It's the clash of people acting according to their own natures when it would be much better for everyone if they acted against their own natures.
This may quite possibly be the best definition of "tragedy" I've ever heard. 0_0 It definitely suits Wintersmith. And I guess the elements are there in the other ones, too... but would you agree that they're more prominent in Wintersmith?
think Sandman
I see what you mean, but when it comes to tragedy, I'm thinking Troy.
...
Please don't despise me for having seen the movie but never read the actual Iliad. ^_^;;
what she ultimately faces is always herself
Hmmm. Not sure - I may have to reread before I can comment on that interpretation.
I do notice that a recurring theme is Tiffany trying to save herself from the self-loathing that's always threatening to crash down on her. She knows that she's too smart and too sensible to be a very nice person, so her eternal struggle seems to be proving, time and again, that being smart and sensible can make up for not being nice.
She's the anti-Agnes, really. She tries to survive not having a wonderful personality. And her hair is apparently nothing special, either. =]
Oh and yes, all the witches are primadonnas, they have to be.
I do love the way superior ability is treated. Fledgling witches are the kids that are a lot smarter than other people, and who think about why things are as they are and how they can be made to be otherwise. Witchcraft (the whole thing, not just the magic) is the fulfilment of their ambitions, because it's knowledge and understanding, and because it's the power to put that understanding to work.
But when you know what to do and have the power to do it, everything suddenly becomes your problem. You have to help people, because otherwise anything that happens to them is your fault. That's the price of wanting more than others and getting it. And no one's going to force you to pay it, but if you don't, then you're an asshole - and while a witch can be a bitch and enjoy it, she would never suffer being an asshole.
This, to me, is wonderful. It's the perfect compromise between individualism and collectivism. A witch is the servant of the community, in a way, but she's most certainly not a martyr.
I know you've never seen the BBC sitcom "Keeping up Appearences"
I have so. It was hilerious. :D I love how Hyacinth's neighbours regard her with a kind of fatalistic dread. "Death comes to us all. So does taxes. And in this neighbourhood, so does Hynacinth's candlelight suppers." =]
no subject
This may quite possibly be the best definition of "tragedy" I've ever heard. 0_0 It definitely suits Wintersmith. And I guess the elements are there in the other ones, too... but would you agree that they're more prominent in Wintersmith?
think Sandman
I see what you mean, but when it comes to tragedy, I'm thinking Troy.
...
Please don't despise me for having seen the movie but never read the actual Iliad. ^_^;;
what she ultimately faces is always herself
Hmmm. Not sure - I may have to reread before I can comment on that interpretation.
I do notice that a recurring theme is Tiffany trying to save herself from the self-loathing that's always threatening to crash down on her. She knows that she's too smart and too sensible to be a very nice person, so her eternal struggle seems to be proving, time and again, that being smart and sensible can make up for not being nice.
She's the anti-Agnes, really. She tries to survive not having a wonderful personality. And her hair is apparently nothing special, either. =]
Oh and yes, all the witches are primadonnas, they have to be.
I do love the way superior ability is treated. Fledgling witches are the kids that are a lot smarter than other people, and who think about why things are as they are and how they can be made to be otherwise. Witchcraft (the whole thing, not just the magic) is the fulfilment of their ambitions, because it's knowledge and understanding, and because it's the power to put that understanding to work.
But when you know what to do and have the power to do it, everything suddenly becomes your problem. You have to help people, because otherwise anything that happens to them is your fault. That's the price of wanting more than others and getting it. And no one's going to force you to pay it, but if you don't, then you're an asshole - and while a witch can be a bitch and enjoy it, she would never suffer being an asshole.
This, to me, is wonderful. It's the perfect compromise between individualism and collectivism. A witch is the servant of the community, in a way, but she's most certainly not a martyr.
I know you've never seen the BBC sitcom "Keeping up Appearences"
I have so. It was hilerious. :D I love how Hyacinth's neighbours regard her with a kind of fatalistic dread. "Death comes to us all. So does taxes. And in this neighbourhood, so does Hynacinth's candlelight suppers." =]