Hurt/Comfort as a Genre
May. 6th, 2013 03:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithAs part of the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
three_weeks_for_dw project (running April 25-May 15), I'm posting some content just to Dreamwidth. This is a good opportunity to seek new readers for your blog and new blogs to read, and to recommend stuff you enjoy on other people's blogs to help them make new connections too. Here begins a set of posts about hurt/comfort literature. Skip ahead to "Hurt/Comfort Plot Structure" and "Hurt/Comfort and Literary Merit."
Hurt/Comfort as a Genre
The genre of hurt/comfort derives from the theme that, when things go wrong, people help each other get through the rough spots. Sooner or later, something always goes wrong; that's life. People get injured, fall sick, and eventually die. What matters is that someone else cares about this, and does what they can to alleviate the suffering, whether or not the underlying problem can be solved -- sometimes it can, other times it can't.
Hurt/comfort is a genre, and as such, it has original as well as fanfic content. People often overlook this, but you don't actually need to go very far to find plenty of canons that fit. Within fandom, therefore, hurt/comfort may appear anywhere but sprouts thickest where the original canon matches. That creates the largest supply of hurt/comfort scenes to work with, canonical whump, target characters and their caretakers, etc.
We can compare hurt/comfort to other genres based on different parameters. There are plot-based genres such as romance and mystery. In romance, two (or more) people fall in love and get together. In mystery, someone dies (or something else puzzling occurs) and someone else figures out how that happened. In hurt/comfort, bad things happen to someone(s) and someone(s) else does what they can to ameliorate the misery. When this occurs repeatedly in a longer story, it can make for a very different plot dynamic than the usual "mountain peak" or "stairstep" pattern. This plot structure frequently triggers emotional discoveries or other personal growth for one or more characters, which may be laid out in considerable detail for the reader's entertainment. Notice also that these plot-based genres may occur as subplots in any other genre: paranormal romance, hurt/comfort adventure, etc.
There are mood-based genres such as horror and gentle fiction. Horror aims to scare people; it contains a great deal of violence and sometimes other disturbing plot elements. Gentle fiction aims to soothe people; it omits violence, sex, and foul language to focus instead on the little challenges and joys of everyday life. Hurt/comfort is a dual-mood genre; it creates a sense of anxiety and then relief. It places a great deal of attention and emphasis on the subjective experiences of the characters, their interactions, and their emotions. The feelings of distress (from illness, injury, or other harm) and relief (from the comforting action/presence of another character) are central to the story. Furthermore, it is the emotional closeness discovered in these moments of vulnerability which often spurs important plot developments in this genre. Two people falling in love may be forced to admit their feelings, and therefore affirm the relationship; two enemies may be forced to realize that they can trust each other, and therefore cooperate in ways that let them accomplish more.
Hurt/comfort can be compared and contrasted with other genres in various ways. Horror anchors the "hurt" end of the spectrum, with an emphasis on fear. Adventure may involve only the threat of injury, or plenty of injury but only macho self-repair. Add scenes of soothing relief to either of those and you get hurt/comfort. Romance focuses primarily on a relationship, and often the conflict amounts to nothing more than a misunderstanding. Slash is similar, just tilted toward sex more than romance. Add some serious pain, drive the characters together sooner, maybe let them bounce together and apart a few times, that's hurt/comfort. Gentle fiction is all sweetness and light. Add something bittersharp at the beginning, to create a sound reason for the cuddly goodness, and there you have hurt/comfort.
There are other categories which are not precisely genres, but stylistic subsets of literature. Character study provides introspection into what motivates a character and how they express that. Hurt/comfort shorts often fall into this category, using the hurt portion to crack open the tough nuts and the comfort portion to dig out the soft meat inside. Mood pieces aim to invoke a specific emotion. Some hurt/comfort shorts have sketchy action, with all the emphasis on what the characters feel -- typically intended to create angst, sympathy, or warmth for the reader to enjoy. Vignettes are snippets of writing which, like a snapshot, capture a brief moment in time. These may detail a quick event, like falling and being caught by someone, or focus either on the hurt or the comfort with the other implied.
What are some of your favorite genres? What do you like or dislike about hurt/comfort?
three_weeks_for_dw project (running April 25-May 15), I'm posting some content just to Dreamwidth. This is a good opportunity to seek new readers for your blog and new blogs to read, and to recommend stuff you enjoy on other people's blogs to help them make new connections too. Here begins a set of posts about hurt/comfort literature. Skip ahead to "Hurt/Comfort Plot Structure" and "Hurt/Comfort and Literary Merit."Hurt/Comfort as a Genre
The genre of hurt/comfort derives from the theme that, when things go wrong, people help each other get through the rough spots. Sooner or later, something always goes wrong; that's life. People get injured, fall sick, and eventually die. What matters is that someone else cares about this, and does what they can to alleviate the suffering, whether or not the underlying problem can be solved -- sometimes it can, other times it can't.
Hurt/comfort is a genre, and as such, it has original as well as fanfic content. People often overlook this, but you don't actually need to go very far to find plenty of canons that fit. Within fandom, therefore, hurt/comfort may appear anywhere but sprouts thickest where the original canon matches. That creates the largest supply of hurt/comfort scenes to work with, canonical whump, target characters and their caretakers, etc.
We can compare hurt/comfort to other genres based on different parameters. There are plot-based genres such as romance and mystery. In romance, two (or more) people fall in love and get together. In mystery, someone dies (or something else puzzling occurs) and someone else figures out how that happened. In hurt/comfort, bad things happen to someone(s) and someone(s) else does what they can to ameliorate the misery. When this occurs repeatedly in a longer story, it can make for a very different plot dynamic than the usual "mountain peak" or "stairstep" pattern. This plot structure frequently triggers emotional discoveries or other personal growth for one or more characters, which may be laid out in considerable detail for the reader's entertainment. Notice also that these plot-based genres may occur as subplots in any other genre: paranormal romance, hurt/comfort adventure, etc.
There are mood-based genres such as horror and gentle fiction. Horror aims to scare people; it contains a great deal of violence and sometimes other disturbing plot elements. Gentle fiction aims to soothe people; it omits violence, sex, and foul language to focus instead on the little challenges and joys of everyday life. Hurt/comfort is a dual-mood genre; it creates a sense of anxiety and then relief. It places a great deal of attention and emphasis on the subjective experiences of the characters, their interactions, and their emotions. The feelings of distress (from illness, injury, or other harm) and relief (from the comforting action/presence of another character) are central to the story. Furthermore, it is the emotional closeness discovered in these moments of vulnerability which often spurs important plot developments in this genre. Two people falling in love may be forced to admit their feelings, and therefore affirm the relationship; two enemies may be forced to realize that they can trust each other, and therefore cooperate in ways that let them accomplish more.
Hurt/comfort can be compared and contrasted with other genres in various ways. Horror anchors the "hurt" end of the spectrum, with an emphasis on fear. Adventure may involve only the threat of injury, or plenty of injury but only macho self-repair. Add scenes of soothing relief to either of those and you get hurt/comfort. Romance focuses primarily on a relationship, and often the conflict amounts to nothing more than a misunderstanding. Slash is similar, just tilted toward sex more than romance. Add some serious pain, drive the characters together sooner, maybe let them bounce together and apart a few times, that's hurt/comfort. Gentle fiction is all sweetness and light. Add something bittersharp at the beginning, to create a sound reason for the cuddly goodness, and there you have hurt/comfort.
There are other categories which are not precisely genres, but stylistic subsets of literature. Character study provides introspection into what motivates a character and how they express that. Hurt/comfort shorts often fall into this category, using the hurt portion to crack open the tough nuts and the comfort portion to dig out the soft meat inside. Mood pieces aim to invoke a specific emotion. Some hurt/comfort shorts have sketchy action, with all the emphasis on what the characters feel -- typically intended to create angst, sympathy, or warmth for the reader to enjoy. Vignettes are snippets of writing which, like a snapshot, capture a brief moment in time. These may detail a quick event, like falling and being caught by someone, or focus either on the hurt or the comfort with the other implied.
What are some of your favorite genres? What do you like or dislike about hurt/comfort?
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(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-06 04:54 pm (UTC)Personally, I like H/C for the sake of H/C, I don't need a plot : )! I also like when it's a way to show how the character(s) grow and change because of what happened to them.
I've had H/C stories in my head since I was very little, maybe four or five. I find it soothing, and I prefer when there's a lot of comfort and not only hurt.
I also like it better when the hurt character is a very strong person, one that does not appear vulnerable usually (or to people who don't know them). To me it's a way to feel things vicariously, to heal the inner child, I guess.
Sometimes I wonder if it's not also a trap, that keeps me from moving on, like someone who scratches his wounds all the time and prevent the healing. I don't know.
I'm very curious to know why other people like and read hurt/comfort.
I hope I'm not rambling too much - and thanks for talking about this and offering interesting data!
Thoughts
Date: 2013-05-07 06:41 am (UTC)I like both.
>>I've had H/C stories in my head since I was very little, maybe four or five.<<
For me it dates back at least as far as my mother reading me The Hobbit when I was four.
>> I find it soothing, and I prefer when there's a lot of comfort and not only hurt. <<
I tend to favor stories with approximately equal balance, but I can be swayed in either direction by sufficiently compelling content.
>>I also like it better when the hurt character is a very strong person, one that does not appear vulnerable usually (or to people who don't know them).<<
I lean that way too; I like to crack them open and remind them that they're only mortal. I am also fond of hitting characters in their particular weak spots, or from an unexpected angle. I like pushing the limits.
Another thing I really enjoy is when a disliked or overlooked character gets a chance to save the day, and other characters are forced to acknowledge their usefulness. Unexpected yet plausibly rendered aid from a villain can be awesome.
>>I hope I'm not rambling too much<<
If I wanted to minimize conversation, I'd only post on Facebook or I'd get a Twitter account. I have blogs so I can talk with my audience. Chatty comments are gold!
>> and thanks for talking about this and offering interesting data! <<
You're welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying this. I saw some snarky posts about hurt/comfort and my literary hackles just went up. So I wanted to clear up some things that seem to have gone largely unnoticed.