In music, an 'idee fixee' is a reoccurring theme or melody. My favorite, yes I have a favorite idee fixee, is found in Hector Berlioz's 'Symphonie Fantastic'. My love most likely has to do with the two bar clarinet solo near the end of the Fourth movement, 'The March to the Scaffold'. I was only second chair so the honor was never mine but I loved everything about this musical master piece.
In the literary world there is a similar concept called a trope. Per Masterclass.com, "A trope in literary terms is a plot device or character attribute that is used so commonly in the genre that it's seen as commonplace or conventional.' I must admit that I enjoy certain literary themes when reading different genres but I do not want to see the same theme from book to book. I also enjoy variety.
Recently, I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of a romance novel by an author unknown to me. I enjoyed the story. It was well written and I found the characters engaging. So much so that I sought out other stories by this author. I soon discovered that each book I read by this author held the same cookie cutter love scene. The main female character was a virgin and her first time is with the main male character. They eventually go on to live happily ever after. Do not get me wrong, I love a well written deflowering scene, whether it be the first time for the male or the female, but to think there are that many virgins in one small town is astonishing.
I do not think that tropes are a bad thing. If used correctly and written uniquely a trope can draw readers in. As I mentioned earlier, there are certain tropes that will drive me to purchase a book. Below are some common tropes, when used correctly can create a wonder story:
Brothers Best Friend/Sisters Best Friend - Easy story to develop. The main characters have an already established relationship and back story. For me, where this can go wrong is when there is a large (20+ years) age gap between the two characters. Some readers enjoy this but for others the age difference can be a huge turn off.
Enemies to Lovers - What's not to love about all the sexual tension created between two characters who hate each other but also have an unquenchable attraction. The build up, when time well can be intense.
Orphaned Main Character - Very common in the dystopian and young adult fantasy world. The main character has lost his/her parents to some evil and is on a personal vendetta to make all right.
Bad Boy Redemption - I am learning more and more that I am attracted to the villain more so than the hero. If done correctly, this trope is wonderful. Most importantly, your villain cannot have done something beyond redemption, that is just a turn off.
Happily Ever After - Probably the most currently talked about trope on social media. A true romance story is not romance without the happily ever after.
As for the new found author I discovered, I so badly want to read the remainder of her books if only to find out how the other characters stories developed. I will most likely have to put enough time between each reading to not be bothered by the similarities between the story lines.
An interesting read on tropes: clickable-periodic-table-of-trope-holy-grail-of-storytelling
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