Emily
asked
Cornelia Funke:
Hello! As the author/creator of Capricorn, what inspired you to present his character as you did? Thank you!
Cornelia Funke
Hi Emily,
I didn't meet many truly evil men in my life, Emily, but we all saw traces of evil in ourselves and others. As a German I have been thinking about good and evil since I heard about the deeds of my ancestors as a child. I think it is far too often in our culture glorified and glamorized - we all know the quote ' evil characters are so much more fun to write' - and I always try to resist that temptation when I write my villains. Because it is not true. Evil means crippled, twisted, broken, frozen emotions, no compassion...With Capricorn I tried to create a character who represents evil that way. Many oppressors use what we cherish most: friendship, love, family against us - for me that has always been the most scary part of dictatorships. Capricorn is very good at it. He is a fascist. As a model I used a movie villain - the one James Cromwell plays in LA Confidential:)
I didn't meet many truly evil men in my life, Emily, but we all saw traces of evil in ourselves and others. As a German I have been thinking about good and evil since I heard about the deeds of my ancestors as a child. I think it is far too often in our culture glorified and glamorized - we all know the quote ' evil characters are so much more fun to write' - and I always try to resist that temptation when I write my villains. Because it is not true. Evil means crippled, twisted, broken, frozen emotions, no compassion...With Capricorn I tried to create a character who represents evil that way. Many oppressors use what we cherish most: friendship, love, family against us - for me that has always been the most scary part of dictatorships. Capricorn is very good at it. He is a fascist. As a model I used a movie villain - the one James Cromwell plays in LA Confidential:)
More Answered Questions
Mari Clementine
asked
Cornelia Funke:
I feel like Jacob is a very different type of character than most YA heroes. Unlike e.g. Meggie who’s thrown into a world she knows nothing about, he seems to be a Mirrorworld expert. Also, it sometimes feels like it’s more recklessness than courage that makes him act the way he does. So my question is: was creating a hero like him a conscious decision? I would also love to know how the idea of him came along! -Clem
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