| By Friday, I always seem to forget that a lot of League readers are out east, so then by the time I post, it's already afternoon there. I think I'll have to go back to posting on Thursday night. I've got to apologize to our guest, too. Had a bit of a crisis yesterday and the club slipped my mind entirely. I hope the two Wednesday threads kept you busy and our guest blogger provided some thoughtful discussion. Anyway, on with the show. Today's theme day. Just like last time. What theme(s) resonated from Mark Del Franco's Unshapely Things? What struck a chord? What memories did it spark? I was struck by Connor's heroism in the face of overwhelming personal obstacles. I always love flawed characters, their vulnerability, particularly. When I read a depiction that is well crafted, and very real (even in a fantasy), I feel like I can access some of that in myself and my own characters. At least I hope I can. |
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I wish I had something deep to add, but really I'd just agree with Mark. Connor is a believable hero...not all altruism and goody goodness, but a complex character with whom we can connect.
What I love most about Connor is his determination to get on with his life despite the loss of his abilities.
He was once a real "player" both in his position with the Guild and as someone with very powerful abilities. When you peak into his past you can almost understand how and why he used to be such a cocky bastard. He's a lot like Superman might be if he were subjected to the constant influence of kryptonite. I truly felt for Connor in the end when he had the brief experience of having his abilities returned only to have them disappear all over again.
He's all alone and he could easily just give up and wallow away in self-pity, but he doesn't. He's also fully aware of the fact that in order to carry on he has to look at the world and the people he deals with a lot more differently than he used to.
Connor's friendship with Murdock is a prime example of this. I doubt if the old Connor would have given his human companion the time of day, much less embrace a genuine friendship with the man. I loved the way Murdock called Connor out regarding his feelings about loyalty and partnerships. I love that he didn't sugarcoat anything and let Connor know exactly what he expected of him if their friendship/partnership were to continue. But what I loved even more was the fact that the *new* Connor understood and accepted completely what his friend was trying to say whereas the *old* Connor probably wouldn't have cared much at all.
They say when a door closes, a window usually opens somewhere else. It's nice to see that Connor not only sees the window, but is also beginning to appreciate the view.
That makes three of us, I totally agree with Mark H and tmthomas. Connor is a hero I can relate to,he's good but has his issues.(dont' we all) I feel good when I read Mark's books, they are full of a strength that resonates against the yuckyness of modern life...
Synde
Mom!! Mark stole my answers! Ugh.
Thanks a lot Mark. Yeesh.
I mean, I agree with Mark too.
What else, peeps? Last chance!
Geez, Mark..just steal everybody's answer why don't you!
What I like is that tragedy sometimes happens in life, but Connor is taking the oppurtunity to learn from it. He's changing his attitudes and trying to be a better person.
It also seems that what happened to Connor is for a reason, he gained the new ability to dream in Unshapely Things,also intresting things in Unquiet Dreams(don't want to be specific.)
I can't wait to see where everything is going with him!
Geez, Mark..just steal everybody's answer why don't you!
What I like is that tragedy sometimes happens in life, but Connor is taking the oppurtunity to learn from it. He's changing his attitudes and trying to be a better person.
It also seems that what happened to Connor is for a reason, he gained the new ability to dream in Unshapely Things,also intresting things in Unquiet Dreams(don't want to be specific.)
I can't wait to see where everything is going with him!
It seems that the major, glowing, neon theme is Connor's acceptance of his new life and attempts to move on..downright inspirational. Everything from his new apartment to the dinner with the Murdocks just highlights how he's adapting and growing despite what is seen by his former colleagues as a horrific loss.
Then add in the two runaways and their rough life on the streets and you can add some compare/contrast to Connor. There's a running subtext of "what is it to belong" or "what is my home" that I see underneath. Connor's learning that it's the people, like Briallen, Meryl and Murdock that are there for him that are important and not the flashy status.
Then again, MDF's tease about who Connor can trust in the UT spoiler thread makes me worry for him...but in the first book, that's what I'm seeing.
Okay, my apologies for the late post, too, folks. I'm one of those east coasters MH was talkin' 'bout.
So, themes. I was just posting about this over at Fangs, Fur & Fey because I’m still debating titles for Book 3. I like to find poems that resonate with what I think I was trying to say in the book(s). By a fun coincidence, I found two Yeats poems for the first two books which both had “un-“ phrases that I liked. But, anyway,…..
I am really pleased to see the comments here that one of the themes I’m exploring with Connor resonates with people. Not to sound all psycho-babble-ish, but I knew I was exploring identity issues and one’s place in the world when I was writing Unshapely Things, so it’s cool that it came through.
There’s an old saying: life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. I sort of embrace that now, and it’s interesting to explore through writing. I think most people can recognize being in a place where they think everything is going great, only to receive that unexpected turn of events. We either deal with it or don’t in our own way.
As far as our boy Connor, he definitely took things for granted. It’s been really fun throwing more things at him. He’ll still do thoughtless things, but that’s part of the learning process. Wait to you see what happens when he meets Maeve because, man, does she have issues! (c’mon, you know that’s going to happen at some point!).
btw, I promised a giveaway. I have an idea I want to share with MH to see if it's too mean, so we'll put it up shortly (ha! I'm asking a guy who wrote HHOTD if something's too mean! Good luck!)