Hello!
I've been thinking about reader satisfaction and what happens to the antagonists at the end of a story, specifically mystery/detective stories. Recently I read a short story from the 1910's where (spoiler warning and a trigger warning for suicide)
I'll fully confess to being sensitive, but it was definitely a surprise in contrast to the other detectives I read about.
There was a novel late in a series where the characters discuss the murderer of the series' first book. He killed two people, once of which was a teenage girl, and was in prison for twelve years before getting parole. It was the first time I'd seen the murderer of a detective story having actually been through the legal system in a series that didn't focus on law.
With most stories I read, I'm usually satisfied when a criminal is arrested by police and taken "offstage" from the novel, so to speak. I've been rethinking whether that's enough for me, though.
Do you ever think about the fates of the antagonists of stories you read/write? What has to happen to the antagonist to satisfy you as a reader?
I've been thinking about reader satisfaction and what happens to the antagonists at the end of a story, specifically mystery/detective stories. Recently I read a short story from the 1910's where (spoiler warning and a trigger warning for suicide)
the detective intentionally drives the criminal to suicide.
There was a novel late in a series where the characters discuss the murderer of the series' first book. He killed two people, once of which was a teenage girl, and was in prison for twelve years before getting parole. It was the first time I'd seen the murderer of a detective story having actually been through the legal system in a series that didn't focus on law.
With most stories I read, I'm usually satisfied when a criminal is arrested by police and taken "offstage" from the novel, so to speak. I've been rethinking whether that's enough for me, though.
Do you ever think about the fates of the antagonists of stories you read/write? What has to happen to the antagonist to satisfy you as a reader?
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