Unbuilt Tropes

Tropes can change over time. This happens for various reason. One way is by Trope Decay, which is when the idea that the trope represents loses itself over time. That is, its modern message is different from its original message when it was first introduced. This can happen because later creators miss the point of the trope somehow, or they just read the title and think they understand all about it (I nearly fell into that trap a number of time myself).

An example of this process is Nightmare Fuel. Originally, it stood for any story element that unintentionally gave kids nightmares, like clowns, or the Snuggle fabric softener mascot (shudder!). However, people began describing anything even remotely scary as Nightmare Fuel, leading to the creation of a new trope, Accidental Nightmare Fuel to cover the old concept, and redefining Nightmare Fuel to cover the new concept.

Another way that trope meanings can change is by Flanderization. This is the act of taking a single, usually minor, aspect of a character and gradually making it virtually the sole defining characteristic of that character, especially in a particularly outlandish manner. The fact that it's a gradual process is key, because it should be unnoticeable, otherwise it might generate negative audience reaction.

An example is the Trope Namer, Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. He started out as a contrast to Homer, by being a considerate neighbor, a loving husband, and an attentive father, with his devout nature exemplified by the fact that he went to church willingly and paid attention to the sermon. Over time, however, his devotion was exaggerated until he became a stupidly obsessive Christian. Other examples include the way the Jason Voorhees-style killers in horror slasher films became slower and more stupid, the James Bond films became campier, and Ron Weasley became lazier and dumber in both the Harry Potter books and the movies. Applied to a trope, it occurs when one or a few characteristics of a trope's definition come to dominate that definition, thereby changing its nature, usually by simplifying it to the point of becoming cliched.

This can lead to an unusual situation when readers familiar with modern concepts of tropes read older works that use these tropes. If they persist they may find one that appears to cleverly play with the trope, often times breaking it down to reveal its Real Life consequences, before reconstructing it again. Then they discover that the work predates all known uses of that trope, but how can it play with a trope that no else used?

Because it created the trope. Only, at that time it wasn't even a trope yet, just an interesting idea to explore. There was no pattern to which it had to conform because a pattern had not yet been established, so the creator was free to work it however he wanted. This is known as an Unbuilt Trope.

An Unbuilt Trope only becomes an established trope when a pattern with a specific message develops as other creators imitate it. However, this pattern is invariably a vague copy, or more simplistic than the original creator's treatment, or at best concentrates on the obvious surface aspects in the text and ignores the subtle underlying subtext elements that made it memorable, all to make it easier to work with. There are many ways this could happen: the creator's Misaimed Fandom could simply have missed his point when they imitated his concept; they might have considered the original too dark, and so purposely made it Lighter and Softer; or conversely they might have thought it was too bland and uninteresting, and so decided to spice it up with extra details; they may have simply taken just those elements they liked, and when they claimed they were inspired by the original, other people assumed it was limited to those few elements as well; or they may not have had the talent required to duplicate the trope with the same depth as did the original creator.

Here are some examples:

The Hound of the Baskervilles features the first use of the modern Scooby-Doo Hoax trope 68 years before the cartoon appeared, but it's portrayal of the "fake haunting" plot is far grittier, darker, and more horrifying than anything shown on the cartoon.

The Lord of the Rings is considered to be the progenitor of modern High Fantasy, by both its imitators and those who try to subvert what they see as Tolkien's optimistic view. However, unlike later works the hero fails in his mission (someone else has to see the Ring destroyed); the wizards are the equivalent of angels, not magically-trained men; the Orcs are not Always Chaotically Evil (and Tolkien even considered adding some good Orcs); and Mordor is not a typical Realm of Evil, but has huge tracts of fertile farmland to feed Sauron's huge army.

Dracula depicts the titular vampire as hirsute, brutish, and uncouth, rather than suave, handsome, aristocratic, or sexy.

The War of the Worlds is perhaps the first story to depict war between Humans and Aliens, but whereas modern conceptions feature exciting battles, heroics, and scientific ingenuity, the original portrayed people as cowardly, weak, or mean, and unable to defeat the Martians (though they are not themselves invulnerable). It's more a story about how people deal with the collapse of civilization than fighting the invaders. It also served as an allegory for imperialism.

Conan is considered the archetype of the stoical humorless not-very-bright Barbarian Hero in the bearskin kilt who solves problems with his sword or axe rather than his ingenuity, but Howard portrayed him as being intelligent, crafty, articulate, cheerful, literate, a master of languages, and not too proud to wear heavy armor.

Modern Paranormal Investigation heroes tend to be Badass Troubled But Cute Mr. Fanservice types motivated by Revenge or For Greater Justice. However, the progenitor, Carl Kolchak, was a bumbling, middle-aged tabloid reporter with questionable taste in clothes, who was a Chaste Hero, tended to defeat the Monster Of the Week through sheer dumb luck, and was largely motivated by a desire for fame and fortune.

Next week, I will discuss how old, or new, tropes can be.