passing commentary on passing commentary

[sideways]

1) Watched a cute video in which several workers at bookstores were asked what book they'd read again for the first time if they could. Naturally, this started me pondering on my own answer to the question, which proved much harder than I expected! I could name a dozen video games off the cuff that I'd love to play again for the first time, but books? Apparently I am a re-reader for a reason. Suspense and uncertainty isn't a big part of why I read, and I still feel enormous emotional satisfaction in reliving the journey - sometimes even moreso because it strips away the fear that any second the prose will turn on you. On the Jellicoe Road is beloved and the first confusing ride is crucial to the overall experience, but it was the second and third reads that made it a favourite.

That said, I managed at least three suggestions: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Mystic River by Dennis Lane, and The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. TKaM is just a wonderfully told story with the rare privilege of landing pretty much perfectly on its very first read; Mystic River is a murder mystery with twists it might be interesting to re-experience now that I'm older; and The Gone-Away World had one of the most amazing climaxes I've ever experienced that brought everything together in a way that had me slapping my ebook against my thigh in agonised delight but also my god I am never wading through the 500 pages of low-grade insanity it takes to get there a second time. (Please read The Gone-Away World. Maybe. I don't know.)

2) There have been a few posts and tweets floating around about an increased tendency in media for characters to be emotionally self-aware (or, as another post I saw put it, for characters to talk like they're aiming for an A+ in therapy). While I don't want a return to the bad habits of old - wherein characters would be bewilderingly bad at basic communication because the writers were lazily panning the mud for cheap drama instead of getting their butts down to the mines in search of well-reasoned character-driven conflicts - I have to admit, I feel like I've noticed this trend myself and I don't love it. At best, it's a little corny; at worst I feel like I'm back in some sort of secular parallel to Sunday School. It's not as though I can't enjoy a book with a bit of preaching (To Kill A Mockingbird, referenced right above!) but there are lessons that flow naturally from the experiences of the characters and then there's puppeted facsimiles of how people actually talk outside niche communities heavily invested in psychological introspection.

It's more excusable in fandom, where it can be a sign of youth, or inexperience, or even the simple fact this is the exact flavour of catharsis the writer wanted, and I can intellectually respect that even if it cuts me out as the audience. Heck, I don't even have to go back too far into my own archives to find fics where, if I were ever to rewrite them, I'd rework the conversations so they didn't lunge quite so eagerly for the resolution. But oof, it sure is a thing in fandom these days. Two Weeks was written in part because I skipped merrily to the archives in search of the emotional follow-through the Moon Knight show had neglected and was hit in the face with a wall of fics in which a trio of people who had lied to and hurt each other repeatedly over the course of the show calmly talked everything through and moved on in a single conversation, often utilising pitch-perfect terminology and understanding around DID. It just isn't satisfying to me when characters short-cut through the work like that.

(On the other hand, jumping into a speculative future in which the work has been done in order to write the fluff you crave the most? Valid. Not everyone has the time and energy for 100k of ground-laying for their 600 words of cuteness and that is completely fair.)

3) I had a third thing but buggerit I do not remember.

Comments

[nyctanthes]

Re: 2. Ted Lasso? (Which, admittedly, I haven't watched.) I checked out the replies, and several people referenced The Bear, which I noticed on Hulu the other day and decided not to watch because it used the term 'found family' in its summary. Ack!

I have noped out of so many fics where the characters are merrily rolling along - and then the action (including the sex!) comes screeching to a halt while they sit and talk through all their issues.

I myself prefer the simmer simmer simmer EXPLOSION that creates a little bit of resolution - enough to move forward - but leaves most of the key issues untouched. To be addressed at another time or not at all.

Re: 1. Hmm...If I read a book again for the first time, would I be that age again? Because that's where a lot of the joy comes from for me, not just reading the right book but reading it at the right time.

[tetralogy]

Wow, whoever thought The Bear has found family themes must have been watching a different show than I did. I didn't get found family vibes from it at all? The central conflict is around like, an *actual* family trying to cope with a recent loss, and it's complicated and ugly and, at times, oddly touching.

And about 2% of that is people dealing with their emotions in therapist-approved ways lol so now I'm doubly confused.

[sideways]

And everyone looks very wearily at marketing mashing the "hmm what do the kids like" button for the zillionth time, whether it's accurate or not...

[sideways]

Is that because you don't like found family style stories at all, or because gratuitous trope use in summaries feels like a red flag?

There's def also that grey area where "this is objectively clunky" meets "this simply isn't too my taste", yeah! I don't mind the occasional bit of healthy chatter - I am fond of the Lost in Space reboot, which was deliberately and affectionately corny, for example! And then The Umbrella Academy frustrates me sometimes because damn, three seasons in everyone still barely tolerates each other.

Simmer simmer EXPLOSION can be so fulfilling though.

Ooh, interesting question / point about reading at the right age. That honestly might have affected my answers - perhaps it WOULD be nice to renew certain books from my childhood, but I wouldn't want to experience them for the first time as an adult.

[nyctanthes]

Is that because you don't like found family style stories at all, or because gratuitous trope use in summaries feels like a red flag?

I'm definitely not into found family stories in my fic reading or writing, but in this case it's the latter.

And then The Umbrella Academy frustrates me sometimes because damn, three seasons in everyone still barely tolerates each other.

I don't watch UA anymore, but I watch Doom Patrol, which is an interesting case of the writers i) using therapeutic language and concepts seriously but ii) deliberately subverting them via the sheer stupidity of the characters.* The result: everyone behaves in a one step forward, seven steps sideways fashion (funny, but also frustrating). Though at the end of the latest season (3) the characters (a found family though they would one hundred percent kill you for calling them that) finally seem to have stumbled upon real progress. While still being morons. We shall see what happens next season...


* And also the complexity of the situations they are in. There's no right answer.

[lebateleur]

I love The Gone-Away World but reading it is definitely...an experience. (And secretly, I love Angelmaker even more.)

at worst I feel like I'm back in some sort of secular parallel to Sunday School.

This is a great way of putting it. Emotional self-awareness and calmly talking things through are things I absolutely I want to have present in real life situations. But I enjoy fiction precisely because I can vicariously experience things--like asteroid strikes, zombie plagues, Ringwraiths and maladaptive approaches to conflict--I don't want to deal with in real life.

[sideways]

Oh man, I've had Angelmaker on my wishlist for a while. Just waiting to be ready to re-engage with the Harkaway Experience. (But excited to hear you loved it even more! 👀 Have you read Tigerman? That was my first Harkaway.)

Yeah, for sure, in real life I want everyone to be maximising their good communication skills and talking like polite scripted robots where that is in fact a healthy and responsible way of handling a situation! But in fiction... pls. Not the morality plays. I have DONE my TIME.

[lebateleur]

Reciprocal confession: I've had Tigerman since shortly after it came out but haven't cracked it open yet. Thus, I'm unable to compare the two. But I did find that Angelmaker has much more of a consistent through-plot than Gone-Away World, while still containing similar levels of off-the-wallness, if that makes sense. And it has one of my favorite literary villains of all time, too.

[chocochipbiscuit]

there are lessons that flow naturally from the experiences of the characters and then there's puppeted facsimiles of how people actually talk outside niche communities heavily invested in psychological introspection.

Yes, this!!! I do love that there’s a greater emotional intelligence and awareness around conflict resolution, and I think you can make some interesting arguments or assumptions about a setting or AU where more people *do* have that skill set, but also...it often just doesn't flow and 'feel' real or genuine.

[sideways]

Yeah, I def don't hate there being a wider scale of emotional awareness in general! It was getting pretty dang same-y when you could see exactly what conflicts were coming in a piece of media because no one could grasp the concept that maybe people could just say some words instead.

But the flow. It's gotta FLOW.

[silverflight8]

Oh, point two. Yes. Emotional conflict is part of what makes stories satisfying!!

[sideways]

It does! And it's not necessarily easy to get the hang of writing, I can certainly sympathise there, but woof you don't want to see people locking themselves out of engaging with it because they think it's... wrong for the characters to be wrong, haha.