On
my last day at Worldon in San Antonio, I listened to Lou Anders give his
workshop on taking tips from screenwriting and applying them to novels. Although I took copious notes, instead of
summarizing them, I’ll give his surprising way of defining antagonists. The antagonist is not necessarily the villain,
but is the person who puts obstacles in front of the protagonist.
In
Casablanca, Rick is the protagonist,
but the Germans are not the antagonists.
The antagonist is Laszlo, Ilsa’s husband, because he is the one who puts
roadblocks in Rick’s way. Laszlo is
undoubtedly a good guy, so in the end Rick deals with him and with his love
interest Ilsa in a way that is appropriate.
In
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Khan
is not the antagonist, at least not for much of the movie. For much of the movie Lieutenant Saavik is
the antagonist, quoting regulations against Kirk.
This
different way of looking at the antagonist is helpful, especially when the
villain is not interacting with the protagonist for much of the story.
Speaking
of Star Trek, this woman who had a
couple of young children with her wore the uniform sheath from the old Star Trek, even though the temperature
could be over 100 degrees in San Antonio.
Very
impressive.
sounds like you had a blast!!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Although, I didn't see as many people walking around in their costumes in the daytime as usual, probably because of the heat.
ReplyDelete