nancyfulda (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} nancyfulda) wrote,@ 2008-07-18 20:32:00 |
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Slush Gripe of the Day
Generalities.
By which I mean, situations in which a character or setting is described as being typical of the group. e.g. "It was one of those small towns like any other you might pass on the Nevada freeway at night: hot, desolate, and silent but for the raucous laughter from the streetside casino." or: "None of the girls who lived in the inner city worried much about propriety; Shana was no exception."
The problem with describing an individual in terms of the group is that you're making a statement about the group as much as you're making a statement about the individual. And since you're working with generalities, the statement you're making about the group is very probably riddled with false assumptions. I bet there are several readers who can think of small Nevada towns that are nothing like what I've described above; or that are only that way at particular times of the year.
The second example is even worse. It probably triggered several readers' prejudice- and racism-alarms. Boom. There goes all your rapport with your reader.
If you're working within a character's POV, of course, and you want to show the character's preconceptions, then generalities are a nice way to kill two birds with one stone. The same holds true if you're working in an alien environment and want to give the reader some baseline assumptions to work with when dealing with the world you've created. But if you're working in our world, with situations and social groups readers are familiar with, you're treading on dangerous ground.
Additionally, if you're relying on generalities, it's possible that you're being unnecessarily lazy with your description. Why describe something in terms of stereotypical expectations when you could provide a much more vivid and specific description of what this particular girl or small town is like?
Generalities.
By which I mean, situations in which a character or setting is described as being typical of the group. e.g. "It was one of those small towns like any other you might pass on the Nevada freeway at night: hot, desolate, and silent but for the raucous laughter from the streetside casino." or: "None of the girls who lived in the inner city worried much about propriety; Shana was no exception."
The problem with describing an individual in terms of the group is that you're making a statement about the group as much as you're making a statement about the individual. And since you're working with generalities, the statement you're making about the group is very probably riddled with false assumptions. I bet there are several readers who can think of small Nevada towns that are nothing like what I've described above; or that are only that way at particular times of the year.
The second example is even worse. It probably triggered several readers' prejudice- and racism-alarms. Boom. There goes all your rapport with your reader.
If you're working within a character's POV, of course, and you want to show the character's preconceptions, then generalities are a nice way to kill two birds with one stone. The same holds true if you're working in an alien environment and want to give the reader some baseline assumptions to work with when dealing with the world you've created. But if you're working in our world, with situations and social groups readers are familiar with, you're treading on dangerous ground.
Additionally, if you're relying on generalities, it's possible that you're being unnecessarily lazy with your description. Why describe something in terms of stereotypical expectations when you could provide a much more vivid and specific description of what this particular girl or small town is like?
