{"id":2086,"date":"2012-01-05T16:16:37","date_gmt":"2012-01-05T21:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/?p=2086"},"modified":"2012-01-05T20:15:05","modified_gmt":"2012-01-06T01:15:05","slug":"lets-hear-it-for-the-tropes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/05\/lets-hear-it-for-the-tropes\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Hear It For The Tropes"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Merriam Webster<\/a>, a trope is \"a common or overused theme or device.\"\u00a0\u00a0I've frequently seen blog posts diss-ing this or that as \"a plot trope\" or \"a romance trope.\"\u00a0 In other words, they call something a trope like it's always a bad thing.\u00a0 Newsflash - I disagree!<\/p>\n

So, let's hear it for the tropes!\u00a0 Let's give the tropes a hand!\u00a0\u00a0 There's gold in some of those \"overused\" plot\u00a0devices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a previous post mentioned, I'm now the (proud, overjoyed, adoring) owner of a Kindle Fire. So I've been boogling around the Amazon, seeking valuable booty for\u00a0my value-oriented budget.\u00a0 Yep, I've been looking for a lot of stuff for a little money.\u00a0 In this economy - who isn't, right?\u00a0 Well, while I've been boogling, I've realized how important those tropes can be.\u00a0 Some of 'em will make me click the \"read more\" button on the description every time. Others have to be exceptional to hook me.\u00a0 You know what I realized?\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are certain tropes that I love in my romances.\u00a0 No matter how often I read those plots, I'm still apt to check out the next book with\u00a0a similar plot device that catches my eye.\u00a0 The types of tropes we treasure\u00a0may be very similar, or they may be as vast and varied and different as\u00a0we are as people.\u00a0 But, I'll bet if you tickle your memory \"bone\", you'll realize that there are certain tropes that draw you in too.<\/p>\n

What does it for me?\u00a0 My list is too long for me to recall entirely - even on a good day.\u00a0 But I'll almost always\u00a0check out the full product description for guardian\/ward romances.\u00a0 I'll do the same for \"almost\" sibling romances or for those where a fellow falls head over toenails for his best friend's little sister - or even for his daughter's best friend.\u00a0\u00a0I think it's the lure of the forbidden in varying degrees in all of those stories that draws me in, combined in some of 'em with the angst of someone falling for\u00a0someone who's way, way too young for them - by society's rules anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Often the tropes will combine, and touches of the \"forbidden\" added to betrayal will also\u00a0get me to click more almost\u00a0as a matter of reflex.\u00a0 I love stories where one brother falls for another's intended or where the heroine\u00a0has a mad case of bad, mad love-ust for her big sister or best friend's boyfriend or betrothed.\u00a0 If a writer sets up the hero as an \"honorable beyond reproach\" type - then I can't wait to watch him find the lady who teaches him lessons in humanity.\u00a0 Sometimes these come where the heroine meets a guide taking her to\u00a0her father, family, big brother or betrothed.\u00a0 Together they\u00a0confront a vast, wild terrain that's only partly composed of setting and scenery.<\/p>\n

I could go on - and on and on - but you get the point. Likely, you got it earlier, but then, likely you're much brighter than a daft duck lady.\u00a0 The point is that there are tropes\u00a0I love - in part- because they are tropes.\u00a0\u00a0\"I Love Lucy\"\u00a0features a\u00a0daffy leading lady\u00a0I feel\u00a0\"not so strangely\" connected to.\u00a0 In lots of those shows Lucy got into hilarious hot water because of her ongoing desire to be a part of Ricky's show.\u00a0 Yeah, it was a trope and yeah, it still makes me laugh every\u00a0time I watch.\u00a0 It's like \"knock knock\" jokes - you have some idea where it's going, but you know you'll enjoy the trip anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think tropes get a bad rap.\u00a0 They're the Rodney Dangerfeld <\/a>of creative concoctions. Tropes just \"don't get no respect. No respect, no repect at all ...\"\u00a0 \u00a0Lord knows, the PCP (PC Police), like to turn up their better-than-thou noses at anything they consider to be - even remotely trope-like.\u00a0 And yet, if you view life in the right light - with more than a touch of humor - you'll realize that members of the PCP have themselves become - TROPES.\u00a0 Yes, Virginia, it's true.\u00a0 Just think about it......<\/p>\n

The next time you're about to decide that you're\u00a0so bright you need stronger shades and you're way, way too smart to be hooked by a trope of any kind, size, shape or description - I've got a point you need to ponder.\u00a0 One of the biggest reasons people read romance is for the happy ending.\u00a0 Most people - me, particularly, being amongst that number - consider the \"Happy Ending\" or HEA to be a feature that defines romance, as in, if it ain't got a HEA it can't be a romance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well, that does make a HEA a common plot device. Since it appears in every book that can claim to be a romance, then it is certainly so well used that if anything's \"overused\" a HEA must be amongst that number.\u00a0 So that makes a HEA -- a trope.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like I said before - let's hear it for the tropes!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to Merriam Webster, a trope is \"a common or overused theme or device.\"\u00a0\u00a0I've frequently seen blog posts diss-ing this or that as \"a plot trope\" or \"a romance trope.\"\u00a0 In other words, they call something a trope like it's always a bad thing.\u00a0 Newsflash - I disagree! So, let's hear it for the tropes!\u00a0 ...continue reading \"Let’s Hear It For The Tropes\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2086"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2095,"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions\/2095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quackingalone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}