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MrMind comments on Open Thread, Aug. 1 - Aug 7. 2016 - Less Wrong Discussion

4 Post author: Elo 01 August 2016 12:12AM

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Comment author: polymathwannabe 01 August 2016 08:37:32PM *  0 points [-]

To illustrate the topic I wish to present, I'll quote a review for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which complains that

In Rowling’s novels, characters deliver a mix of clever repartee and thudding exposition. Here Thorne [...] defaults to the latter. The result is a play that fails to utilize the most elementary of playwright’s tools: subtext. Characters say exactly what they feel, explain exactly what is happening, and warn about what they’re going to do before they do it.

My everyday failure to handle indirect statements may relate to this (as well as the disagreements I've had with literature majors, and my own difficulties when writing): I have no patience for subtext. People saying exactly what they feel is the way I wish the world worked. Is there something wrong with me?

Comment author: MrMind 04 August 2016 09:51:32AM *  0 points [-]

Is there something wrong with me?

Possibly, yes.
Humans have evolved to account for a lot of subtexts, often in the form of theory of mind and empathy.
It's considered poor form in a novel (as per the "show, don't tell" motto); I guess in a play, where you can visibly see emotions in the actors' faces, it's even more redundant and dull.

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