Amnesia Plots
Why are amnesia plots so common?
Because authors and storytellers love them. Duh.
But why do modern bards love the amnesia plot so much? Why does it show up in movie after TV show after comic strip after book? Why does it seem that virtually every SF/F author writes an amnesia plot at some point in their career?
What's the allure?
As someone who is extremely intrigued by the classic amnesia plot, and as a writer with an amnesia-plotted story in my Projects bin, I've been thinking about why they're so popular. What is it about the amnesia plot that resonates with people on such a deep level? Especially since the vast majority of amnesia plots don't even bother to represent amnesia accurately; it's much more fun to write a character who's lost all their memories up to this point, but can still form new ones, than it is to write a character who actually has amnesia.
Is it fear of losing our own memories?
Or is it some kind of innate knowledge of our own amnesia?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (that's the church I belong to), we believe that there is a Veil separating the physical world from the spiritual one. This Veil wipes our memories of everything we were before we came here, because if we remembered pre-mortality, we wouldn't be at all tempted by the Devil. I mean, a third of the hosts of heaven followed him down to earth and lost their shot at getting bodies, but all of us with bodies didn't! We're here, after all. So if we remembered everything that happened beforehand, nothing could tempt us (because we already made our choice), and we'd not really learn anything because there would be no real opposition.
So there's stuff we don't remember: who we were, where we came from, how we got here and why. And as a result, the amnesia plot speaks to us on a very basic level, because there's something inside us that sympathizes with the poor, memoryless character blundering through the story. We cringe at every mistake they make, every trap they fall into, every awkward conversation they blunder through, because somewhere deep within us, we know exactly what they're going through, and we feel compassion and love for that character.
Of course, our natural, innate sympathy for amnesiac characters may not be the only reason why amnesia plots are so common in the SF/F genres. A great many SF/F worlds are super complex and detailed, and the creators of the story have to get crucial worldbuilding information across somehow. Having a character who has to learn--or relearn--that info along with the reader is the easiest way to do it. So there are practical concerns in there, too.
But mostly, I think we creators like our amnesia plots because we know how deeply they resonate with consumers. And with ourselves, because let's face it, a lot of authors write what they are interested in and resonate with and just assume that there are readers out there somewhere who will also be interested and resonant.
Also, if you do any sort of research into amnesia plots, you'll probably find a million people clamoring for actual amnesia in these sorts of stories, with accurate symptoms and resolutions (or lack thereof). Having done that research, and having experimented with the idea mentally, let me tell you that it's a lot harder to do it that way. Which, granted, means that you have to get more creative with your story and thus will write something more unique and awesome, but in my opinion, we shouldn't get rid of the 'standard' amnesia plot just because it's inaccurate to real amnesia.
For one thing, the 'standard' version is a classic! Most everybody has had some exposure to it in one form or another, and it's actually quite a fun way to write a story. And even if it isn't accurate to earthly amnesia, it is accurate to Veil-induced amnesia, and as such, it'll probably never go out of style. Like I said, it's a classic. So please, please, please keep writing stories with the classic amnesia plot! I love the death out of them! Just... you know, add in stories with more realistic amnesia, too.
Come to think of it, maybe there should be a genre for amnesia plots...
Anyway. That's all I've got for today. I'm going to go puzzle out the intricacies of a whole genre based around amnesia plots. Who knows? Maybe I'll write a post about it sometime. :)
Because authors and storytellers love them. Duh.
But why do modern bards love the amnesia plot so much? Why does it show up in movie after TV show after comic strip after book? Why does it seem that virtually every SF/F author writes an amnesia plot at some point in their career?
What's the allure?
Is it fear of losing our own memories?
Or is it some kind of innate knowledge of our own amnesia?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (that's the church I belong to), we believe that there is a Veil separating the physical world from the spiritual one. This Veil wipes our memories of everything we were before we came here, because if we remembered pre-mortality, we wouldn't be at all tempted by the Devil. I mean, a third of the hosts of heaven followed him down to earth and lost their shot at getting bodies, but all of us with bodies didn't! We're here, after all. So if we remembered everything that happened beforehand, nothing could tempt us (because we already made our choice), and we'd not really learn anything because there would be no real opposition.
So there's stuff we don't remember: who we were, where we came from, how we got here and why. And as a result, the amnesia plot speaks to us on a very basic level, because there's something inside us that sympathizes with the poor, memoryless character blundering through the story. We cringe at every mistake they make, every trap they fall into, every awkward conversation they blunder through, because somewhere deep within us, we know exactly what they're going through, and we feel compassion and love for that character.
Of course, our natural, innate sympathy for amnesiac characters may not be the only reason why amnesia plots are so common in the SF/F genres. A great many SF/F worlds are super complex and detailed, and the creators of the story have to get crucial worldbuilding information across somehow. Having a character who has to learn--or relearn--that info along with the reader is the easiest way to do it. So there are practical concerns in there, too.
But mostly, I think we creators like our amnesia plots because we know how deeply they resonate with consumers. And with ourselves, because let's face it, a lot of authors write what they are interested in and resonate with and just assume that there are readers out there somewhere who will also be interested and resonant.
Also, if you do any sort of research into amnesia plots, you'll probably find a million people clamoring for actual amnesia in these sorts of stories, with accurate symptoms and resolutions (or lack thereof). Having done that research, and having experimented with the idea mentally, let me tell you that it's a lot harder to do it that way. Which, granted, means that you have to get more creative with your story and thus will write something more unique and awesome, but in my opinion, we shouldn't get rid of the 'standard' amnesia plot just because it's inaccurate to real amnesia.
For one thing, the 'standard' version is a classic! Most everybody has had some exposure to it in one form or another, and it's actually quite a fun way to write a story. And even if it isn't accurate to earthly amnesia, it is accurate to Veil-induced amnesia, and as such, it'll probably never go out of style. Like I said, it's a classic. So please, please, please keep writing stories with the classic amnesia plot! I love the death out of them! Just... you know, add in stories with more realistic amnesia, too.
Come to think of it, maybe there should be a genre for amnesia plots...
Anyway. That's all I've got for today. I'm going to go puzzle out the intricacies of a whole genre based around amnesia plots. Who knows? Maybe I'll write a post about it sometime. :)
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