Tolkein's Poisoned Arrow
I have been thinking of Tolkein these past few days - as I make notes which reveal that the novel is not going to go the way I thought it should, but is going to go the way Creon has decided it will go. I remember Tolkein in one of his letters saying something to the effect that Boromir's brother had shown up, and was a very interesting character, but if he went on much longer most of him was going to have to be removed to the appendix. Maybe he did have that poisoned arrow in mind for Faramir right from the start, but I have a feeling that he found himself in a position where he had a plot well on its way and suddenly found himself with a character coming on stage who could have sent it all askew, just by his presence and personality. I'm very fond of Faramir, and always thought that arrow was a dirty trick, but it may have been authorial need!

Probably a corollary for fictional characters, in that, for the Chinese curse "May you live in interesting time". Such as - "May you be the minor character who could have derailed the plot."
- Lynda

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