What, exactly, is a trope?
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| This is color hex #483C32. Enjoy it. |
A trope is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a "word of expression used in a figurative sense" or "a common or overused theme or device". For the purposes of this blog, we'll focus more on the second definition. Still not following me?
Well then, let's pretend we're writing a story. A crime thriller, perhaps? With swoon-worthy vampires? Maybe an unwilling hero, a psychopathic villain, a shmuck in a sweater-vest and... Hmm... Maybe a lackluster leading lady? Sounds great. Maybe we can even throw in a few hired guns to round it all out.
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| Well, perhaps not "swoon-worthy" |
From the ditzy blonde to the squeamish cop, they turn up everywhere. But they're not archetypes ("the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies"). Let's take "The Geek", for example. For many Western readers, the character that comes to mind is probably socially awkward, has thick rimmed glasses, maybe with a bit of a nasal voice. 1 That's a trope - it doesn't necessarily mean anything to any other culture, but it's common enough to us that we can infer a few key physical and personality traits. If we broaden the definition of a geek to someone who happens to be knowledgeable, we get an archetype. He becomes The Scholar, a theme not limited to the
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| Archetypes are not limited to only one culture. |
So that's what this blog is. It's an examination of tropes, and how to make them better. Just like stereotypes, they shouldn't define us, nor the characters we create. Just because The Geek is awkward and nasally, it doesn't mean he can't be a phenomenal salsa dancer. The Dumb Blonde could be a great chef, or secretly a member of Mensa. Tropes allow us to point the audience in the right direction, but they shouldn't be the only roadmap we use to get there.
So, stick around. Maybe you'll learn something new, or maybe you won't. At the very least, it might entertain you.
1 The example of the geek is borrowed from http://writeworld.tumblr.com/post/39905367141/stereotypes-tropes-and-archetypes ↩
2 http://www.michaelteachings.com/roles_index.html↩
I was literally lost up until you said nerd. Because I pictured exactly what you described before I even read it. I'm learning something new every day. I agree that we shouldn't let Tropes, define people.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that the example helped! It's definitely interesting how you knew exactly who I was talking about before I explained it - thus is the power of a trope! We can form the character in our minds before we truly "meet" them. That's not always a good thing, but I'll get more into that later in my blog. :)
DeleteI am learning something new here. I Have never heard of the word trope before but now understanding that its when you interpret the meaning of an expression. Yes now a days our world has become very stereotypical and that is not good. I know as I continue to read your blogs I will get a more developed understanding of tropes.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I speak for a lot of people when I say that I didn't even know that tropes existed. However, the way that you presented them through this blog was very interesting to read, yet very simple to understand. The comparison to archetypes definitely helped a lot. The fact that I learned this much just from your introduction, makes me look forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know what you meant by tropes, but as I read on I understood. They seem rather interesting, and I agree that they do have a tendency of bringing certain characters to mind. I also agree with you on the fact that we automatically jump to conclusions about a character (or the meaning behind him/her) is not necessarily a good thing, because everyone is unique, so if we have our mind set on how that character should act or what not, when they do something outside of what we had in mind, we are most likely to not enjoy the role they have as much.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with the last part of your comment. When a character only lives in a trope and has no other defining characteristics, it's disappointing. There is nothing to entice the audience to want to continue learning about them or following their adventures. Tropes work well to set the groundwork, but there needs to be something more — something that makes them 'human'. If not, the character becomes dull and lifeless, and it's just sloppy and lazy writing, regardless of whether or not it's a novel, or a movie, or a TV show.
DeleteI completely agree with you here, Siri! I learned during my theatrical career that in playwright, or any other texts for that matter, it is imperative to avoid the underdevelopment of characters. When there is absolutely nothing else to a persona other than typical and overused characteristics, the audience will most definitely feel as though the author was lazy or uninspired... It is solely okay to utilize tropes in order to establish the foundation of a character. I most definitely look forward to reading further entries!
DeleteSiri, I will certainly be learning some new things as I continue to read your blog posts. I did not know what tropes were until I read this and I look forward to reading more. The way that you described them was simple ad easy to understand and I really appreciated that! I really enjoyed reading your post and I look forward to reading more.
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