royal irresponsibility

[marycatelli]

grouse

For some reason, I seem to have hit a rash of works in which the author seems to think that the best way to introduce a royal character as the main character is to show him blowing off his duties.

Not just at any idle moment of leisure. Explicitly blowing the duties off. As if the point of being royal was to skim off the pleasures and the ease of living and take them as one's due. They aren't villains, and they aren't even flawed royals who will learn better in the course of the work. If anything, I think it's supposed to make them sympathetic.

And what we see a character doing when first introduced is perhaps the most defining trait we see. It's hard to undermine the first impression when it's all we know about them.

grumble, grumble, grouse grouse grouse

Comments

[whitefangedwolf.livejournal.com]

*facepalms*

There are enough boring, tedious, and unpleasant aspects of royal duties. It seems like showing the details of royal characters actually doing their duties would be enough to gain the reader's sympathy.

[marycatelli]

provided the details are not boring. . . but yeah, it ought to. In anyone who won't be guilttripped by the mere idea of someone's doing his duty.

[bratfarrar]

Surefire way to make me dislike a character: show them shirking responsibility. It's practically foolproof.

One of the easiest ways to win me over? Show a character slogging through something tedious/unpleasant because it's the right thing to do. I'll advance a story a lot of credit for that.

[marycatelli]

me too. . . .

So why is this shirker given such leeway? and it's supposed to be rebellious charm. . .

[bratfarrar]

Rebellious charm in real life tends to wind up being messy/annoying. Speaking from experience....

But that's a good question: why would the character be given leeway? One of the things I appreciate about Shakespeare's Henry IV is that Prince Hal's rebellious shirking has negative consequences. (Of course, he's taken that at least partially into account, but that's why I like him so much.)

[marycatelli]

Author says so, that's why.

In real life, they would lay themselves wide open to having advisers take over

[john-j-enright.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's a reflection of current American politics.

[marycatelli]

Let us hope not.