Writing Genuis
This is an old debate, I know, but it still fascinates me. Is it possible for a writer to a create a character that is smarter than himself?
One great example is Sherlock Holmes, but when I dwell on this question I always think of Alan Moore and two of his creations, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias. For those of you who don't know Watchmen, I first must insist that you read it immediately- it is one of the greatest novels (novel, yes, not graphic novel) of the last thirty years. But in the meantime, I'll give you a little background. Dr. Manhattan was a physicist, until a terrible accident left him completely disintegrated. He managed to reassemble his body and return to our plane of existence, now with the power to manipulate all matter and also exist in all time simultaneously. Ozymandias is a mere human vigilante, but he was dubbed "the smartest man on the planet". And he is a genius, with a cold logic and drive that leads him to sacrifice millions of lives so that billions can live in peace.
How is possible for someone who isn't himself a genius (although, for all I know Alan Moore could BE an actual genius, rendering my argument null and void) create characters like this?
Well, in my opinion, it works sort of like stage magic. The magician isn't a sorcerer, just a master manipulator- and so is a writer. By creating the right scenarios, by scripting just the right dialogue, by throwing in enough scientific jargon, one could create a character that seems to be all-knowing and all-seeing. Just like the stage magician and his apparent ability to teleport from one place on stage to another, the writer can manipulate events to make such a character seem like the real thing.
Of course, that's just a theory. Who knows- maybe through the magic of the written word it IS possible to create a character that transcends the limitations of his creator.....
One great example is Sherlock Holmes, but when I dwell on this question I always think of Alan Moore and two of his creations, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias. For those of you who don't know Watchmen, I first must insist that you read it immediately- it is one of the greatest novels (novel, yes, not graphic novel) of the last thirty years. But in the meantime, I'll give you a little background. Dr. Manhattan was a physicist, until a terrible accident left him completely disintegrated. He managed to reassemble his body and return to our plane of existence, now with the power to manipulate all matter and also exist in all time simultaneously. Ozymandias is a mere human vigilante, but he was dubbed "the smartest man on the planet". And he is a genius, with a cold logic and drive that leads him to sacrifice millions of lives so that billions can live in peace.
How is possible for someone who isn't himself a genius (although, for all I know Alan Moore could BE an actual genius, rendering my argument null and void) create characters like this?
Well, in my opinion, it works sort of like stage magic. The magician isn't a sorcerer, just a master manipulator- and so is a writer. By creating the right scenarios, by scripting just the right dialogue, by throwing in enough scientific jargon, one could create a character that seems to be all-knowing and all-seeing. Just like the stage magician and his apparent ability to teleport from one place on stage to another, the writer can manipulate events to make such a character seem like the real thing.
Of course, that's just a theory. Who knows- maybe through the magic of the written word it IS possible to create a character that transcends the limitations of his creator.....
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Amanda
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Oct 08, 2013 09:34PM
Have you ever read his Promethea series? I've read part of it but have yet to find the other books (the library only had the first few). In a lot of ways I think it's Moore's most direct conversation with his readers explaining his ideas on myths, mysticism and humanity as a whole. Promethea is the heroine archetype (a more complex Wonder Woman in some ways) and she's changed a great deal as each new writing and art team inherits control of her story. It goes into a lot of these sort of thoughts on writers and the way they effect the growth of the character and vise versa.
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