quest was one long depressive episode. I haven't read it in about ten years as a result - I stop after Climbs.

[ladyperegrine.livejournal.com]

I feel like I've learned a lot from this post - you've really keyed in on what makes these sorts of plots work. Thank you.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!