TSTL or Too Stupid To Live
I've read books in which the main protagonist(s) are too stupid to live (
TSTL), i.e.,
Rachel Morgan series,
Sookie Stackhouse series. I find that a hero or heroine who
acts stupid in a book to be a really annoying read. It's a particular
pet peeve of mine. It drives me up the wall! As a reader, I could put TSTL down to two major factors:
- a character development flaw, or,
- a weakness in the plot.
It could be due to a
character development flaw. The hero could be either just developed as a stupid one. Or, was previously described to be badass, and then act out of character and does something stupid. I find that not only annoying, but also, I find it difficult to connect with that hero/heroine as well. I cannot root for him or her. I find myself sincerely wishing for the author to upgrade his/her character development skills... Or it could be due to a
weakness in the plot. The character might be developed fine but all of a sudden the author made the hero act stupid in an effort to give the story a bit more drama. To fit the plot. Either way, it is majorly annoying to me... But what about you?
As a reader, what is your view regarding TSTL characters? Are you tolerant or not so?
I've read books in which the main protagonist(s) are too stupid to live (TSTL), i.e., Rachel Morgan series, Sookie Stackhouse series. I find that a hero or heroine who acts stupid in a book to be a really annoying read. It's a particular pet peeve of mine. It drives me up the wall! As a reader, I could put TSTL down to two major factors:
They annoy me, a LOT. So no I am not that tolerant. I can deal with a few lapses but a whole book, sighs
ReplyDeleteBlodeuedd - No, I'm not tolerant either. I know there are a lot of Rachel Morgan fans out there and they will probably throw tomatoes at me, but I am just not very tolerant of her TSTL syndrome!
ReplyDeleteOooo I hate when I want to slap someone.
ReplyDeleteJuju at Tales of Whimsy.com - Ditto Ju! :)
ReplyDeleteSookie definitely has her moments, but I stick around for Eric Northman. *purrs*
ReplyDeleteAs for Rachel Morgan, I adore her. Yes, she gets into a lot of stuff, but I don't think it's because she's necessarily stupid. She's just extremely headstrong and independent. Great post!