THE CHOSEN ONE?
Alex Davis puts the case for and against contemporary interpretations of a well-worn fantasy trope
Alex Davis
S HOULD YOU C HOOS E
The Dark Tower, Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Matrix… what do all these famous stories have in common? Why, they feature some stripe of the ‘chosen one’ character, of course. That’s just a handful of very popular recent examples too – there are far too many to name here. And while these tales span genres, subgenres and age ranges, the concept of the ‘chosen one’ is a surprisingly common one in fantastical fiction. To try to lay down a definition, we meet an individual who we first confront in everyday situations (be that ‘everyday’ in the world as we know it or ‘everyday’ in another setting entirely), and then gradually come to realise they are anything but ordinary, be it some incredible item or ability they are bequeathed in a family legacy or some latent power that is about to be unleashed. There is often some element of fate, destiny or prophesy to go alongside that as well.
Fantasy, science-fiction, horror and young adult stories, in particular, have all dabbled with this particular archetype, and it remains something still often seen in 2017.
While there must be some sort of appeal for the idea to have stuck around for so long, is there also a case that we are getting to a point of burnout in readers and fans for this facet of a story? In this piece we’ll be looking at the case for the defence and the case for the prosecution – and sprinkling in some writing advice, plotting tips and things for writers to think about along the way, of course!