...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!
Dhalgren
- 214 statements
- 41 feature instances
- 4 referencing feature instances
| Dhalgren | type |
TVTItem | |
| Dhalgren | label |
Dhalgren | |
| Dhalgren | page |
Dhalgren | |
| Dhalgren | comment |
Dhalgren is a strange New Wave Science Fiction / Lit Fic novel by Samuel R. Delany. It takes place in the fictional city of Bellona, which is in the exact geographic center of the United States. A strange catastrophe has befallen it, and so radio/television/phone signals can neither enter nor leave. It's become a haven for the dregs and free spirits of society.The narrator, a nameless man of strange ethnicity, hitches a ride to the city, and the plot begins. He explores, learning about its inhabitants and culture, staying for months. Eventually a massive fire forces him to leave.This description doesn't really do the book justice. It's strange. (It was Delany's first serious attempt at blending SF with Lit Fic.) | |
| Dhalgren | fetched |
2024-03-15T09:15:29Z | |
| Dhalgren | parsed |
2024-03-15T09:15:29Z | |
| Dhalgren | processingComment |
Dropped link to GenreBusting: Not a Feature - IGNORE | |
| Dhalgren | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| Dhalgren / int_1527e9ae | type |
Chaos Architecture | |
| Dhalgren / int_1527e9ae | comment |
Chaos Architecture: Bellona makes no sense. One day the river is just visible from Tak's roof, the next it's not, the next it's only a block over. | |
| Dhalgren / int_1527e9ae | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_1527e9ae | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_1527e9ae | |
| Dhalgren / int_1869b4b1 | type |
Unreliable Narrator | |
| Dhalgren / int_1869b4b1 | comment |
Unreliable Narrator: Well, the fact that the narrator can't remember his own name is a major warning sign right from the start. And then Bellona is strange enough that even he's unsure at times whether he's hallucinating or not. Plus, he 'loses' time, anywhere from seconds to a few days at a go, his only knowledge of what took place during that time being the word of other characters. | |
| Dhalgren / int_1869b4b1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_1869b4b1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_1869b4b1 | |
| Dhalgren / int_18d15922 | type |
Title Drop | |
| Dhalgren / int_18d15922 | comment |
Title Drop: Dhalgren is both a name in Kidd's notebook and something he says in a vision-like image. | |
| Dhalgren / int_18d15922 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_18d15922 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_18d15922 | |
| Dhalgren / int_22cf536c | type |
Chekhov's Gun | |
| Dhalgren / int_22cf536c | comment |
Chekhov's Gun: One of the elevators in the Richardsons' apartment building doesn't work, leaving an empty shaft that Bobby almost steps into at one point. While finishing the move, June accidentally backs him into the empty shaft instead of the real elevator. At least, it was probably an accident. | |
| Dhalgren / int_22cf536c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_22cf536c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_22cf536c | |
| Dhalgren / int_2a090d00 | type |
Lampshade Hanging | |
| Dhalgren / int_2a090d00 | comment |
Lampshade Hanging: Any explanation given for the strange things that happen will usually just lampshade the fact that it doesn't really explain anything. The most obvious example is probably when Kid finds the crate of red eye caps. | |
| Dhalgren / int_2a090d00 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_2a090d00 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_2a090d00 | |
| Dhalgren / int_2f36d97 | type |
Older Than They Look | |
| Dhalgren / int_2f36d97 | comment |
Older Than They Look: Kid probably wouldn't have got that nickname if people knew he was in his late twenties, but he can be mistaken for under twenty. | |
| Dhalgren / int_2f36d97 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_2f36d97 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_2f36d97 | |
| Dhalgren / int_3036294e | type |
Scary Black Man | |
| Dhalgren / int_3036294e | comment |
Scary Black Man: Subverted by George Harrison who's treated like this but is actually the nicest person in the book... and is also possibly a rapist. Depending on one's point of view. | |
| Dhalgren / int_3036294e | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
| Dhalgren / int_3036294e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_3036294e | |
| Dhalgren / int_3c0a4666 | type |
Noodle Incident | |
| Dhalgren / int_3c0a4666 | comment |
Noodle Incident: The last part contains references to incidents that are not explained, partly because it's told in the form of a manuscript with missing pages. There are two different occasions when a woman is angry enough to seriously physically attack a man (it's not the same woman or man both times) because of something he did, but both times, it's not told what he did. The narrator also refers to incidents he won't bother to write down, even when at one point he's also saying they were more dramatic than what he is writing about. And there's also this line (slightly paraphrased here), which has no follow-up: | |
| Dhalgren / int_3c0a4666 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_3c0a4666 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_3c0a4666 | |
| Dhalgren / int_40e993f4 | type |
"Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization | |
| Dhalgren / int_40e993f4 | comment |
"Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization: George Harrison claims to be able to spot when women want to be "raped" by him and will just be happy about it, and he acts accordingly. June does seem to want to come back for seconds. | |
| Dhalgren / int_40e993f4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_40e993f4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_40e993f4 | |
| Dhalgren / int_420081bf | type |
Alien Sky | |
| Dhalgren / int_420081bf | comment |
Alien Sky: Sort of. Bellona is perpetually overcast and covered in smoke, with a few exceptions; when the sky is shown, it may contain two moons or a sun so large it takes up the whole sky. | |
| Dhalgren / int_420081bf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_420081bf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_420081bf | |
| Dhalgren / int_4304666a | type |
Meta Fiction | |
| Dhalgren / int_4304666a | comment |
Metafiction: Kidd finds a notebook which contains sections of Dhalgren. Becomes even more metafictional as editor's notes start appearing near the end making us question further what really happened here. | |
| Dhalgren / int_4304666a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_4304666a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_4304666a | |
| Dhalgren / int_5009999d | type |
Painting the Medium | |
| Dhalgren / int_5009999d | comment |
Painting the Medium: The editor's notes, typos, and Kidd's journal all create something not unlike this trope. | |
| Dhalgren / int_5009999d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_5009999d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_5009999d | |
| Dhalgren / int_5313c266 | type |
Bookends | |
| Dhalgren / int_5313c266 | comment |
Book Ends: The ending is the beginning of the opening sentence fragment. Also, when the Kid arrives in the city, he is given his orchid by someone who is leaving. When he leaves, he gives his orchid to a new arrival in a scene where the dialogue keeps mirroring the scene where he got it. | |
| Dhalgren / int_5313c266 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_5313c266 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_5313c266 | |
| Dhalgren / int_5565bf30 | type |
Three-Way Sex | |
| Dhalgren / int_5565bf30 | comment |
Three-Way Sex: The Kid, Lanya, and Denny eventually form a triad. | |
| Dhalgren / int_5565bf30 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_5565bf30 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_5565bf30 | |
| Dhalgren / int_55940b68 | type |
Doorstopper | |
| Dhalgren / int_55940b68 | comment |
Doorstopper: About 800 pages depending on the edition. | |
| Dhalgren / int_55940b68 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_55940b68 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_55940b68 | |
| Dhalgren / int_5a3b8032 | type |
The Un-Reveal | |
| Dhalgren / int_5a3b8032 | comment |
The Unreveal: All over the place. What happened to Bellona? What is the Kid's full name? What does Dhalgren mean? What are the optical chains actually? Even things that initially look like answers (such as the factory full of optical chains and red eye-caps) just raise more questions. | |
| Dhalgren / int_5a3b8032 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_5a3b8032 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_5a3b8032 | |
| Dhalgren / int_60fa92ac | type |
Names to Run Away from Really Fast | |
| Dhalgren / int_60fa92ac | comment |
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Jack The Ripper, Nightmare, Thirteen, Dragon Lady, Glass, Copperhead, Spider... And they're Kidd's friends later on in the book. | |
| Dhalgren / int_60fa92ac | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_60fa92ac | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_60fa92ac | |
| Dhalgren / int_6627695f | type |
Author Appeal | |
| Dhalgren / int_6627695f | comment |
Author Appeal: Samuel R. Delany is very fond of characters with "ugly" hands and bitten nails. Kidd has such hands. | |
| Dhalgren / int_6627695f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_6627695f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_6627695f | |
| Dhalgren / int_6bda9a30 | type |
Meaningful Name | |
| Dhalgren / int_6bda9a30 | comment |
Meaningful Name: The stages of Kidd's progression in Bellona are mirrored by significant people who are also newcomers; when he has just arrived, the poet Ernest Newboy is visiting Bellona. After Kidd toughens up and gets his gay on, the astronaut Captain Kamp is visiting. This may, or indeed may not, indicate that Kidd is a Fisher King and Bellona his Fisher Kingdom. | |
| Dhalgren / int_6bda9a30 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_6bda9a30 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_6bda9a30 | |
| Dhalgren / int_722b3319 | type |
Camp Gay | |
| Dhalgren / int_722b3319 | comment |
Camp Gay: Bunny. | |
| Dhalgren / int_722b3319 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_722b3319 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_722b3319 | |
| Dhalgren / int_7464705c | type |
Arc Words | |
| Dhalgren / int_7464705c | comment |
Arc Words: "You can't make that discord on a harmonica." "Someday I'll die." "Artichokes." | |
| Dhalgren / int_7464705c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_7464705c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_7464705c | |
| Dhalgren / int_7833feeb | type |
Sudden Name Change | |
| Dhalgren / int_7833feeb | comment |
Sudden Name Change: The protagonist starts out nameless, acquires the nickname 'The Kid,' then becomes 'Kidd,' before arbitrarily deciding he prefers 'Kid.' His name is Michael. Maybe. | |
| Dhalgren / int_7833feeb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_7833feeb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_7833feeb | |
| Dhalgren / int_82a51bc7 | type |
Bad Moon Rising | |
| Dhalgren / int_82a51bc7 | comment |
Bad Moon Rising: At one point, the clouds part to show two moons (one of which is promptly named "George") in the sky. What's more, they're in different phases; a passing physicist points out that this is impossible. | |
| Dhalgren / int_82a51bc7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_82a51bc7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_82a51bc7 | |
| Dhalgren / int_83a903f6 | type |
Stepford Smiler | |
| Dhalgren / int_83a903f6 | comment |
Stepford Smiler: There's an entire family that acts as though the world of the city hasn't ended. Special mention goes to the mother, who everyone else in the family takes special care not to remind what's really going on. | |
| Dhalgren / int_83a903f6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_83a903f6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_83a903f6 | |
| Dhalgren / int_8b6e8d7 | type |
Anachronic Order | |
| Dhalgren / int_8b6e8d7 | comment |
Anachronic Order | |
| Dhalgren / int_8b6e8d7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_8b6e8d7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_8b6e8d7 | |
| Dhalgren / int_8f746311 | type |
Cargo Cult | |
| Dhalgren / int_8f746311 | comment |
Cargo Cult: George Harrison (no, not that one) is essentially deified by the citizens of Bellona. He even has his own church. | |
| Dhalgren / int_8f746311 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_8f746311 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_8f746311 | |
| Dhalgren / int_9d6427ec | type |
Time Travel | |
| Dhalgren / int_9d6427ec | comment |
Time Travel: Possibly. Kid "loses" time, from the perspective of the other characters. It could be because of his screwy memory, or it could be that something is yanking him through time so that he'll be in the right place at the right time. Or it could be that as a fictional character, he doesn't exist when his actions aren't written down. | |
| Dhalgren / int_9d6427ec | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_9d6427ec | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_9d6427ec | |
| Dhalgren / int_a2836be5 | type |
Identity Amnesia | |
| Dhalgren / int_a2836be5 | comment |
Identity Amnesia: The protagonist remembers who he is, but has forgotten his own name. | |
| Dhalgren / int_a2836be5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_a2836be5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_a2836be5 | |
| Dhalgren / int_a340a474 | type |
CozyCatastrophe | |
| Dhalgren / int_a340a474 | comment |
Cozy Catastrophe: Many of the people who didn't evacuate Bellona are perfectly content to stay there, though they could leave at any time if they wanted to. | |
| Dhalgren / int_a340a474 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_a340a474 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_a340a474 | |
| Dhalgren / int_a6275bef | type |
Cool Sword | |
| Dhalgren / int_a6275bef | comment |
Cool Sword: The Orchid weapons, a "cage of blades that fits around the hand". | |
| Dhalgren / int_a6275bef | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_a6275bef | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_a6275bef | |
| Dhalgren / int_a7850fbf | type |
Only Known by Their Nickname | |
| Dhalgren / int_a7850fbf | comment |
Only Known by Their Nickname: Most of the Scorpions are known only by their nicknames. The main character himself is known only as 'Kid,' since he can't remember his actual name. | |
| Dhalgren / int_a7850fbf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_a7850fbf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_a7850fbf | |
| Dhalgren / int_a939a527 | type |
Red Eyes, Take Warning | |
| Dhalgren / int_a939a527 | comment |
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Kidd sometimes sees people momentarily having eyes that are all red. It certainly unnerves him a lot, although their significance is never explained. | |
| Dhalgren / int_a939a527 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_a939a527 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_a939a527 | |
| Dhalgren / int_bd842706 | type |
Hologram | |
| Dhalgren / int_bd842706 | comment |
Hologram: The Scorpion gangs are so-called because they use holographic projectors to appear as giant animals. | |
| Dhalgren / int_bd842706 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_bd842706 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_bd842706 | |
| Dhalgren / int_bef696dd | type |
Mind Screw | |
| Dhalgren / int_bef696dd | comment |
Mind Screw: "Holy crap, the sun is so big that it's taking up the entire sky! Wait, it stopped. Never mind!" The entire book, really. In every way. Special mention goes to the opening sequence and the woman the narrator meets, has sex with, and then watches as she turns into a tree. | |
| Dhalgren / int_bef696dd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_bef696dd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_bef696dd | |
| Dhalgren / int_d4e9de59 | type |
Dreadful Musician | |
| Dhalgren / int_d4e9de59 | comment |
Dreadful Musician: Inverted Trope; Lanya is a very good harmonica player, to the point where she can even play discords on a harmonica, which as Kid points out is impossible. | |
| Dhalgren / int_d4e9de59 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_d4e9de59 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_d4e9de59 | |
| Dhalgren / int_e35ab565 | type |
Indy Ploy | |
| Dhalgren / int_e35ab565 | comment |
Indy Ploy: The Emboriky Run. | |
| Dhalgren / int_e35ab565 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_e35ab565 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_e35ab565 | |
| Dhalgren / int_e399c1dd | type |
Manly Gay | |
| Dhalgren / int_e399c1dd | comment |
Manly Gay: Tak Loufer. | |
| Dhalgren / int_e399c1dd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_e399c1dd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_e399c1dd | |
| Dhalgren / int_ea2e9f2d | type |
No Ending | |
| Dhalgren / int_ea2e9f2d | comment |
No Ending | |
| Dhalgren / int_ea2e9f2d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_ea2e9f2d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_ea2e9f2d | |
| Dhalgren / int_f10a1faf | type |
ReluctantHero | |
| Dhalgren / int_f10a1faf | comment |
Reluctant Hero: The Kidd spends much of the latter parts of the book complaining that he's been turned into a hero of Bellona | |
| Dhalgren / int_f10a1faf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_f10a1faf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_f10a1faf | |
| Dhalgren / int_f77cc0c9 | type |
Psmith Psyndrome | |
| Dhalgren / int_f77cc0c9 | comment |
Psmith Psyndrome: The narrator can tell when others pronounce his name as "kid", "Kid" or "Kidd". | |
| Dhalgren / int_f77cc0c9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_f77cc0c9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_f77cc0c9 | |
| Dhalgren / int_name | type |
ItemName | |
| Dhalgren / int_name | comment |
||
| Dhalgren / int_name | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren / int_name | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Dhalgren / int_name | |
| Dhalgren / int_name | itemName |
Dhalgren |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
| Dhalgren | seeAlso |
Dhalgren | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Ghost City / int_22bd9c10 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Identity Amnesia / int_22bd9c10 | |
| Dhalgren | hasFeature |
Speculative Fiction LGBT / int_22bd9c10 |
Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.