Friday, March 8, 2013

The Blog Chain – I Love Bad Boys (& Girls)

The Blog Chain question this week is:
 
As a reader and/or a writer what are some of your favorite fiction
tropes? Are you sucker for secretly in love with best friend type
stories, stories set in mysterious boarding school stories, stories
that contain time travel, or something else entirely? As a writer how
do you try to give the tropes you tackle in your own books a fresh
spin?


My favorite trope is…the Anti-Hero

I love dark stories and what is darker than the idea of an anti-hero? A character that is flawed and lacking, but so incredibly compelling because of these facts. My favorite examples of this are John Constantine from the Hellblazer comics, Bruce Robertson from Filth by Irvine Welsh and of course, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
 
Filth
 
 
 


Anti-heroes are becoming more prevalent in mainstream media, just think how wildly successful shows are like Madmen, Breaking Bad, and of course, Tony Soprano from The Sopranos. We all want a hero, but maybe we want our hero to be a little bad. Whether they are all bad, good at heart, or just have a loose definition of what good and bad actually mean.

I haven't written anything with an anti-hero, I know it's really hard to pull off. There also seems to be a lot more male anti-heroes than female. I do have an idea for a Mean Girls type novel where the main character is so loathesome, she's likeable. Who knows, maybe that will be the next project I work on.  J

Keep following this topic on the chain and check out Michelle’s blog on Monday, or look back at Katrina's post from yesterday.


Who is your favorite anti-hero?

 

13 comments:

  1. You already noted we are opposites on this trope. :) But here's why. As a child, I proofread my older brother's high school paper on anti-hero worship. I was intrigued because it was the first time I'd heard that term, 'anti-hero.' His paper set the stage for my view of the continuing trend (that was in the 90s!). I can see why an anti-hero is appealing, for sure. We are all flawed. But I guess I prefer a flawed hero to an all-out anti-hero with say, one redeeming quality (stopped watching House M.D. when the character refused to grow and change). I'm unable to separate the trope from the trend, and what it represents about our pathology as a society. I guess it's like how I can appreciate all the work and art that goes into first person shooter games and action films like Iron Man while also lamenting their impact on our society's gun violence stats.

    It can be done responsibly, though. Good luck with your project! Like you said, our different tastes make the world more interesting. And that's what art is for, expressing the way we are unique.

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    1. I agree, the one redeeming quality characters can be annoying, especially if they never grow as characters. Although I have to admit that the other extreme, the true hero is also very appealing to me - perfect, dashing, great teeth - of Prince Charming quality, I'll always be drawn to dark, gritty characters in fiction. I also love betrayal in fiction, there's nothing more biting than a good old fashioned stab-you-in-the-back moment. :)

      Thanks for the comment Katrina, love this convo!

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    2. I secretly love revenge-betrayal or just good old fashioned revenge, like when the protagonist gets back at the antagonist toward the end of the book/movie (as in Mean Girls). When Malfoy had his schoolmate biting him and running through his clothes in the form of a ferret, I laughed out loud. And The Count of Monte Cristo... nuff said. But that's just between us, okay? I have nice mom cred to keep up.

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  2. Jorg from "Prince of Thorns" wins my vote for favorite anti-hero. Hands down. No contest. And you're right; they're very difficult to pull of successfully. If you do venture down that road, take my wishes of luck with you. You're far braver than I to try. :)

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    1. Thanks! Of course with anti-heroes you also run the risk of people just flat out hating them instead of being drawn to them. :) I haven't read Prince of Thorns, but I'll have to check it out.

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  3. OMG SPIKE!!!!! Yes, such a great wonderful totally perfect anti-hero. Can you tell I'm a fan? ;)

    I love anti-heroes too. I agree they can be difficult to pull off, but when done well there is nothing that I find more compelling.

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  4. Hmm, good question. I'd never given much thought to the appeal of an anti-hero, but the first one who comes to mind is Hannibal Lector. He is loathsome on so many levels, and yet he is intelligent, clever, and cultured in a disgusting kind of way.

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  5. Anti-heroes are most definitely fascinating characters! Spike is one of my favorites as well. :)

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  6. I have always ADORED Spike and felt so bad for him when Buffy didn't want to be with him. Honestly, I didn't get why he was only good to fool around with but not have a real relationship with. He paid penance just like Angel. And, I liked Spike better because he was funnier. I go for funny bad boys. LOL

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    1. This is so funny because I've been rewatching BUFFY and just got to the part where Buffy dumps him...for good. I felt bad for him, even though he's such a jerk. Def a better character than Angel though...and way cuter. :)

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  7. Spike's definitely in a league of his own! A character who was so marvellously fleshed out by James Marsters.

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  8. I loved Spike in Buffy as well, well not so much in season 7. Though, there was a lot in season 7 I didn't like. I have to admit I have a thing for bad boys. I guess a lot of people do. It's that feeling of excitement you get with the sense of danger. Good is dependable, you know where you are with it. Anti-heroes, you're not sure where you stand. That's what's so appealing, at least to me.

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