Re: JCO: Upon the Sweeping Flood & uplifting fiction

Hi, Gary. When I think of the term "tragedy" I think of a story in which the
protagonist is totally destroyed -- not merely defeated, disappointed or
bummed out -- not by outside forces but by his/her own character excesses which
lead to ruinous actions vis a vis those outside forces. For example: Macbeth's
outsize ambition, Othello's outsize jealousy, Carmen's outsize sex drive.
The hero/heroine does indeed go down in flames, but he/she remains so absolutely
true to his/her nature that, in a magical way, the story is exciting and
beautiful. Although there's a cautionary element to the story, "cautionary" is a
mere secondary appeal. I guess catharsis is the best word for why a truly
tragic story has such a powerful effect on the reader/viewer.
WHAT I LIVED FOR does have a redemptive ending. MAN CRAZY is somewhat
different: we see that the heroine has survived the adversity, but we are left
up in the air as to whether her subsequent choice of male companions will be
better than her past unfortunate ones. FIRST LOVE is another redemptive JCO
novel(la). The young heroine's refusal to be used by the villain to victimize
other girls is the "happy ending." It's a gentle, hopeful, kind of happy ending
-- not the have-it-all-victory that sentimental fiction usually presents. In
FIRST LOVE: the villain goes unpunished and the girl quietly gets on with her
life.
I like your use of the word "earned." If the events of a story seem too
contrived and leave the reader unconvinced that the hero has gone through
something real, then the story feels fake, sentimental, goopy, etc.
Cyrano

In a message dated 9/10/2005 9:22:04 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
gjcouzens@btinternet.com writes:

<< 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 >>
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tone Clusters: The Joyce Carol Oates discussion group

To send a message to the group, email jco@usfca.edu
To subscribe, email majordomo@usfca.edu: subscribe jco
To unsubscribe, email majordomo@usfca.edu: unsubscribe jco