A couple random thoughts, but they won't be nearly so well thought-out as yours. Alas, I'm still on wonky meds from having my wisdom teeth pulled.
First, and this is mostly and age/maturity thing, a lot of people want to champion a character they can save. (I do not think this applies to you, but I think it's relevant.) I've seen it a ton of people, particularly in teenaged girls, who go for the bad boy because he's in need of saving. Obviously, saving per se rarely (never?) works, and there are a lot of other people who are willing to step in and say, "Hey, look at this character. They're already good. Why waste your time with Draco/Spike/Mulder?"
Which leads me to, second -- in two parts: Why do people like 'bad' characters (shorthand for characters in want of defending) if not than to save them romantically? And why do other people find them not worthy at all?
I tend to find the characters you've mentioned more...interesting, for lack of a better word. I think any choice they make to be 'good' is more powerful than that same choice by someone who has always been 'good.' Their traits are almost always shades of gray. And because we are, essentially, a 'good' society, we tend to read good qualities into 'bad' characters more easily than, say, making Harry follow in Voldemort's footsteps. I'm with you; I prefer my characters complex and gray and less-then-perfect. For example, I'm not a huge Canon!Draco fan, but I found Ron to be much more interesting following his GoF meltdown.
But there are people who prefer their characters black and white, and the simplicity that comes with them. There are people who prefer to keep plot and characters in handy 'good' and 'bad' boxes. And a lot of that can be attributed to the author. For example, many of JKR's events can be spun to make Draco or someone else sympathetic. Certainly the scene in B&B can be reworked that way. Also, the scene at the end of SS. But it's easier to read what the author gives you and let her take you where she will.
I joined the fandom after GoF, and for the longest time I was confused about the anti-Ron sentiment. I didn't realize until about a month ago that it didn't come until after he reacted the way he did in GoF -- and bucked the totally loyal sidekick role in the process. *shrug* I like him much better this way, and I can see how I could spend a lot of time defending him. It's also interesting to me that the fandom seems to obsess much more over Redeemed!Draco than EquallyComplexRon. I think, again, that's the tendancy to want to make characters 'good.' And to look with disdain upon characters that were 'good' that might now be 'bad.' (Reference your archetype post and how betrayal is just as much a part of Ron as redemption is a part of Draco.)
I think it's a matter of 1) taking things out of the box in which they were given to you, and 2) preferring complex, gray characters. There will always be people unwilling/unable/uninterested in doing one or the other. So the people who do prefer such characters spend a lot of time in their defense.
[/rambling] I hope that made some sort of sense. It just sort of came out. Would you mind if I friended you?
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Date: 2003-04-21 11:11 am (UTC)First, and this is mostly and age/maturity thing, a lot of people want to champion a character they can save. (I do not think this applies to you, but I think it's relevant.) I've seen it a ton of people, particularly in teenaged girls, who go for the bad boy because he's in need of saving. Obviously, saving per se rarely (never?) works, and there are a lot of other people who are willing to step in and say, "Hey, look at this character. They're already good. Why waste your time with Draco/Spike/Mulder?"
Which leads me to, second -- in two parts: Why do people like 'bad' characters (shorthand for characters in want of defending) if not than to save them romantically? And why do other people find them not worthy at all?
I tend to find the characters you've mentioned more...interesting, for lack of a better word. I think any choice they make to be 'good' is more powerful than that same choice by someone who has always been 'good.' Their traits are almost always shades of gray. And because we are, essentially, a 'good' society, we tend to read good qualities into 'bad' characters more easily than, say, making Harry follow in Voldemort's footsteps. I'm with you; I prefer my characters complex and gray and less-then-perfect. For example, I'm not a huge Canon!Draco fan, but I found Ron to be much more interesting following his GoF meltdown.
But there are people who prefer their characters black and white, and the simplicity that comes with them. There are people who prefer to keep plot and characters in handy 'good' and 'bad' boxes. And a lot of that can be attributed to the author. For example, many of JKR's events can be spun to make Draco or someone else sympathetic. Certainly the scene in B&B can be reworked that way. Also, the scene at the end of SS. But it's easier to read what the author gives you and let her take you where she will.
I joined the fandom after GoF, and for the longest time I was confused about the anti-Ron sentiment. I didn't realize until about a month ago that it didn't come until after he reacted the way he did in GoF -- and bucked the totally loyal sidekick role in the process. *shrug* I like him much better this way, and I can see how I could spend a lot of time defending him. It's also interesting to me that the fandom seems to obsess much more over Redeemed!Draco than EquallyComplexRon. I think, again, that's the tendancy to want to make characters 'good.' And to look with disdain upon characters that were 'good' that might now be 'bad.' (Reference your archetype post and how betrayal is just as much a part of Ron as redemption is a part of Draco.)
I think it's a matter of 1) taking things out of the box in which they were given to you, and 2) preferring complex, gray characters. There will always be people unwilling/unable/uninterested in doing one or the other. So the people who do prefer such characters spend a lot of time in their defense.
[/rambling] I hope that made some sort of sense. It just sort of came out. Would you mind if I friended you?