As one who loves a good story, I'll have to chew on this as it relates to fiction. But an obvious example in the news cycle is the switcheroo the US Democratic party pulled off with the candidate for president. Given how the news media and garden-variety members of the professional-managerial class have reacted, this was a compelling narrative choice even if the character hasn't become three-dimensional yet.
Two other older movies, “Jacob’s Ladder” and “The Usual Suspects”, stick in my mind as having interesting plot twists. I can’t recall many newer movies with creative twists. PC writing has caused most everything to devolve into juvenile potty humor. Hollywood thinks we are all 9-years old in the 4th grade and have only a vulgar vocabulary for emotional expression.
The Usual Suspects is a great example--certainly the best I can recall. I also like The Shawshank Redemption, not for having a lot of twists, but the ending twist is spectacular!
I just finished up the science fiction classic Nightwings, by Robert Silverberg. Very enjoyable and certainly full of narrative reversals. Possibly due to it being a "fix-up novel" made up of three novellas that were apparently released separately in genre magazines of the day. I think.
Currently reading An Ermine in Czernopol by Gregor von Rezzori. Only about a 100 pages in (it's a dense read, but with a light tone). Every chapter has had its own narrative reversal going on. It's basically the portrait of a city and its inhabitants, so there are many opportunities for the author to describe a particular character and their situation, and in that description, upend reader expectations of how that character is and how they end up interacting with other characters. A very involving experience, so far at least.
And just watched Nocturama last night. Oh man, the narrative reversals in that one! Crushing.
As one who loves a good story, I'll have to chew on this as it relates to fiction. But an obvious example in the news cycle is the switcheroo the US Democratic party pulled off with the candidate for president. Given how the news media and garden-variety members of the professional-managerial class have reacted, this was a compelling narrative choice even if the character hasn't become three-dimensional yet.
Two other older movies, “Jacob’s Ladder” and “The Usual Suspects”, stick in my mind as having interesting plot twists. I can’t recall many newer movies with creative twists. PC writing has caused most everything to devolve into juvenile potty humor. Hollywood thinks we are all 9-years old in the 4th grade and have only a vulgar vocabulary for emotional expression.
The Usual Suspects is a great example--certainly the best I can recall. I also like The Shawshank Redemption, not for having a lot of twists, but the ending twist is spectacular!
I recently rewatched “The Sting”. Awesome twist ending I had forgotten after many years.
I read a lot of mystery stories and detective novels. The good writers have a plot that doesn't go where you expect it to.
Just FWIW, I'm reading Huck Finn right now. Mark Twain is amazing.
I just finished up the science fiction classic Nightwings, by Robert Silverberg. Very enjoyable and certainly full of narrative reversals. Possibly due to it being a "fix-up novel" made up of three novellas that were apparently released separately in genre magazines of the day. I think.
Currently reading An Ermine in Czernopol by Gregor von Rezzori. Only about a 100 pages in (it's a dense read, but with a light tone). Every chapter has had its own narrative reversal going on. It's basically the portrait of a city and its inhabitants, so there are many opportunities for the author to describe a particular character and their situation, and in that description, upend reader expectations of how that character is and how they end up interacting with other characters. A very involving experience, so far at least.
And just watched Nocturama last night. Oh man, the narrative reversals in that one! Crushing.