A little tragedy

I read Tolkein’s ‘Children of Hurin’ yesterday. Now I love Lord of the Rings and can appreciate the style of prose which some find a little weird and long winded. I cannot really stomach a tragedy though. I can appreciate the effort and style in writing one, Romeo and Juliet is amazing, but the morbid ending leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I don’t watch movies to appreciate reality; I watch them to avoid it. There is enough crap happening in the world already, there is no need to add to it fictionally. The guy should get the girl and ‘happily ever after’ should still happen. Movies like ‘Message in a Bottle’ are just depressing. Sure you can have a little pathos in the whole thing, kill off a mentor, have the occasional minor death to help tension and focus-just don’t kill off the hero! So if you are looking for something to help lift your mood then read the book for literary brilliance, not for the tale.