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It can serve both base and higher instincts. On one level people appreciate a character whose response to provocation is more dynamic than the response they think they would have themselves. This ...
Answer
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T08:31:51Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35069 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
by
ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
·
2019-12-08T08:31:51Z (over 4 years ago)
It can serve both base and higher instincts. On one level people appreciate a character whose response to provocation is more dynamic than the response they think they would have themselves. This seems to work best when supported by a compelling back story (Hannibal Lecter, Dexter Morgan), though there's always an addictive glee in the classic moustache-twirling pantomime villain (oh no there isn't...). On a higher level, people like to see consequences. Even if the murderer continues to get away with the crime, the struggle to remain undetected (or, like Raskolnikov, to reconcile their actions with the sort of person they think they are) appeals to a sense of karmic justice. A story about someone who always did the right thing would soon start to read like a sermon. On the other hand, illustrating why people might not - and what happens when they don't - is a classic piece of show-not-tell.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2018-04-14T09:44:06Z (about 6 years ago)
Original score: 2