Writer's Block: Literary Parents Option
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 10:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
retsuko[Error: unknown template qotd]I think the choice here is one between "sane, safe, stable" and "crazy, but would be an exciting childhood" and "dead too soon". (I'm also curious at the wording of the question--why a couple in particular? Why not the single parents that populate great swathes of fiction?)
In the "Safe/Sane/Stable" category:
* The Austens of Madeleine L'Engle's Meet the Austens series: I used to love these books because the parents (and grandparents) were not hyper-judgmental of their kids' foibles and mistakes (although they were stern disciplinarians when the reasons were right.) They also encouraged their children to read (the description of Vicki's grandfather's barn of books alone was enough to make me long to be a part of that family) and think for themselves. And the sequence of the books where Vicki's Mom takes care of her after that disastrous bike accident is probably the genesis of my love for the hurt/comfort trope.
* David Stanley's parents in Zylpha Keatley Snider's series: For a divorced father and his new wife, parenting must be tough. And yet, the Stanley parents were unified and unwavering in their support of their children, especially in the face of scary stuff (kidnapping) and managing volatile personalities (almost all of the kids).
* The parents in the wonderful YA book Invisible Lissa: The Woodburys are a wonderful example of parents who aren't just cardboard cutouts for the heroine to bounce off of. They both have personalities and interests (Melissa's revulsion at her father's abstract art is particularly funny to read about) but when push comes to shove, they're on her side and standing up for her.
* Honorable mentions to Ananka Fishbein's parents in the Kiki Strike books (they are always studying due to a crazy inheritance that would take care of them as long as they were in school; Ananka's Mom is on her 3rd Ph.D. course).
In the "Crazy but Exciting" category:
* The Parrs in The Incredibles: I love how, after the veneer of normal has been cracked, they are still able to patch it up and give their children an approximation of a normal childhood.
* Homer and Marge Simpson: Homer may be prone to strangling, but the Simpson kids have traveled many, many places; met famous people; and done incredible things (like shooting Mr. Burns). Marge does have to mother Homer as well her kids, but occasionally, the two of them manage to be fabulous parents and support their children in their artistic and sports endeavors.
* The Bennetts in Pride and Prejudice: Life would never be dull with these two. Hysterical at times, joyous at others, and filled with uncertainty, but never dull.
In the "Dead too Soon" category:
* The Baudelaire parents in A Series of Unfortunate Events: By all accounts, they were awesome, taking their children to the natural history museum, reading to them, and making extravagant meals. However, by the time the story starts... well, membership in a secret organization didn't work out at all.
* Lily and James Potter: Imagine growing up with these two. How amazing it would be... except that Harry never got a chance to find out.
Who have I left out?
In the "Safe/Sane/Stable" category:
* The Austens of Madeleine L'Engle's Meet the Austens series: I used to love these books because the parents (and grandparents) were not hyper-judgmental of their kids' foibles and mistakes (although they were stern disciplinarians when the reasons were right.) They also encouraged their children to read (the description of Vicki's grandfather's barn of books alone was enough to make me long to be a part of that family) and think for themselves. And the sequence of the books where Vicki's Mom takes care of her after that disastrous bike accident is probably the genesis of my love for the hurt/comfort trope.
* David Stanley's parents in Zylpha Keatley Snider's series: For a divorced father and his new wife, parenting must be tough. And yet, the Stanley parents were unified and unwavering in their support of their children, especially in the face of scary stuff (kidnapping) and managing volatile personalities (almost all of the kids).
* The parents in the wonderful YA book Invisible Lissa: The Woodburys are a wonderful example of parents who aren't just cardboard cutouts for the heroine to bounce off of. They both have personalities and interests (Melissa's revulsion at her father's abstract art is particularly funny to read about) but when push comes to shove, they're on her side and standing up for her.
* Honorable mentions to Ananka Fishbein's parents in the Kiki Strike books (they are always studying due to a crazy inheritance that would take care of them as long as they were in school; Ananka's Mom is on her 3rd Ph.D. course).
In the "Crazy but Exciting" category:
* The Parrs in The Incredibles: I love how, after the veneer of normal has been cracked, they are still able to patch it up and give their children an approximation of a normal childhood.
* Homer and Marge Simpson: Homer may be prone to strangling, but the Simpson kids have traveled many, many places; met famous people; and done incredible things (like shooting Mr. Burns). Marge does have to mother Homer as well her kids, but occasionally, the two of them manage to be fabulous parents and support their children in their artistic and sports endeavors.
* The Bennetts in Pride and Prejudice: Life would never be dull with these two. Hysterical at times, joyous at others, and filled with uncertainty, but never dull.
In the "Dead too Soon" category:
* The Baudelaire parents in A Series of Unfortunate Events: By all accounts, they were awesome, taking their children to the natural history museum, reading to them, and making extravagant meals. However, by the time the story starts... well, membership in a secret organization didn't work out at all.
* Lily and James Potter: Imagine growing up with these two. How amazing it would be... except that Harry never got a chance to find out.
Who have I left out?
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Date: 2011-04-06 06:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-06 08:56 pm (UTC)No chickens per zoning laws? Disappointing!
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Date: 2011-04-06 06:05 pm (UTC)And the Weasleys, as in the icon :)
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Date: 2011-04-06 08:54 pm (UTC)Of course the Weasleys, too.
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Date: 2011-04-06 07:27 pm (UTC)Who else? Well, the families in McKinley's new Pegasus are fairly awesome, both equine and human, and in her new short story Hellhound. And I always loved the Stantons from _Dark is Rising_.
In Crazy But Exciting, I'd have to spring for the Dowager Duchess of Denver, or the Vorkosigans or Harringtons.
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Date: 2011-04-06 08:57 pm (UTC)I also forgot Nita and Kit's families in the So You Want to be a Wizard series. D'oh!
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Date: 2011-04-06 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-06 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-09 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-14 04:57 pm (UTC)