Discussion Why some people likes 'tragedy' tag?

These are actually a good point. Getting tired of hypocrites and fakes are probably the main reason.

Makes sense, since I dont mind fakes and hypocrisy for the sake of avoiding troubles. Though it must've been the main reason that i have trust issues.

 

Any genre is welcome, as long as they’re well-written. The reason I (occasionally) read tragedies is because I’m invested in the story already. If the story is sad enough, I’ll cry. If not, at least it was entertaining.

 

Well, one important part to consider is that tragedy kind of requires good writing to work so that you can become invested in the story and characters despite it not being "enjoyable".
Fiction after all is not just about escapism but can also be about simply stirring up emotions or making you rethink about the things you experience in real life.
Personally I prefer bittersweet stories, ones with a good mix of tragedy and enjoyment.
Though I'm sure there are some people that read tragedy just for fun as well, I can't really speak for those.

 

If I have to say, I like comedy, strategy action the most while I can accept tragic events in a story if it is a good addition. I put off pure tragedies or bitter and depressing romances (though I can see the appeal of the bitter conflicts and misunderstandings of the leads) because simply I won't feel good inside. I'll usually recover fast though and I'm pretty desensitized by now from all the atrocities in webnovels.

I'll still read those when I think my heart is prepared.

 

Because I feels like torturing myself... J/K.
Sometimes the one with tragedy are written really good, as in it really hurt just to read it.

 

back when i used to exclusively read tragedy, it was because it just felt so good to feel really sad idk. i just wanted to feel sad. i like emotional stuff, makes me feel emotion, unlike real life

 

+1

 

This is so true. On the face of things, it's obvious that everyone reads books because their fun and enjoyable. But if that were really the case, then everyone would read the same kinds of books and nothing else. The reality is that people get different things out of reading so different things will appeal to different people. For example, a lot of readers on NU seem to love books about people with superpowers who can push everyone else around with little effort. On the other hand, I don't get what people see in these stories, but that's all right because it's good for people to like different things.

So on to Tragedies: the main draws for this genre are things like engagement, immersion, investment, and of course emotional power. These stories are some of the strongest and most memorable out there because there is truth to them and they are about real people. Readers don't really enjoy these books so much as they get meaning and other kinds of value out of them. Personally I don't really seek out Tragedies, but the good ones out there can be really really good. It should be noted though that a lot of the books in NU in the Tragedy genre don't belong there so buyer beware.

 

I read tragedy for the character development. Most of the tragedy (that i know) are like "Oh no shes dead I cant believe it"
and then the mc next day is just traveling around the world and forgetting that someone died for 200 chapters and then mentions them once. (someone might have mentioned this before i didnt read those long texts cuz im lazy)

 

Yeah, that description might be mistaken for a Tragedy but it's not. How to tell the difference? Tragedies aren't just stories where people close to the protagonist die. Tragedy is a genre so it means that it's something that the entire story revolves around; either as a tone and mood that pervades the whole thing or it's a process that leads up to some sort of great loss. It's noteworthy that this loss doesn't have to be death; it can be a separation if it's sad enough or even impending loss if it's meaningful enough. In any case though, losses may be overcome but if they're forgotten then it's highly unlikely to be a Tragedy.

 

Honestly, as ToastedRossi pointed out, the Tragedy Genre Tag on NU is used horrifically. It's used for stories where the MC has a tragic beginnings, NOT for stories where the story's emotional emphasis is on the Tragedy. The Portrait of Dorian Grey (which I haven't read, so this is second hand knowledge) is a Tragedy, MC get's magical painting that keeps him young and changes to represent the monster he becomes. End of story MC looks at the painting and realises how much of a monster he has become. A Series Of Unfortunate Events is a Tragedy, no matter what happens the MC's end up in a disastrous situation from which they seem to be unable to find any escape, only temporary reprieve. This almost never happens on stories marked "Tragedy" on NU.

What people get out of these stories, I suspect, is akin to what they get out of Reality Television or why disasters get such high ratings. Some relief that it isn't them, some acknowledgement that they're not the only person suffering in the world, and some enjoyment out of watching others suffer, with the % varying depending on the individual.

 

Also worth noting that a tragedy can still have happier moments and even a sort of happy ending, as long as tragedy is a pervasive theme throughout the story.
You can even argue that the protagonist doesn't even have to be the one going through loss or separation if there are other major characters that do and have a persistent impact on the story.
But yeah, if the tragedy present in the story is just fleeting moments that have only minor impact on the plot, then the story itself can't be called a tragedy.

 

I love reading tragedy, but people for their own life don't know how to tag them properly. The Tragedy Genre of NU doesn't help either. Containing great loss or misfortune alone isn't a tragedy, that's just life. Tragedy is when such devastation lingered and loomed with its overarching reach, not forgotten or treat with little to no emotional impact.

 

Sadly Tragedy is one of the most poorly applied genres on NU. The only ones that are treated worse are wuxia and historical novels. As least with Tragedy and wuxia, it's easy to see why someone who doesn't read these books might not have any idea what they're about so they use the terms poorly. With historical novels I don't have a clue why anyone would screw that up.

Absolutely. There's no reason why a Tragedy has to be fully tragic to the very end; it's a genre, not the description of an ending.

 

I only like tragedy in one-shot because I am not invested in the characters but plot and themes. But in long novel I care about the characters more and do not mind the themes so it could be leisurely with no thought provoking central issue. Something like Quick transmigration could be 'tragic' story in the small worlds but the overall story should not be tragic because the MC is well and healthy in the real world.

I could handle tragedy more if its more dissociate from the real world. For example in your example its about close to reality thus I won't like it. But if the tragedy is the annihilation of the whole world like in an apocolypse or a zombie infestation I would not mind.

 

That's why I only read HE novels~ So I can be assured that everything will be alright in the end. But I still wouldn't like it if the MC has to suffer too much of hardship before getting HE.

 

You get tired of feel-good wish-fulfilment stories where the MC never really faces a challenge.

 

A work of art is a work of art regardless of genre. A well done tragedy is as good as a well done comedy or epic.

Look up SukaSuka for an example of a tragedy that is well done.

 

Same. There are times when I feel like I want to cry but I can't. I need to trigger myself with tragedies