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I will explain! It requires Chapter Three information. Nate Send a noteboard - 18/06/2013 03:55:55 PM

You might already know what lampshading is and might only be asking how it applies to this situation, but I'll go through it for the sake of anyone who doesn't.

Lampshading (or lampshade hanging) is a writing technique (some would say crutch) wherein something happens in the story that is unlikely and unrealistic, and the writer attempts to cover it up by drawing attention to it, having a character or the narrator point out how unlikely it is. By having the characters complicit in the acknowledgement that what just happened is a convenient coincidence that they can't make sense out of, it makes the unlikely event easier to swallow, because sometimes these things just happen.

In the first two chapters, it seems a bit unlikely that the Salvaras would fall so quickly and so fully for Locke's setup. Everything is just a little too convenient about his game.

But Lynch takes the interesting and unusual route of having Locke not simply lampshade it to the reader (by saying, for example, how lucky it is that everything worked), but by building the lampshade right into his plans. He anticipated that the Salvaras might become suspicious of the too-convenient coincidence of their meeting, especially as he asks for more and more money from them.

By sneaking into their home, pretending to be Midnighters, and explaining everything to Don Salvara, Locke is acknowledging that it's unrealistic that the Salvaras would simply buy everything he's been feeding them. But because he understands that, he's essentially lampshading the unlikeliness of his own plan. By doing this, he gets the Salvaras playing along with him even though they know what he's up to. If he hadn't done that, then realistically the Salvaras might have started to suspect him anyway.

It's like a writing technique used within a writing technique. Lynch gets away with creating an unlikely plan by having it seem completely realistic that his characters created an unlikely plan, and by making it clear that they understood how unlikely it was and made further plans to adjust for that. It's actually fairly clever, I think.

Warder to starry_nite

Chapterfish — Nate's Writing Blog
http://chapterfish.wordpress.com
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Reread: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - 03/06/2013 10:07:06 AM 1179 Views
The Prologue - 03/06/2013 10:08:39 AM 803 Views
Re: The Prologue - 04/06/2013 09:09:56 PM 868 Views
Re: The Prologue - 10/06/2013 03:34:28 PM 819 Views
I'd forgotten most of this. - 10/06/2013 03:32:26 PM 655 Views
Chapters One and Two. - 10/06/2013 03:36:57 PM 648 Views
I was waiting for someone else to go first. - 13/06/2013 03:39:31 PM 741 Views
What do you mean by "lampshading"? - 18/06/2013 02:52:46 PM 696 Views
I will explain! It requires Chapter Three information. - 18/06/2013 03:55:55 PM 670 Views
Thanks; I'd never seen the term before. *NM* - 25/06/2013 04:57:47 PM 311 Views
Falling somewhat behind, but I'm still participating in this... - 02/07/2013 10:50:27 PM 1185 Views
Not as entranced as I thought I would be. - 18/06/2013 02:47:24 PM 637 Views
Re: Descriptions - 24/06/2013 05:00:34 PM 739 Views
Re: Descriptions - 25/06/2013 04:59:28 PM 677 Views
I'm inclined to agree with that assessment. - 02/07/2013 10:54:32 PM 776 Views
Chapters 3 and 4. - 18/06/2013 02:53:34 PM 656 Views
Initial thought: - 18/06/2013 02:55:52 PM 642 Views
This is another one with messed up timelines. - 24/06/2013 04:47:16 PM 2854 Views
Re: This is another one with messed up timelines. - 25/06/2013 05:01:35 PM 2492 Views
It's funny - your comment above had spoiled me so... - 08/08/2013 05:25:31 PM 758 Views
Re: Sabetha - 08/08/2013 05:42:18 PM 721 Views
The first part of the book is a little slow, I've decided. - 25/06/2013 05:05:45 PM 657 Views
It does really pick up, doesn't it? - 13/08/2013 10:37:26 PM 570 Views
Chapters 5 and 6. *NM* - 25/06/2013 05:06:10 PM 289 Views
Things really pick up now. - 28/06/2013 04:04:27 PM 695 Views
Re: Women (spoilers) - 01/07/2013 04:56:07 PM 680 Views
Re: Things really pick up now. - 13/08/2013 10:56:37 PM 725 Views
Chapters 7 and 8. - 10/07/2013 06:22:02 PM 725 Views
Chapters 9 and 10. *NM* - 10/07/2013 06:22:22 PM 345 Views
Lynch can be such a tease. - 16/07/2013 04:35:51 PM 749 Views
I love Doña Vorchenza - 30/07/2013 02:28:30 PM 772 Views
Chapters 11 and 12. *NM* - 24/07/2013 06:34:25 PM 314 Views
Lynch is ruthless in these chapters. - 30/07/2013 02:40:19 PM 779 Views
Poor everyone. - 02/08/2013 11:04:34 PM 707 Views
Chapters 13 and 14. *NM* - 24/07/2013 06:34:41 PM 324 Views
These are very satisfying chapters, on the whole. - 30/07/2013 03:11:28 PM 719 Views
Chapters 15 and 16 and the epilogue. *NM* - 30/07/2013 02:09:39 PM 306 Views
Disappointing, on the whole, I felt. - 14/08/2013 09:25:31 PM 736 Views
I liked parts of it, but you make good points. - 15/08/2013 05:45:14 PM 827 Views
Yeah, I liked parts too - but still. - 15/08/2013 06:54:19 PM 660 Views
I enjoyed it enough to overlook any deficiencies, apparently. - 21/08/2013 08:09:54 PM 813 Views
Re: Disappointing, on the whole, I felt. - 22/09/2013 11:22:19 PM 763 Views
Oh my. - 23/09/2013 06:00:44 PM 644 Views
Re: Oh my. - 09/10/2013 10:12:55 PM 704 Views

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