I have a habit of downloading public domain titles through the Kindle app and I thought it was about time I started to clear up my to read backlog and so this week I tackled “Thankful Rest” by Annie S. Swan and “The Firefly of France” by Marion Polk Angellotti. Both are public domain due to age and have some of the most predictable plot points a reader has ever stumbled upon, at least so I feel. I’ve been thinking though, whether it’s fair for me to feel that way. Considering the age of these normal l novels, it’s entirely possible that the plots felt fresh and new when they were written, right? How can we as modern day readers know when a plot point became cliche, when something became a trope, or when a plot point had already been used so many times that a reader could see what was coming from a mile away?
Case in point for “The Firefly of France” the hero demands his luggage to be searched to prove his innocence in the face of accusations of being a spy. Modern me knew beyond a doubt he was setting himself up for a fall. Would readers a hundred years ago automatically know that as well? If not, when did that (and similar tropes) become a thing? Or is this really just a problem of not terribly excellent writing?
by My_Poor_Nerves