Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Tropes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup of book bloggers hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week, we're talking about tropes: the cliches we all know because we've consumed media ever. While usually talking about tropes means talking about the ones you hate, I love this take on it...our favorite ones! I'll be using as reference (and linking to) the truly delightful TV Tropes for my list.



Anyone Can Die: I love the idea that there's no one wearing plot armor in a life-or-death situation and that main characters can, in fact, bite it. It ups the ante!

The Beautiful Elite: Though not all royalty is beautiful, after all, my fondness for books about kings and queens can be traced to my fondness for this trope. I do also really get into Gilded Age stuff.

Big, Screwed-Up Family: Families are among the few interpersonal relationships we don't get to chose, and those dynamics can be fascinating.

Broken Bird: I try really hard to be optimistic but deep down I know I'm a cynic. Which is probably why stories about people who have become cynical because the world failed them appeal to me...they confirm my own cynicism.

Does Not Like Shoes: I hate shoes and am barefoot as often as I can get away with, so this is just the thing where you like to see yourself reflected in your reading material.

For Want Of A Nail: The idea that the tiniest decision can have life-altering consequences down the road is one that always gets my attention and interest.

Four Temperament Ensemble: There's a reason that the down-to-earth one, the flighty one, the big personality, and the one with all the feelings is a mix we see over and over again...there's so much natural tension that can arise between these personality types that it's narratively rich and I'm here for it!

Love Dodecahedron: A love triangle can be well-executed enough to get me involved. But when there are several people in a tangle of everyone-loves-someone-else, it really hooks me.

Prophecies Are Always Right: When the seeds of a prophecy are planted and then actually take root, I'm always here to see what it actually looks like when they bear fruit.

Really 700 Years Old: Basically the more into history I get (which is quite a lot, lately), the more I'm super into the idea of a person living through many major world events and the perspective it would give on the way things both change and stay the same.

Where Are They Now? Epilogue: There are some excellent books with ambiguous endings, but I'll admit I love to see things tied up in a bow with a final look at how things ended up.

11 comments:

  1. These are all great picks! I love the risk of anyone can die (even though, it's usually the characters I like the most because of course it is). For Want of a Nail is often great, too, when it's written right, because you realize just how important something was down the line and it's like ... dang, it seemed so small and insignificant at the time ...

    Here's my TTT post.

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    1. In a For Want Of A Nail, I usually find myself flipping back to the page where the first thing happened and willing the text to change!

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  2. Anyone can die -- That's a cool trope. I hadn't thought of that one before.

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    1. I love A Song of Ice and Fire for this one especially

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  3. Yeah, Really 700 Years old sort of stories are super interesting. Imagine seeing that much history for yourself!

    My TTT

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    1. Right! Even the last like 200 years of history is just packed full of enormous world events...and would put things into perspective, for sure!

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  4. I didn't know "Anyone Can Die" was a trope, but yes, I love that!

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    1. Imagine reading Harry Potter with the idea that any of the main trio could legitimately die at any point! By like the 3rd or 4th book it was obvious they all had plot armor and it ratcheted down the tension

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  5. Yess! So many good ones on here. I'm partial to Four Temperament Ensemble myself. I love seeing how different archetypes go together and then make up the stories conclusion and what not. Seeing people work together is always great. Adds balance. I agree with everything you said!

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    1. Like, there's a reason that mix shows up over and over again...it makes for good storytelling!

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  6. I love a good epilogue. I figure even if I really hate it, I can mentally pinch it off like a dead bud on a flower. Otherwise it serves as a nice bit of finality, and often a dose of reassurance that things turned out okay.

    And when it comes to big families, I really like the interplay when it's a bunch of siblings. Give me a story with 4+ personalities from roughly the same generation and raised by the same parents, and I'm in heaven watching how they compare and contrast.

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