Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Time Worn Components

Time Worn Components

Yesterday I took my dogs for their morning walk and my old lab let out a yelp and laid down in the ditch alongside the road. Her hips had been getting weaker and weaker and she was whimpering a lot in the night. Anyway she gave me this “I’m done Boss, look” that like to broke my heart. In the past I always shot my dogs when the time came, but this is not a good way to say goodbye to a beloved pet. Instead I took her to the vet. I held her while he gave the injection and she was gone in less than ten seconds. I recommend this approach and while it might not be for everyone it worked well for me.

My students are struggling with Dramatic Premise and Themes. In Game of thrones a repetitive theme is given by Ned Stark when he states words to the effect that…”if a ruler intends to execute someone he/she should swing the blade themselves… if they can’t do this then maybe the crime doesn't warrant the punishment.” Now please, let’s not discuss the merits of that recurring theme in GOT but rather note that it exists and that it is recurring. It repetitively rears its head throughout the entire series. It is a good example of a theme and how like ribs on a ships keel, they attach themselves in a long novel or series of novels. I think of them as trees that spring up from the common root of the story.

The root is the Dramatic Premise and is a macro encapsulation of what the work is all about. For example a DP might be “Liking leads to Loving.” (A popular old military saying) I can visualize a novel where the Central Character marries someone they don’t love to begin with and the relationship grows from there. There might be several themes that begin to express themselves like shared adversity bonds a man and woman together or selfness acts of devotion form endearing and enduring sentiments. In the book this premise and these themes could speak to the reader at an often unconscious level.

The question I ‘oft ask myself is what is this novel really about and when I see a theme I note it and note at the end of the book if it is recurring. If, after you do a pleasure read of a literary work you really like, you might consider reading it again for science and methodology. Symbolism is often tied to these core structural elements. It’s like reading a sentence for meaning and then reading it once again after you diagram it.

The traditional writers understood this better than we do today and realized the resonance that a DP, themes, symbolism and repetition bring to a novel. Today these elements seem to be included more by chance or afterthought rather than by premeditation. As a result, even great novels could be so much more had these components been included along with a little prior planning.