I like reading depressing stories. Perhaps that makes me weird.

I read a lot of manga and the ones that are my favorites are the ones that are sad. I like the ones that don’t end with everything working out. I like the ones where the world dies. Maybe it is because these stories always feel more honest. Maybe not realistic, but they feel honest.

It is like they are raw.

All of my favorite books are rather sad; the kind that leaves me feeling despondent when I finish them. I think this may be why there are few others who like the same books I like. It may also be why, in general, I don’t like mysteries, fantasy or sci-fi … they all wrap up and the heroes win.

I prefer books where there are no heroes. Just people. We’re all just people after all. I even start having problems with books where the line between protagonist and antagonist becomes clear. To me, this line ought to blur. It should become ephemeral. In a truly good novel, you shouldn’t really be able to see this line. You can despise a character or love one, but the person ought to seem real. With purpose.

Who in the world sees themselves as the antagonist? The Villain?

In our own little stories we all want to think we are the main character. That we are the hero. That we are the protagonist. I think this is because we are the only constant in our lives. We can only see things through our own eyes and everything around us is a prop. Other characters float into our life … and sometimes out of our life.

Sometimes I think life is like a book without a plot.

Posted by Utopia at October 24, 2006 02:37 PM

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