Trickster

I've always been interested in the Trickster--in part through commedia dell'arte, where he turns up often, usually as Harlequin. And then he interested me because he is so transgressive--the rule-breaker, the stirrer-up of trouble, the fellow who cannot or will not color inside the lines. A character I am writing (or trying to write) has some elements of this.

So the following are some notes about Trickster, though these are just a start. There's lots more to say about him, and about his appearance in many quest stories, and sometimes in sentimental-education stories (two genres that HP falls into), and sometimes in Twilight of the Gods stories. Not to mention novels and so on.

( Trickster )

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The other thread I am particularly curious to explore is the idea of Withholding from the reader. Especially withholding information about the hero. This is a form of reader-torture that is parallel to hero-torture. (This parallelism brings me back to my obsession with the idea of the Reader/Book ship.) Withholding access to the hero (to his mind or heart, to important facts about him, to a clear sense of his identity, his moral position, etc.) is a kind of UST.

A few examples follow behind the cut tag.

( Withholding the hero )

So, what does the Trickster have to do with the Withheld Hero? Well, both are mysterious, and draw the attention and interest of the reader the way black holes draw light. Both stand in a relationship of extreme tension with the reader--something akin to UST. Both characters are, ultimately, not possessible by the reader. Which is at once frustrating and fascinating.

Yah, more on this at some point soon.