I remember being forced to watch Lord of the Rings and I was not there for that. I was very anti-movies when my family wanted to show me something. I was a jerk as a kid.
Anyway, watching Star Wars for this class was kinda like watching it for the first time. I hadn't remembered anything and so it was actually like a brand new movie. I felt like I was meeting new characters and watching something innovative even though I knew the plot and exactly what was going to happen.This is where I got to thinking about Joseph Campbell's quest narrative study.
Its hard to not get peeved at the idea of there being one entertaining story that only had the most minute changes made to it and then it's sold to us. But, and this is me completely disregarded the subconscious blah blah, wasn't this narrative new to us at some point? When you're reading a book as a kid you don't have the library of knowledge as when you're an adult and so each story is different. Even if it is a quest narrative that checks off all of the requirements you really aren't going to know that until you've read other things. You're sitting there thinking it's the most amazing thing in the world and that no one has ever (or can ever) write something like that again. Tons of people probably never bother to see that many T.V shows they watch, movies, and books are quite similar. And I don't think that its a bad thing.
I really don't think acknowledging that there is a rhythm, pattern, system, whatever detracts from the initial experience at all. I don't think that it shows a lack of creativity or innovation because it isn't readily apparent. I also think that time will really tell if Campbell's idea is true. It can be true for now and for much of the past but there is still a universe of uncharted territory in story telling. With new technology like the internet new narratives are being created every second and that is astounding. So don't be so down! There is a new story out there waiting to be written in GIF format! GET PUMPED TO WITNESS A NEW KINDA STAR WARS!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Yes, it is true that the future isn't written yet and therefore someone somewhere could eventually break the mold if it pleases them but what really upsets me about this all is that Campbell's Hero is so prevalent in society; it echoes in Star Wars, LoTR, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and other mega ultra popular series. These ideas must appeal to the masses else they wouldn't still be used. They do not appeal to me. I love the idea of the Hunger Games because morality goes out the window As Katniss said, "No one decent ever wins the games," In the game of TV, book, movie history, only the decent ones win the games. And That's Bullshit. Give me a hero whose killed and doesn't have anyone to avenge him. Give me a villain with the balls and the smarts to kill the hero once, kill them dead. Give me a hero who actually does the most instead of jumps in at the last minute and wins on lunch and Main character powers. I want the game to be changed now so that the next generation can see it's OK instead of being force fed the idea that there are only five types of stories and all of them end well.
ReplyDelete