3 ms·
Nit: Basically all stories have a form like that. (I _think_ detective stories specifically choose for the protagonist to want societally-sanctioned retributio
by jprete 3y ago
Nit: Basically all stories have a form like that.
(I _think_ detective stories specifically choose for the protagonist to want societally-sanctioned retribution. The protagonist then has to publicly demonstrate that the antagonist deserves retribution, rather than take retribution on their own. And the stories also assume that society can and will inflict retribution on the antagonist once the society's rules are satisfied.)
- labster 3y agoThe more hardboiled the detective story, the more they are willing to seek non-socially sanctioned retribution. It's kind of funny because Father Brown partially refutes both parent and GP: the police never arrest the right guy, and the priest is neither conflicted nor in need of self-discovery, and is motivated mostly by a need to carry through God's mission of forgiveness through repentance. There are other aspects that you're both missing. One is the puzzle aspect: Detective Conan is almost entirely these kind of alibi and murder weapon tricks. There's only so much you can do in 25 minutes to characterize, after all. The other aspect in common is dealing with the problem of evil, specifically what drives people to the edge, to the ultimate transgression. So often I'll spend more time thinking about the perps than the detectives.