: Re: Where's the balance between realism and story? Mark mentioned in his answer that plotholes aren't usually the end of the world, and that I shouldn't sacrifice too much of the story and the

Your question starts out asking about plot holes but then you appear to shift to asking about humor and parody. Those are not at all the same thing. I suppose you could describe both as "the story doesn't make sense". But a plot hole is when the author has failed to think through events in the story and there are logical flaws or inconsistencies. Like where a reader might ask, "But how could the villain have planned for the train wreck to enable him to escape when the hero was chasing him? How could he have not only known that the train would run off the tracks, but timed the chase so precisely that he and the hero were on opposite sides of the train at the instant it wrecked?" That is not at all the same as, say, a story portraying Tarzan constantly running into trees when he swings on a vine or Sherlock Holmes as an incompetent blunderer while Watson is the true brains behind the operation.

So how far can you go with humor and parody in a serious story? You can go a lot farther with some types of humor than others.

You can have a very serious story where the hero regularly tosses out funny lines. Lots of stories have heroes who make witty comments as they beat up the villain, etc. That doesn't bend reality much because real people do indeed tell jokes and make funny comments in real life. It can be pushing it if the hero goes overboard on making funny comments while he's in a desperate situation. Would someone fighting for his life really spare the energy to make up jokes? But it's not impossible.

Slapstick humor is much more limiting. Yes, a serious hero could accidentally walk into a closet and come out with a mop on his head looking like a bad wig. But that would be hard to pull off without really breaking the mood of a serious spy thriller.

Cartoon-type action is probably the extreme. I would have a very hard time believing a movie that presents itself as a serious war movie, where the enemy fire a rifle grenade at the hero and literally blow his head off ... and then another heads pops up from his collar. I'd just be saying, No.

Load Full (0)

: How can I portray a character with no fear of death, without them sounding utterly bored? Imagine a fantasy hero with a 'time reset' ability like the protagonists of Groundhog Day or Edge of

@Sent2472441

Load Full 13 Comments

: How to write a non-fiction book? I've heard that in order to write a non-fiction book I need to write notes and then put them together to make a book, but I'm writing notes from possible

@Sent2472441

Load Full 4 Comments

: Two footnote numbering sequences Inspired by this question, a more complex question: how can I have two simultaneous sequences of footnotes? For example, suppose I am translating a book. The book

@Sent2472441

Load Full 2 Comments

: How to merge conflicting narratives? I am setting up my story setting, a sci-fi story, and the people that I work with have created their own lore(s). Some of them conflict with one another.

: Re: Where's the balance between realism and story? Mark mentioned in his answer that plotholes aren't usually the end of the world, and that I shouldn't sacrifice too much of the story and the

More posts by @Sent2472441

: How can I portray a character with no fear of death, without them sounding utterly bored? Imagine a fantasy hero with a 'time reset' ability like the protagonists of Groundhog Day or Edge of

: How to write a non-fiction book? I've heard that in order to write a non-fiction book I need to write notes and then put them together to make a book, but I'm writing notes from possible

: Two footnote numbering sequences Inspired by this question, a more complex question: how can I have two simultaneous sequences of footnotes? For example, suppose I am translating a book. The book

: How to merge conflicting narratives? I am setting up my story setting, a sci-fi story, and the people that I work with have created their own lore(s). Some of them conflict with one another.

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top