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Idiot Plot
In literary criticism, an idiot plot is one which is "kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot", and where the story would quickly end, or possibly not even happen, if this were not the case. It is a narrative where its conflict comes from characters not recognizing, or not being told, key information that would resolve the conflict (narrative), conflict, often because of plot contrivance. The only thing that prevents the conflict's resolution is the character's constant avoidance or obliviousness of it throughout the plot, even if it was already obvious to the viewer, so the characters are all "idiots" in that they are too obtuse to simply resolve the conflict immediately. History Science fiction writer and critic Damon Knight, in his 1956 collection ''In Search of Wonder'', says that the term may have originated with author James Blish. Knight went on to coin the term second-order idiot plot as a narrative "in which not merely the principal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Literary Criticism
A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's goals and methods. Although the two activities are closely related, literary critics are not always, and have not always been, theorists. Whether or not literary criticism should be considered a separate field of inquiry from literary theory is a matter of some controversy. For example, ''The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism'' draws no distinction between literary theory and literary criticism, and almost always uses the terms together to describe the same concept. Some critics consider literary criticism a practical application of literary theory, because criticism always deals directly with particular literary works, while theory may be more general or abstract. Literary criticism is often published in essay or book ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Secret Of My Success (1987 Film)
''The Secret of My Success'' (sometimes stylized as ''The Secret of My Succe$s'') is a 1987 American comedy film produced and directed by Herbert Ross and starring Michael J. Fox and Helen Slater. The screenplay was written by A.J. Carothers, Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. from a story written by Carothers. It was filmed on location in Manhattan. Plot Brantley Foster is a recent graduate of Kansas State University who moves to New York City, where he has accepted an entry-level job as a financier. Upon arriving, he discovers that the company for which he is supposed to work has been taken over by a rival corporation. As a result, Brantley is laid off before even starting work. After several interviews for other jobs, he is unsuccessful due to over- or underqualification, or having no experience. Brantley ends up working in the mailroom of the Pemrose Corporation, directed by his "uncle" Howard Prescott, a distant relative he has never met. Pemrose was founded by Howard's father ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Narratology
Narratology is the study of narrative and narrative structure and the ways that these affect human perception. The term is an anglicisation of French ''narratologie'', coined by Tzvetan Todorov (''Grammaire du Décaméron'', 1969). Its theoretical lineage is traceable to Aristotle (''Poetics (Aristotle), Poetics'') but modern narratology is agreed to have begun with the Russian formalism, Russian formalists, particularly Vladimir Propp (''Morphology of the Folktale'', 1928), and Mikhail Bakhtin's theories of heteroglossia, dialogism, and the chronotope first presented in ''The Dialogic Imagination'' (1975). Cognitive narratology is a more recent development that allows for a broader understanding of narrative. Rather than focus on the structure of the story, cognitive narratology asks "how humans make sense of stories" and "how humans use stories as sense-making instruments". Defining narrative Structuralist narratologists like Rimmon-Kenan define narrative fiction as "the nar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farce
Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense; satire, parody, and mockery of real-life situations, people, events, and interactions; unlikely and humorous instances of miscommunication; ludicrous, improbable, and exaggerated characters; and broadly stylized performances. Genre Despite involving absurd situations and characters, the genre generally maintains at least a slight degree of realism and narrative continuity within the context of the irrational or ludicrous situations, often distinguishing it from completely absurdist or fantastical genres. Farces are often episodic or short in duration, often being set in one specific location where all events occur. Farces have historically been performed for the theatre, stage and film. Historical context T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plot Hole
In fiction, a plot hole, plothole, or plot error is an inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot. Plot holes are usually created unintentionally, often as a result of editing or the writers simply forgetting that a new event would contradict previous events. Sometimes viewers disagree on whether a certain plot element constitutes an error. Types Types of plot hole include: ;Factual errors: Historical anachronisms, or incorrect statements about the world. ;Impossible events: Something that defies the laws of science, as established for the story's setting. ;Out-of-character behavior: A character acting in a way that, based on their understanding of the options available to them, they would not realistically choose. ; Continuity errors: Events in the story which contradict those established earlier. ;Unresolved storylines: One of the plot lines is not resolved by the end of the story, or a character who is expected to reapp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Brown & Co
Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily Dickinson's poetry and ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations''. Since 2006, Little, Brown and Company is a division of the Hachette Book Group. History 19th century Little, Brown and Company had its roots in the book selling trade. It was founded in 1837 in Boston by Charles Little and James Brown. They formed the partnership "for the purpose of Publishing, Importing, and Selling Books". It can trace its roots before that to 1784 to a bookshop owned by Ebenezer Battelle on Marlborough Street. They published works of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, and specialized in legal publishing and importing titles. The company was the most extensive law publisher in the United States, and also the largest importer of standard English law and mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samaritan Snare
"Samaritan Snare" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and the 43rd episode overall. It was first released on May 15, 1989, in broadcast syndication. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship ''Enterprise-D''. In this episode, while Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) heads to a nearby Starbase to undergo surgery on his artificial heart, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is in command of the ''Enterprise''. The crew must deal with a Pakled starship, whose crew kidnaps Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and demands advanced technology in exchange for his safe return. Plot Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) refuses to have a medical operation on his artificial heart on board the ''Enterprise'' by Doctor Katherine Pulaski ( Diana Muldaur) as he is concerned about his image with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Next Generation
Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young and middle-aged figures from British poetry Technology Next generation often means a new state of the art: * AMD Next Generation Microarchitecture (other), AMD products * Next Generation Air Transportation System, the Federal Aviation Administration's massive overhaul of the national airspace system * Next Generation Internet (other), various projects intended to drastically increase the speed of the Internet * Next Generation Networking, emerging computer network architectures and technologies * Next-generation lithography, lithography technology slated to replace photolithography beyond the 32 nm node * Next-Generation Secure Computing Base, software architecture designed by Microsoft * NextGen Healthcare Infor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Back-Up Plan
''The Back-up Plan'' (previously known as ''Plan B'') is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Eric Christian Olsen, Anthony Anderson and Linda Lavin.Siegel, Tatiana, and Michael Fleming"Jennifer Lopez going with 'Plan B': CBS Films seeking director for project" '' Variety'', December 15, 2008 The film follows a woman who aims to be a single mother through planned pregnancy, but soon falls in love with a man who wants to father her unborn children. It was released theatrically in the United States on April 23, 2010, by CBS Films. ''The Back-up Plan'' garnered negative reviews from critics, who praised Lopez's performance but criticized the generic script. It was a box-office success, grossing $77.5 million against a production budget of $35 million. This is Tom Bosley's last film before his death nearly six months after its release. Plot Zoe gives up on finding the man of her dreams, decides to become a single mot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romcom
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Romantic comedy evolved from Ancient Greek comedy, medieval romance, and 18th-century Restoration comedy, later developing into sub-genres like screwball comedies, career woman comedies, and 1950s sex comedies in Hollywood. Over time, the genre has expanded beyond traditional structures, incorporating unconventional themes, challenging gender roles, and addressing adult topics while maintaining its core focus on romance and humor. A common convention in romantic comedies is the " meet-cute", a humorous or unexpected encounter that creates initial tension and sets up the romantic storyline. History Comedies, rooted in the fertility rites and satyr plays of ancient Greece, have often incorporated sexual or social elements. The ''Oxford Dictionary of L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a story contains a subplot, or is a narrative made up of several stories, then each subplot may have its own protagonist. The protagonist is the character whose fate is most closely followed by the reader or audience, and who is opposed by the antagonist. The antagonist provides obstacles and complications and creates conflicts that test the protagonist, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonist's character, and having the protagonist develop as a result. A particularly noble, virtuous, or accomplished protagonist is commonly called a ''hero,'' though the terms are not synonyms. Etymology The term ''protagonist'' comes , combined of (, 'first') and (, 'actor, competitor'), which stems from (, 'contest') via (, 'I conten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Brin
Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American science fiction author. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo,Who's Getting Your Vote? , October 29, 2008, ''Reason magazine, Reason'' Locus Award, Locus, John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, Campbell and Nebula Awards. His novel ''The Postman'' was adapted into a 1997 The Postman (film), feature film starring Kevin Costner. Early life and education Brin was born in Glendale, California, in 1950 to Selma and Herb Brin. He graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in astronomy, in 1973."David Brin". ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2018-02-01. Available onlin[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
