Comments on: Taboos and Tropes: Part II “Rhetoric and Writing about Rape”

By: Rae Bryant

Rae Bryant — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:16:36 +0000

Hi, Kathy. Excellent comment and point well taken. Yes, all forms of abuse are exactly that, abuse, and sometimes it is the more easily hidden cases that have the longer lasting cycles. Tough stuff. Thank you for your comment.

By: KathyF

KathyF — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:49:10 +0000

I think this subject is one that should be handled carefully – and after much research and not just into the worst cases.

As good as this article is, I worry about its effect. The emphasis seems to be on a raped woman being “hospitalized, cut, bruised, broken limbs, therapy.” If that becomes the new standard of description, what about the victim whose rape was not worst case? Will she/he or other people think she/he deserved it or wasn’t truly a rape victim?

I know that’s not the intent of this article.

I just remember (when I was a young teen) hearing how child abuse (sexual) was described. I carefully compared those descriptions to what I was going through at the time and decided that what was happening to me must not be bad enough to be considered abuse. Later I learned that it was abuse. It’s just that only the very worst cases were described.

This article is well done and has made me think.

By: Rae Bryant

Rae Bryant — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:33:43 +0000

Good book for study, Jonathan. Thank you.

Yes, I thought Kite Runner was an excellent book. The handling of the taboo trope was done very well in my opinion, horror without gratuity, and it even used understatement in character responses. I’ll not add the spoiler here, as it is a book worth reading, but I will say that the taboo trope in this book is arguably the worst, and the protagonist considers this taboo trope the entire length of the plot, but still, the book ends with hope.

By: Jonathan Rock

Jonathan Rock — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:25:01 +0000

Mystic River (I saw the film) deals with the theme of the victimized becomes the victimizer in a murder mystery. Again something very taboo occurs, but the entire mystery hinges on whether someone who was victimized is the obvious killer or not.
The Kite Runner also comes to mind as a tale that has a horrible taboo in it that is central to the theme and internal struggle of the main character and motivates the action.

By: Rae Bryant

Rae Bryant — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:28:45 +0000

For anyone who is looking for additional critical resources on Rhetoric and Tropes, a reader, Kay, had suggested this in a comment on “Taboos and Tropes: Part I.”

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/dp/0819568686/?tag=wwwfantasymag-20

By: Rae Bryant

Rae Bryant — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:59:09 +0000

Hi, Kurt. Yes, I had the same issue. I nearly chucked the book to the side. It’s a chronic symptom. Reviewers build a habit of finishing a work regardless…

Or maybe I just wanted to see Covenant get his comeuppance.

By: Rae Bryant

Rae Bryant — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:41:45 +0000

Thanks, TJ and Rochita! I’m glad the article is helpful. I thought the Benedict excerpt was particularly telling.

Hah, those darn shutters, always banging at me…

By: Rochita

Rochita — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:06:34 +0000

Now I need to go back and examine my work for these tropes. I find these articles helpful and enlightening. Thanks, Rae.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:26:04 +0000

Solid article, Rae. I tried reading beyond the rape scene in Lord Foul’s Bane, but I simply couldn’t let it go. That one act rendered the character irredeemable in my eyes.

By: T.J.

T.J. — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:32:26 +0000

Thanks for the article, Rae.

Well done.

Watch out for those *shutter*’s :}