You're presuming that deconstruction carries an implicit negative judgment.
Alternatively, you can think of it as some kind of Hegelian dialectic/Hindu Trinity thing... Left to itself, a genre can become shallow and homogeneous. See for example Unbuilt Trope on Astro Boy or Fist of the North Star.
Think of genres as bread, and deconstructions as spritzes of water. If you leave a genre alone too long, it'll go stale. Or maybe I just took too long to eat the really good bread...
Because deconstructions work on a different level - they help lead the audience to a greater understanding of the genre. Additionally, a good deconstruction is extremely likely to be a classic among fans (ie. Watchmen for superhero comics, Neon Genesis Evangelion for giant robot anime, possibly Mai-HiME for magical girl shows, though that edges a bit towards a subversion). A well-done deconstruction can easily stand above its peers, and it doesn't even have to destroy the genre it's deconstructing (see Mai-HiME, which embraced the genre even as it explored its hidden implications).
In my case, it might be my sporadically worked-on deconstruction of Mary-Sue types...
Deconstruction isn't a 'stop having fun guys' act. It's applying our minds to a genre. If it's a good genre, then thinking about it can't be a bad thing. True, there are books that are enjoyed by not thinking about what you're reading (Eragon, The Da Vinci Code), but... I'll stop. I think that parenthetical illustrated my point nicely.
What's up with people deconstructing genre conventions? Can't they just enjoy the show?
10 comments:
You're presuming that deconstruction carries an implicit negative judgment.
Alternatively, you can think of it as some kind of Hegelian dialectic/Hindu Trinity thing... Left to itself, a genre can become shallow and homogeneous. See for example Unbuilt Trope on Astro Boy or Fist of the North Star.
Think of genres as bread, and deconstructions as spritzes of water. If you leave a genre alone too long, it'll go stale. Or maybe I just took too long to eat the really good bread...
Because deconstructions work on a different level - they help lead the audience to a greater understanding of the genre. Additionally, a good deconstruction is extremely likely to be a classic among fans (ie. Watchmen for superhero comics, Neon Genesis Evangelion for giant robot anime, possibly Mai-HiME for magical girl shows, though that edges a bit towards a subversion). A well-done deconstruction can easily stand above its peers, and it doesn't even have to destroy the genre it's deconstructing (see Mai-HiME, which embraced the genre even as it explored its hidden implications).
Why so serious?
In my case, it might be my sporadically worked-on deconstruction of Mary-Sue types...
Deconstruction isn't a 'stop having fun guys' act. It's applying our minds to a genre. If it's a good genre, then thinking about it can't be a bad thing. True, there are books that are enjoyed by not thinking about what you're reading (Eragon, The Da Vinci Code), but... I'll stop. I think that parenthetical illustrated my point nicely.
Excuse me, I have to go get some stitches for my face. For reasons unrelated to a knife-wielded canine with bronze-colored clown makeup.
I actually try not to think about that kind of thing too much...
It reminds me of VFX...
"THUNDERF00T?! Thunderf00t, are you... THREATENING ME?!!!"
*shudder*
To answer the original question:
Not if the show sucks.
Wait - are you trying to deconstruct the trend for deconstruction? Can't you just enjoy deconstruction?
This could get complicated...
However, you have completely assuaged my doubts on the matter.
This says... something... about my personality.
Hollywood has run out of ideas.
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