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Is Drizzt destined to become a Classic?
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<blockquote data-quote="The Sigil" data-source="post: 1335949" data-attributes="member: 2013"><p>I'll hit your first question.</p><p></p><p>Drizz't is not destined to become a <em>classic</em>. Drizz't is destined to become a <em>cliché</em> (in some ways, he has already become such).</p><p></p><p>Boris Karloff as <em>Frankenstein</em>, and that particular movie, with that particular rendering of Frankenstein, is a <em>classic</em>. Any given Frankenstein incarnation since, e.g., "Herman Munster," is a <em>cliché</em>. Sherlock Holmes is a <em>classic</em>, "Perry Mason" is a <em>cliché</em> (the exceptionally bright, quick-deducing detective). Bela Lugosi's "Dracula" was a classic. Not having seen Christopher Lee's work in Hammer Films, I don't know if that was a classic re-definition of vampires or not (I have been told it was). Buffy the Vampire Slayer is... you guessed it, cliché (nothing drastically new to the genre, since it basically portrays a WW-ish type of vampire).</p><p></p><p>Simply put, a classic is a work that either creates or, in rare cases, radically re-defines a genre. Doing so requires sufficient artisitic talent to make the character stand out from among the crowd of "plug-n-play" hero qualities (mix and match from the "flawed hero," the "misunderstood hero," the "superior physical prowess" hero, the "superior mental faculties" hero, the "destined by fate to succeed" hero, etc). There are good and bad clichés, of course, but even good clichés are stil that - not classics.</p><p></p><p>Willow, Krull, Beastmaster (the movie, not the series), even Conan the Librarian... are cliché fantasy movies. They neither invented nor radically redefined the genre. You may consider them good or bad clichés, but cliché they are. Lord of the Rings is a classic - it re-invents the genre both in terms of effects (finally, things that look completely realistic) AND in holding the attention of audiences for a far longer period of time, and with more characters, than previous 2-hour films. (One could argue for some anime series doing the length or number of characters as well, e.g., Record of Lodoss War among those I have personally seen - but this was not photorealstic - LotR has changed cinema).</p><p></p><p>Alternatively, a classic is one that does not create nor re-define a genre, but which requires/proposes such critical self-evaluation (or societal evaluation) that its value surpasses mere "book" and becomes a compelling insight to anyone who reads it into the human and/or political condition. This is stuff like "to Kill a Mockingbird" and "1984" and similar works. These works have a value as social/political/introspective commentary that surpasses their "literary" value. I rather doubt anyone will cast Drizz't novels in this light, however. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>Drizz't has not created an entire genre (fantasy), nor has he radically re-defined it. He may be popular, but that does not make him classic. That he could not re-define the genre makes him cliché. Some people will no doubt think he's a very good cliché, but he's cliché nonetheless. I happen to think he's a bad cliché, but that's really neither here nor there.</p><p></p><p>Asbestos suit on. Flame away. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>--The Sigil</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Sigil, post: 1335949, member: 2013"] I'll hit your first question. Drizz't is not destined to become a [i]classic[/i]. Drizz't is destined to become a [i]cliché[/i] (in some ways, he has already become such). Boris Karloff as [i]Frankenstein[/i], and that particular movie, with that particular rendering of Frankenstein, is a [i]classic[/i]. Any given Frankenstein incarnation since, e.g., "Herman Munster," is a [i]cliché[/i]. Sherlock Holmes is a [i]classic[/i], "Perry Mason" is a [i]cliché[/i] (the exceptionally bright, quick-deducing detective). Bela Lugosi's "Dracula" was a classic. Not having seen Christopher Lee's work in Hammer Films, I don't know if that was a classic re-definition of vampires or not (I have been told it was). Buffy the Vampire Slayer is... you guessed it, cliché (nothing drastically new to the genre, since it basically portrays a WW-ish type of vampire). Simply put, a classic is a work that either creates or, in rare cases, radically re-defines a genre. Doing so requires sufficient artisitic talent to make the character stand out from among the crowd of "plug-n-play" hero qualities (mix and match from the "flawed hero," the "misunderstood hero," the "superior physical prowess" hero, the "superior mental faculties" hero, the "destined by fate to succeed" hero, etc). There are good and bad clichés, of course, but even good clichés are stil that - not classics. Willow, Krull, Beastmaster (the movie, not the series), even Conan the Librarian... are cliché fantasy movies. They neither invented nor radically redefined the genre. You may consider them good or bad clichés, but cliché they are. Lord of the Rings is a classic - it re-invents the genre both in terms of effects (finally, things that look completely realistic) AND in holding the attention of audiences for a far longer period of time, and with more characters, than previous 2-hour films. (One could argue for some anime series doing the length or number of characters as well, e.g., Record of Lodoss War among those I have personally seen - but this was not photorealstic - LotR has changed cinema). Alternatively, a classic is one that does not create nor re-define a genre, but which requires/proposes such critical self-evaluation (or societal evaluation) that its value surpasses mere "book" and becomes a compelling insight to anyone who reads it into the human and/or political condition. This is stuff like "to Kill a Mockingbird" and "1984" and similar works. These works have a value as social/political/introspective commentary that surpasses their "literary" value. I rather doubt anyone will cast Drizz't novels in this light, however. ;) Drizz't has not created an entire genre (fantasy), nor has he radically re-defined it. He may be popular, but that does not make him classic. That he could not re-define the genre makes him cliché. Some people will no doubt think he's a very good cliché, but he's cliché nonetheless. I happen to think he's a bad cliché, but that's really neither here nor there. Asbestos suit on. Flame away. ;) --The Sigil [/QUOTE]
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