Characterization through Objects / Possessions

[Weird Harold]

What WH means to say is, you forget about the author when the writing expresses something you already know and you connect with yourself.

I meant no such thing. It happens to be a good point, but it isn't even close to what I was trying to say.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I think that characterization by associations works best when it's filtered through the eyes of another character, who can impose their assumptions about what the associations mean...

Yes. The possessions scene I'm working on, Lenore is happily bolstering her identity with these lovely things she owns. Astro is seeing that insecurity, and calculating ways to use it to manipulate Lenore.

 

[Weird Harold]

Yes. The possessions scene I'm working on, Lenore is happily bolstering her identity with these lovely things she owns.

For some reason, I'm reminded of the scene in This is SpinalTap bragging about the superiority of Amps that go "all the way to eleven" on the volume control.

 

[damppanties]

Ultimately, everything is the author's prejudices -- or at least the authors prejudices about other people's prejudices.

I think the best authors can distance themselves from their own prejudices and agendas and write characters that are uniques individuals who have prejudices and attitudes that are opposed to the author's own inclinations. If you can't tell which character is the author's alter-ego/spokesperson, then the author has managed the difficult task of letting the characters tell the story -- and espouse the moral if applicable.

Totally agree with your second paragraph.

I can here to reply to xssve's post where he says:

Well, they're usually labeled, aren't they? i.e, the difference between dialogue or introspection ascribed to the character, and the narrative voice itself?

Again, narrative voice is just that, a voice that can be different from the author's viewpoint.

 

[Stella_Omega]

For some reason, I'm reminded of the scene in This is SpinalTap bragging about the superiority of Amps that go "all the way to eleven" on the volume control.

An iconic scene!

Hopefully, my writing will be to different effect than pure comedy... hopefully, i say.

 

[xssve]

Totally agree with your second paragraph.

I can here to reply to xssve's post where he says:

Again, narrative voice is just that, a voice that can be different from the author's viewpoint.

Yes it can, a lot depends on what the message is, i.e., reading between the lines. There are certain codewords, etc.

Frank Miller is a Randist, and it's very evident in his work, he wrote Robocop for example, although he is one of the few Randists I can tolerate.

In short, most authors who are injecting their personal politics into a work want you to know it, the ones that don't, just write stories, but you can still discern the working of their minds now and then.

The only reason to intentionally distort this is usually in works of satire; Machiavelli's The Prince for example, in which he so perfectly mimicked the narrative voice he was satirizing, everybody took it seriously.

So don't try this at home, lol.

 

[Stella_Omega]

"voice" and the unreliable narrator, is a slightly different subject though, don't you think?

 

[xssve]

"voice" and the unreliable narrator, is a slightly different subject though, don't you think?

Uh, I'm still not all up to speed on the whole narrative voice issue, so I'll agree that this sounds like a reasonable distinction.

 

[xssve]

An iconic scene!

Hopefully, my writing will be to different effect than pure comedy... hopefully, i say.

It sounds like an interesting dynamic, I'm just still more comfortable with simpleminded moral fables.

Gotta jet.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Uh, I'm still not all up to speed on the whole narrative voice issue, so I'll agree that this sounds like a reasonable distinction.

Well, the things you've been talking about-- Miller's Randism leaking out through his words, for instance-- are examples of one part of voice.

It sounds like an interesting dynamic, I'm just still more comfortable with simpleminded moral fables.

I'm more comfortable with simple erotic scenes, myself-- this is pushing my envelope somewhat.

 

[xssve]

Well, the things you've been talking about-- Miller's Randism leaking out through his words, for instance-- are examples of one part of voice. I'm more comfortable with simple erotic scenes, myself-- this is pushing my envelope somewhat.

Yeah, we are talking about porn, or at least I am, just got off on a tangent - It was a question posed by the OP, I've just reached the current limits of my knowledge of the subject.

I'm more interested at this point in character interaction and using objects/possessions is a good idea, more nuts and bolts, I like the way you're using it.