I love this. I just finished reading "The Overstory," where the causalities of a lot of characters get meticulously explored ab ovo (or seed, I guess). Then there's "Chain-Gang All-Stars," the inevitability of Greek tragedy. But wow, Joe Abercrombie! Praise the Dark Lord. In practically the first sentence of the first book, the main character jumps off a cliff. Another main character gets thrown down a mountain. Another one runs through a machine with whirling blades. And they all live to slash/smash/stab/gouge/bite another day. . .well, until they don't. I read "The Wisdom of Crowds" back to back with Hilary Mantel's "A Place of Greater Safety" and thought my head would explode. I guess the coming of guns and cannons really does mean the death of fantasy.
When I hear causality I think of internal logic. There’s the Hemingway quote , paraphrasing, what happens next is the exact thing that happens next, which at first blush seems nonsensical, but means the same thing to me. In your story, in the world you built, the characters you created can only respond in the way that is most fitting for them. Maybe Hemingway is wrong that there’s only one option that maintains internal logic, but the idea really resonates for me.
no doubt each book must create its own internal logic but that internal logic is produced (and given meaning) by all the other books we've read and their genres. also: i'm just one of those people who loves the deep dives. there are always easier ways to do these things.
I love this. I just finished reading "The Overstory," where the causalities of a lot of characters get meticulously explored ab ovo (or seed, I guess). Then there's "Chain-Gang All-Stars," the inevitability of Greek tragedy. But wow, Joe Abercrombie! Praise the Dark Lord. In practically the first sentence of the first book, the main character jumps off a cliff. Another main character gets thrown down a mountain. Another one runs through a machine with whirling blades. And they all live to slash/smash/stab/gouge/bite another day. . .well, until they don't. I read "The Wisdom of Crowds" back to back with Hilary Mantel's "A Place of Greater Safety" and thought my head would explode. I guess the coming of guns and cannons really does mean the death of fantasy.
Realized that the conversation about this one has been occurring under our last office hour post. Oops.
When I hear causality I think of internal logic. There’s the Hemingway quote , paraphrasing, what happens next is the exact thing that happens next, which at first blush seems nonsensical, but means the same thing to me. In your story, in the world you built, the characters you created can only respond in the way that is most fitting for them. Maybe Hemingway is wrong that there’s only one option that maintains internal logic, but the idea really resonates for me.
no doubt each book must create its own internal logic but that internal logic is produced (and given meaning) by all the other books we've read and their genres. also: i'm just one of those people who loves the deep dives. there are always easier ways to do these things.