Re: JCO: Upon the Sweeping Flood & uplifting fiction

----- Original Message -----
From: <Cyranomish@aol.com>
To: <jco@usfca.edu>
> But then does "uplifting" necessarily mean happy ending? What do you
> think?
>
In the greatest tragedies, a downbeat ending need not be depressing - it can
be cathartic. People can die at the end of a story, but they can do so
heroically (sp?).

As in the examples you give, the protagonists do suffer a lot before they
reach their happy ending. It's uplifting (and not sentimental) if it's
earned, sentimental if it isn't.

How about "What I Lived For", for an example of a happy - or at least
redemptive - ending?

Gary

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