Wow, I hadn't *ever* thought of that part about Serenity. Although there was a Firefly episode pitch dealing more directly with Reavers and rape that I heard about in an interview--I want to say with Tim Minear--and I was distinctly uncomfortable with that. I guess the *threat* inherent in the Reavers didn't bother me, because after the brutality of the whole thing they were going to kill you anyway. Huh.
I think one of your phrases above is the one I stick on: "I do think you can create a compelling story without it." If rape is used as shorthand, won't we as an audience become just as desensitized to that crime as we are to the others you mention? I don't know--and I think my merely assuming it's shorthand in every instance would unfair to a lot of authors who may actually be using events of violence in ways that enhance their stories.
Which is a long way of saying I think I am going to keep reading King's Peace and see where it goes, despite being put off by the first chapter. I don't think there are any real answers to this (though I'm sure lit papers have been written), but I do think it's an important topic to think about.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-03-29 05:42 pm (UTC)I think one of your phrases above is the one I stick on: "I do think you can create a compelling story without it." If rape is used as shorthand, won't we as an audience become just as desensitized to that crime as we are to the others you mention? I don't know--and I think my merely assuming it's shorthand in every instance would unfair to a lot of authors who may actually be using events of violence in ways that enhance their stories.
Which is a long way of saying I think I am going to keep reading King's Peace and see where it goes, despite being put off by the first chapter. I don't think there are any real answers to this (though I'm sure lit papers have been written), but I do think it's an important topic to think about.