Wanted: Resolute Heroes

In fiction, I've always been drawn to the conflict between duty and self-interest.

In general, it's a conflict that can't be studied without also deconstructing the hero's determinations of what constitutes duty and self-interest for them. And that's plenty fascinating on it's own. But this week, I'm cantankerous, and don't want to leave it at that.

I want to see a resolute hero. A character that has developed a fairly coherent and rational definition of their personal sense of duty through reflection upon extensive experience. And who has developed an equally coherent understanding of personal interest. And instead of a story simply exploring whether "everything they think they know is wrong" - I want to explore the character actually having to rectify duty and want through a series of challenges after having rebuilt that sense.

This is not to say that I dislike stories of angst or anomie. Far from it. It's a fertile ground for storytelling. But, I'm far more interested in seeing what happens to the hero once the anomie has been resolved. Why? Because, by and large, I've resolved most of my own anomie - at least for now. And I find it's just as much of a struggle to actually *implement* the type of life I want to have, now that I have an understanding of what that is.

( Wherein he rants about the BtVS finale, Chosen, two months after the fact... )

To sum up, I enjoy watching characters getting built up, and broken down. I enjoy seeing a character being rebuilt as something new. But I'd really like to see that rebuilt character in action, so I can get a feel for whether the rebuilding really worked and get some enjoyment out of watching the newest incarnation of said character... I want a tempered and resolute hero.

Wanted: Resolute Heroes

In fiction, I've always been drawn to the conflict between duty and self-interest.

In general, it's a conflict that can't be studied without also deconstructing the hero's determinations of what constitutes duty and self-interest for them. And that's plenty fascinating on it's own. But this week, I'm cantankerous, and don't want to leave it at that.

I want to see a resolute hero. A character that has developed a fairly coherent and rational definition of their personal sense of duty through reflection upon extensive experience. And who has developed an equally coherent understanding of personal interest. And instead of a story simply exploring whether "everything they think they know is wrong" - I want to explore the character actually having to rectify duty and want through a series of challenges after having rebuilt that sense.

This is not to say that I dislike stories of angst or anomie. Far from it. It's a fertile ground for storytelling. But, I'm far more interested in seeing what happens to the hero once the anomie has been resolved. Why? Because, by and large, I've resolved most of my own anomie - at least for now. And I find it's just as much of a struggle to actually *implement* the type of life I want to have, now that I have an understanding of what that is.

( Wherein he rants about the BtVS finale, Chosen, two months after the fact... )

To sum up, I enjoy watching characters getting built up, and broken down. I enjoy seeing a character being rebuilt as something new. But I'd really like to see that rebuilt character in action, so I can get a feel for whether the rebuilding really worked and get some enjoyment out of watching the newest incarnation of said character... I want a tempered and resolute hero.