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Agreed. Tom Send a noteboard - 21/09/2009 04:59:39 AM
The point is that if EITHER evil OR good completely wins (with no hope of a shift later on) then you have a static situation, and static situations don't make for good storytelling. It is the struggle and tension between the two that makes for suspense and uncertainty. No one really wants to hear about what exactly "happily ever after" in a fairy tale involves because it would be boring. The words are a way of letting people know that the struggle is over and a static situation has ensued.

Theoretically, if evil won, it would be similar, only it would sound something like this:

And darkness covered the land, and Sauron destroyed all that was green and good in Middle Earth, and he caused all growing things to wither. When the orcs could find no other food, they fed upon each other and died off, until all that was left were wraiths and spiteful spirits in a wasteland of endless gloom.

The point is that, short of that sort of ending, there is ALWAYS an opportunity for movement and change. Think of the typical Hollywood ending - the villain crawls out the rubble after everyone thought he was dead, to plot a new dastardly scheme, or heroes crawl out of a blasted city and say, "We can rebuild this."

Interestingly enough, movies that aren't looking to make sequels often have endings where evil wins - Cloverfield comes to mind immediately, but there are plenty of others.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.

ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius

Ummaka qinnassa nīk!

*MySmiley*
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Ever notice how in fantasy books the smaller army always wins? - 20/09/2009 01:01:18 PM 1175 Views
It's an essential plot device - 20/09/2009 04:41:04 PM 831 Views
Yeah but... - 20/09/2009 07:38:36 PM 790 Views
I don't quite agree - 21/09/2009 01:22:45 AM 731 Views
I'm sitting here trying to think if I've read any books like that... - 21/09/2009 01:40:08 AM 672 Views
Fail. - 21/09/2009 04:43:24 AM 879 Views
Agreed. - 21/09/2009 04:59:39 AM 774 Views
Well there are plenty of authors not in their right minds - 21/09/2009 05:49:22 PM 701 Views
True. - 21/09/2009 06:50:43 PM 775 Views
Re: Ever notice how in fantasy books the smaller army always wins? - 20/09/2009 08:45:48 PM 938 Views
That, and... - 20/09/2009 09:08:48 PM 803 Views
Nineteen Eighty-Four, baby! - 20/09/2009 10:37:05 PM 733 Views
That is not even fantasy... - 21/09/2009 12:00:48 AM 730 Views
IT ISN'T?! *NM* - 21/09/2009 01:42:16 AM 310 Views
Yeah, didn't your dad tell you about the double ungood days of the 80s? *NM* - 21/09/2009 01:52:46 AM 299 Views
Doubleplusungood. - 25/09/2009 02:09:27 AM 722 Views
I agree. 1984 is not SF-F. *NM* - 25/09/2009 12:36:46 AM 306 Views
Who knew? ¯\(°O)/¯ *NM* - 25/09/2009 02:07:19 AM 294 Views
I... don't know what those symbols mean. *NM* - 26/09/2009 07:04:13 AM 325 Views
Wheel of Time? - 20/09/2009 11:52:36 PM 702 Views
I have not found that to be always true - 21/09/2009 12:52:00 AM 671 Views
The smaller army doesn't always win - 21/09/2009 02:47:07 AM 704 Views
Because you don't have to root for the huge army that's supposed to win. - 21/09/2009 04:38:22 AM 750 Views
everybody loves an under dog *NM* - 21/09/2009 03:51:12 PM 306 Views
Pratchett makes much of this. *NM* - 21/09/2009 04:11:04 PM 328 Views
Exactly what I was going to say - 27/09/2009 02:55:02 PM 790 Views

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