.🪐 #232 - I'm just a silly little guy
And in the grand scheme of things, so are you.
Scale and relative importance matter in storytelling. Is this a story about a brave crew of astronauts and oil workers fighting the clock to destroy an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, or is this about a lonely man ironically finding a loving companion on the eve of the planet’s inevitable destruction? It’s not just a question of how physically large the characters are, but how much dramatic force they exert on the world around them.
We can see this in the real world with questions about humanity’s proper role on our home planet: Is it here to serve us, or are we stewards meant to protect it? Matt Webb considers the possibility that humanity while humanity thinks it’s on top forever, it could be we’re just keeping the seat warm between cephalopod civilizations, and the idea that humans aren’t necessarily the apex of Earth’s species. Robert Sanders summarizes the arguments made by biologists that thinking of living things as distinct species, with a natural hierarchy that puts humans on top, works against the goals of environmental conservation.
Giant monsters have both size and dramatic impact. Take Godzilla. Jonathan Lack looks back at the original Godzilla, and how its monster was an extension of humanity’s capacity for destruction (and how that destructive power was now greater than any human attempt to contain it). David Ehrlich looks at 2014’s Godzilla as “The first post-human blockbuster:”
“Godzilla is both humanity’s reckoning and its salvation, a response to our unchecked parasitic relationship with the planet and a reminder of our ultimately supporting role as stewards rather than beneficiaries.”
On a similar note, Chris McFeely looks at whether or not it’s interesting or important to include humans in a Transformers story:
These questions don’t only play into themes and possible story avenues, but help support the underlying logic of a fictional world. AuraSoul93 asks a question some of us may have already had on our minds: How is it possible that humans are the dominant species in the world of Pokemon?
While it isn’t normally possible for a writer to get a sense of these things by watching an asteroid crash into the planet or befriending a sentient sports car, taking time to consider our own place in the world (and the universe) is still possible. Matt Kershaw discusses the value of getting outside to get a proper sense of your scale in the vast scheme of things, and how letting yourself feel small gives you room to grow.
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Previously on Inneresting…
In case you missed it, in last issue’s most clicked link, Saransh Sharma explains the evolutionary adaptation of Present Bias, and how it helps to explain Howard Ratner’s risk taking throughout Uncut Gems.
What else is inneresting?
Austin Kleon shares 100 quotes from his commonplace notebook that help him to write.
Kate Wagner on the atomization of writers and journalists by social media, floundering legacy media, and the general alienation created by the internet.
From Rebecca Shaw, “I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the world down – I just didn’t expect them to be such losers.”
And that’s what’s inneresting this week!
Inneresting is edited by Chris Csont, with contributions from readers like you and the entire Quote-Unquote team.
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Post-Credits Scene
Zach Vasquez on the deep empathy of David Lynch for all of his characters, making the case that this quality needs to be included in our understanding of when something feels Lynchian.
