Whilst discussing the new X-Men film, and the fact that although I wasn’t thrilled with the first film so didn’t really watch the others, I would like to see this prequel. I articulated that the reason why I prefer prequels to the other stories is because of the character development that takes place, rather than the action of the narrative itself. It is the same reason I love Nick Hornby novels. The characters and the way they think and feel and express themselves is far more intriguing than the actual events that happen.
John Cusack in High Fidelity (taken from http://cicconeyouthh.tumblr.com/post/1148695922)
I definitely think there is a place for action, I mean without it I would not have gotten through Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice (seriously, even though Miss Austen does character development somewhat obscurely but brilliantly, I find her tremendously labourious to read.) and many of the novels that I had to read for English at Uni. My favourite stories are not those of action, but rather those of a character discovering who they are and why they are who they are. However, this doesn’t mean I love stories which redeem the characters, I feel that this can be somewhat contrived and forced, whereas, in real life, the character would continue to be the same selfish, greedy, self-absorbed character that they were to begin with (another reason why I prefer Hornby over Austen any day).
What fascinates me about the characters is their view of the world. I love asking the questions of “what has made them that way?”, “why do they think that is right/wrong/what they should do?”, “what were you thinking when…” and many more. I think everyone has a narrative to tell, but what I really want to know is how has that narrative shaped you to be who you are now? The complexity of humans, their thoughts, feelings, wills, and relationships are fascinating. The way they interact in the world is fascinating too, but I’d rather hear someone’s recounting of a narrative and how they felt than actually be there sometimes. I don’t know what that says about me, but there you go.
Tell me a story but don’t leave out what you felt and why.
