A NEW TROPE
Mary Watson believes you can revitalise age-old story elements
SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE “TROPE” IS a dirty word – one often accompanied by “tired” or “old”. there doesn’t seem to be a lot of love for well-known conventions in fantasy. and i get the frustration – no-one wants to keep treading the same territory. i know the disappointment of a really good book sinking into cliché. Sometimes, it’s a matter of unlucky timing – books gestate over long periods, so while a love triangle might be fine when the writer gets started, years later, on publication, readers have become jaded.
But here’s the thing: i really like tropes, even love triangles. i think the careful use of familiar story threads and patterns can enhance a book. many of what we consider to be tropes have their roots in the devices and conventions of stories as old as time: the mysterious stranger, the trickster figure, the sacrifice, the prophecy, the humble hero against the dark lord. in myth and folktale, there are similarities in stories from different cultures. tropes emerge because they capture something about human experience, which is at the heart of storytelling.
While writing The Wren Hunt, i realised that i’d unconsciously used one of the frequently sighed-at tropes, “the chosen one”. for me, the emphasis, when it came to Wren’s talent (her ability to see the future) was its destructive nature. it didn’t seem to mark her out as special, but unlucky. But yes, she’s singled out for a task. and why not?
in my experience, fantasy books with a “chosen one” narrative usually centre around white characters, most often boys. other tropes that i’ve seen described as “tired” include the prophecy, the princess saving her kingdom, the discovery of magic, and the quest journey. most of these stories depict white characters at the centre of their fantastic worlds.
When we say we’re bored of these narratives, we should remember that many readers may not have identified entirely with the characters who’ve been at the centre of these tropes as they have generally been realised. is this boredom a luxury that comes from always being at the centre, not on the sidelines of society?
tropes work best when kept fresh. they are devices, a kind of shorthand that signals to readers what to expect. they bring in the pleasure of the familiar: ah, a mysterious object subplot, how will it play out this time? they shouldn’t simply rehash the same-old same-old. We need to interrogate them, turn them inside-out and make them unexpected. they need to surprise. tropes are most interesting when expectations are subverted, when the pattern changes.
Sometimes it feels like poC writers are expected to write books that problematise our existence, to forever take on the issues of being marginalised and of identity. While there is a huge need for stories that tackle social issues, there’s also a need for fantasy books that can take them on more subtly. there’s power in quietly claiming these mainstream stories, tropes and all, by putting the marginalised at the centre. So while some readers may have had enough of them, i’m only getting started…
“WE NEED TO TURN TROPES INSIDE OUT. THEY NEED TO SURPRISE”