Comments on: Literary Tryptichs: ‘Trapped in Paradise’

By: Arabella Figg

Arabella Figg — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:42:00 +0000

Peanuts: Charlie Brown (desire), Linus (mind) and Snoopy (spirit).

Still snowing–now officially our 5th snowiest season on record.

Fullatricks watches the flakes, then chases little Flako…

By: Arabella Figg

Arabella Figg — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:44:09 +0000

More triads for Jurassic Park:

Age: child/adult/elderly
Predators: animals/humans/lawyers
Times: contemporary/ancient/blended–approaching from a different angle, Pat.
Agendas: make the dinos/destroy the dinos/pet the dinos

Finding Nemo: Marlin (mind), Nemo (desire), Dory (spirit). There’s a case for swapping Dory and Nemo.

Professor, I will always be looking for tryptichs in books and films, now–I’m ‘a gittin’ eddicated.

Four inches of snow, still the flu…thankfully there are kitties…

By: Arabella Figg

Arabella Figg — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:06:01 +0000

Oh, dear Professor, don’t reign us in yet; this is too, too fun in bleak March (it’s snowing for the umpteenth time).

The Wizard of Oz–The Scarecrow (mind), Tin Man (heart) and Cowardly Lion (spirit, if found a bit late) help Dorothy get home.

Signs–I can’t remember the names, but Graham, the priest (spirit broken then healed), his brother (desire–thwarted ambition, consumed by invasion) and son (mind, working to understand and defeat invaders) together defeat the alien and their own familial alienation.

Shrek–Shrek (mind), Donkey (desire), Fiona (spirit)

Monsters, Inc.–Sully (desire), Mike (mind), little girl (spirit).

Cleverpuss (mind), Fullatricks (desire) and Madame LaScrawny (spirit) now demand all three from me…

By: pj

pj — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:18:41 +0000

“Twoo wuv….” Oh my, I’d forgotten all about *The Princess Bride*. I’ve been laughing so hard, my eyes are tearing and my abs hurt! We had a pastor who used “wuv, twoo wuv” during a tense wedding rehearsal and brought the house down. I don’t think anyone in the wedding party had a straight face during the actual ceremony next day!!!!!

Where are you, Professor? Care to bring us back to earth?

PJ, just having a great time coasting on the Triptych-tangent!

By: Arabella Figg

Arabella Figg — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:49:30 +0000

Hmm… Jurassic Park isn’t a favorite, but there’s certainly a triangle. Both Drs. Grant (Sam Neill) and Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) could be desire/emotion–Grant doesn’t like kids but ends up being their fierce protector, Malcom desires Dr. Satler (Laura Dern) and loves dinos.

Yet either could be mind—Grant is a paleontologist withdrawn from his emotions; Malcolm is intelligently opposes Hammond’s plans.

Sattler is spirit (and, given her education, incredibly dumb, to boot).

Yet, we have another desire character here, who could replace Grant or Malcolm—the T-Rex who kills the kitchen raptors and saves the kids!

Let’s look at The Princess Bride, definitely a favorite of mine.

Commoners: Wesley (mind), Buttercup (spirit), Montoya (desire)

Royals: Count Rugen (mind), Miracle Max or the Clergyman (spirit), Prince Humperdinck (desire),

The kitties get “twoo wuv” around here…

By: pj

pj — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:27:18 +0000

Pat….in National Treasure, the triptycal combinations are varied in terms of Desire/Spirit/Mind. Hence these characters: Ben/Abigail/Riley; Ben/Riley/Mr.Gates; FBI agent/Ben/Bad Guys; Ben/Mr.Gates/Grandfather Gates; Riley/Abigail/Bad Guys; Good Guys/Bad Guys/FreeMasons’ Caverns….do you see where I’m heading with this? At any given moment in the film, the triptych construct shifts with the combos. There are times when I think Riley is the Mind and Ben the Desire…then they switch! I find Abigail is pretty constant as Spirit…she is such an encourager after committing to the hunt, albeit at first by force.

Of course in the second film, we get to see Ben’s mother and another “non-Gates-family treasure-seeker”….what can I say? Great fun!

By: pj

pj — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:08:24 +0000

I’m not a Jurassic Park fan, but I would offer up the possibilities of Past/Present/Future or Science/Mankind/Animalkind. I’m sure the issues of Genetic engineering/Ethical responsibility/Tragic outcome could be mixed in as well…so another tweek, perhaps: Evolutionary oddity/Human Interference/Divine retribution???

PJ, not a fan of reptilian anything unless a pane of glass is between us.

By: John

John — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:17:39 +0000

A note from Joel:

I was listening to a DVD commentary by Screenwriter David Koepp and he said something which reminded me of your “heart, mind and body” chart which you had in your book. He said…..

The love triangle is the best possible thing to hang your movie on. A triangle is the most stable plane in geomatry. You can deconstruct the great movies and if its not a love triangle is a triangle of some type or another. Three is a number that really works. David Koepp

David Koepp has written my favirot movie “Jurassic Park” and he wrote the upcoming Indiana Jones film. The commentary track in which he stated this was on his Edgar Allen Poe type thriller “Secret Window” with Johnny Depp. However, I’m still trying to figure out what kind of Triangle Jurassic Park is hung on.

By: Eeyore

Eeyore — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:37:51 +0000

Arabella–I loved Enchanted. And I agree with your tryptichs, especially dividing them by their locations.

Sorry, John, I can’t comment on Trapped in Paradise–I’m not a huge Nicholas Cage fan. Though I have watched both National Treasure movies, and don’t those also fit? Hmmm, I’d have to look up the characters’ names to say how.

Pat

By: Arabella Figg

Arabella Figg — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:20:09 +0000

Actually, I think I’d amend my Enchanted tryptich. with Andalasians Giselle as spirit, Pip the chipmunk as mind and Nathanel as desire, finally turned good. The three defeat the queen.

The New York trio would be Morgan (spirit), Robert (mind), Nancy (desire).

The kitties still are jonesing for some marginalized vermin…