In a world of so many books, in a genre of so many trends (read: clichés), I
wasn't sure where to begin when it came to teen fantasy. But since most every story
is the fight between good and evil, I've decided to dedicate my first post to just that.
Let us (yes, you're coming along for the ride) begin with the phrase "good versus evil". Does
anyone else have a problem with that? I mean, if the latter is a word as strong
as “evil”, what chance does the meek “good” have? Since “good versus bad” or “right
versus wrong” are too mundane for the fantasy world, how can we spice up “good”?
"Moral'? "Noble"? "Benevolent"? "Just"? No, those won’t do because the opposite of “moral”
is “immoral” and “benevolent”, “malevolent”. I suppose “noble” or “just” could
work, but they hardly ring true—for “just” can mean “moral” or “only”, and “only”
lacks a backbone. Also, “noble” makes me think of noblemen, who are oftentimes
the villains. Sure, good may almost always beat evil, but the bad-guys get
brownie points for diction.
Why is it always good versus evil? While fantasy usually puts this conflict
to the extreme, even in standard fiction the reader is on the side of the
protagonist. Yes, there are undeniably some antagonists out there who we'll always love, like Dr. John Dee from The Secrets for the Immortal Nicholas Flamel or Jim Moriarty from
BBC’s Sherlock (I know it’s a T.V.
show, but it’s a story so I say it’s relevant). But I personally find that I admire
a well-written villain more than I actually like him; sometimes Moriarty is so
wickedly brilliant I get chills and give him a mental tip of the hat, but he’s
too psychotically sadistic for me to actually like him as a person. And Lord
knows there are some protagonists who drive me insane *fake cough* The Mortal Instrument’s Clary Fray *fake
cough*. I may not care about Clary’s feelings, and sure, I along with any other
observant feminist may sigh at her ineptitude at every other page, but she’s
likeable (all Mary-Sues are…okay, I’ll stop bashing Clary...for now) and I support her
cause. In most cases, we know who to root for.
Wouldn’t it be cool if by the end of the story, be found out the protagonist
was actually a bad-guy? I know there are books like this, but many of them are
about a character who we already know is or will be evil, like Elphaba/The
Wicked Witch of the West.
Actually, I take that back. That would be the most dissatisfying ending
ever. Imagine if the Harry Potter series ended with Harry being some
psychologically disturbed Muggle on a killing spree. Did anyone else just
shiver and hug themselves, or should I get that checked out?
Nonetheless, I like when I get a
taste of the villains' perspective, just to see if everything is as evil
through their eyes as it is through ours. But that is a topic for another post. To be continued...
