thread: 2006-01-31 : An Awesome Line of Thought
On 2006-01-31, Emily wrote:
Reminds me of Engine Summer by Crowley. But really, why do we need the fiction of "someone's" perspective for the story to be told? That person doesn't exist either. Books & films are from the omniscient point of view as much as anything.
This makes RIF go "Strong Perspectives?"
I see what you're getting at, Emily, but to extend your comparison with books, the ones always enjoy re-reading are the ones written in first-person with strong character, like H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, Heinlein's Starship Troopers and Gerrold's War Against The Chtorr. There's just something about that "Yeah, I was there." that just works for me, even though that person, as you say, doesn't exist. In game terms, I find the idea of ???No, jackass, how many times I gotta tell you? *I* told Kawalsky to put the hip flask away right before he got shot and *you* were telling the Lieutenant where to shove his night patrol!??? more attractive than ???Hmm, what if it was my character who was right next to Kawalsky when he was shot? That???d really play towards his issue??????
This makes ecb go "1st person is powerful but.."
Every film is not in 1st person, every play is omniscent even if one of the characters is an "I-guy". I think we can identify strongly from a non-I position.
This makes RIF go "Not disagreeing, but it seemed..."
... that Emily was discounting the whole idea in one fell swoop. Baby and bathwater, so to speak. Personally, rather than recognising that 'the fiction of "someone's" perspective' can serve certain stories - not all, but certain - well.
This makes ecb go "gotcha."
No, I was rather saying that non-1st person can be a compelling standpoint to experience from.
