Perhaps those sorts of exaggerated characteristics require a certain amount of skill in execution to avoid coming off as ridiculous overperfection or gratuitous angst? I suspect that one of the frustration with Mary Sues is that a “just like me but cooler!” avatar is one of first sorts of storytelling that kids do, and as a result, it is one of the first sorts of stories written by very new writers, resulting in numerous badly written examples.
That’s an interesting point about the focus on the aesthetic elements such as unusual coloration and improbable names. My guess would be that it is because sue-authors tend to dwell on them at excessive length, often in rather purple prose, to the point that it has become shorthand for the all of the associated traits.
*nods* I think a lot of the complaints are indeed, at heart, about the execution. I just found it interesting that so few people actually say so, instead jumping on things like the appearance. Though I think you also make a very good point about the extent to which new writers dwell on that. *wry* It surely drives me crazy when I see it.
Of course, since the worst offenders usually are the new writers, I think critics should be more careful to be clear with them and not let themselves rely on that shorthand. In a way, that’s just as sloppy analytical writing as the Sue is sloppy creative writing.
Perhaps those sorts of exaggerated characteristics require a certain amount of skill in execution to avoid coming off as ridiculous overperfection or gratuitous angst? I suspect that one of the frustration with Mary Sues is that a “just like me but cooler!” avatar is one of first sorts of storytelling that kids do, and as a result, it is one of the first sorts of stories written by very new writers, resulting in numerous badly written examples.
That’s an interesting point about the focus on the aesthetic elements such as unusual coloration and improbable names. My guess would be that it is because sue-authors tend to dwell on them at excessive length, often in rather purple prose, to the point that it has become shorthand for the all of the associated traits.
*nods* I think a lot of the complaints are indeed, at heart, about the execution. I just found it interesting that so few people actually say so, instead jumping on things like the appearance. Though I think you also make a very good point about the extent to which new writers dwell on that. *wry* It surely drives me crazy when I see it.
Of course, since the worst offenders usually are the new writers, I think critics should be more careful to be clear with them and not let themselves rely on that shorthand. In a way, that’s just as sloppy analytical writing as the Sue is sloppy creative writing.