#but the TYPE of tonal dissonance is the same and the placement thereof is similar

[poorlittleyaoyao]

I truly think mxtx’s intention was to set up a romance where wangxian’s appeal was one being a righteous cultivator and the other being one that fell from grace and how society and perception

both their own perception of each other/themselves and how others view them

was the thing keeping them apart and how they were going to overcome both these things

very pride and prejudice

and that IS what happened

but I think what she ended up with was something more romeo and Juliet - where the story is toted as a romance but underneath that it’s a tragedy, and the ending of mdzs is just too tragic bc the only ones who are arguably happy at the end are wangxian when the cast is so FULL

and full of people who only got unhappy endings or death

that last ramble got me thinking maybe we, the readers, have been looking at mdzs the wrong way. maybe mdzs is meant to be a tragedy and it just got popular as a romance. but I think I read or heard somewhere once that that’s the appeal of Chinese romances - a tragic ending with the implication that the lovers will be happy together in the next life

I hope it's okay that I combined the two Asks since they're so closely related! (Also--and this goes to everyone--if you're messaging me not on anon and prefer an answer privately rather than on the blog, lmk!)

This is interesting to consider, because my own issue is the opposite, I think: it's not that there are too many tragic elements in the happy romance, but that there's too much silly goofy trope stuff in the tragedy! I love tragedy. All my favorite works are tragedies! My all-time favorite TV show is S1 of The Terror, which tells us in the title card that every guy on the expedition is going to die miserably. I don't want everyone to die miserably in every work of fiction, obviously, but it's tragedy and/or hard-fought happiness that sticks with me.

So with the novel... yeah, all this tragedy happens, but it feels to me that it's pushed aside whenever it's in danger of harshing Wangxian's squee. I've already talked a bunch about Novelxian's past not seeming to impact him overmuch, in which case: why do it? Why do any of the plot itself, really, since nothing involving NMJ's murder has anything to do with Wangxian beyond NHS's prodding of MXY? Why have this elaborate tragedy of conflicting loyalties and betrayal and emotional devastation if we're just going to go "huh! well, that wraps that up!" and not engage with the fallout?

R&J's a good comparison, not because R&J isn't a tragedy (it for sure is!), but because R&J also has a lot of stuff going on and people like to argue about whether it's REALLY a romance or not. And like... it is. Of course it is. Romeo and Juliet's relationship is the relationship the text prioritizes. We aren't really meant to question the two of them prioritizing each other above all else. There are other themes going on there--to me personally, the play is a tragedy of adults failing children, because none of this would have happened if literally ANY adult had responsibly supported these kids--but the play is a tragic romance first and foremost.

But unlike MDZS, R&J doesn't skip on past the damage to other characters. Mercutio's death singlehandedly switches the play's genre from comedy to tragedy. Juliet continually struggles with the fact that Romeo killed Tybalt, even though Tybalt started it and he and Juliet don't have a relationship in the text. The play even spares some moments of reflection for Paris, even though literally nobody cares about Paris. Contrast all that with WQ and JYL barely being mentioned after their deaths, or LXC's seclusion being a nonissue. MDZS feels more like one of those weird problem plays, where a ~happy ending~ happens after so much messed-up shit that you're left going ????

MORE EMPHASIS ON THE TRAGEDY SO THE HAPPINESS FEELS BETTER, BASICALLY

#I'm specifically thinking of like... The Merchant of Venice #which has this gripping plot about a Jewish man finally lashing out against the society that's oppressed him and his people #so to many modern audiences the climax is the trial scene--which if you're sympathetic to Shylock is a tragedy #bc he is brought low and publicly humiliated and forcibly cut off from his community having already lost his daughter and his wealth #BUT SHAKESPEARE DID NOT WANT US TO QUESTION THIS EVEN A LITTLE BIT #so after the trial you get an ENTIRE FINAL ACT of the most tedious goddamn romcom nonsense put to paper #with almost zero mention of the trial even from Shylock's daughter Jessica bc Shakespeare meant this as a comedy with a fun happy ending #obviously these are not equivalent scenarios bc MDZS isn't out here contributing to centuries of antisemitism #but the TYPE of tonal dissonance is the same and the placement thereof is similar