Imitative Fallacy
I brought up the term “imitative fallacy” today. Here’s some more info:
The general idea is that the story or narrative imitates the character rather than activates them. Sometimes the concept is referred to as “A boring story about a boring man.”
Here are some more definitions of the “imitative fallacy:”
The common trap of trying to make the narrative imitate the personality of the protagonist. When the novel is concerned with an unlikable or inaccessible protagonist, the narrative is also unlikable and inaccessible. Since the reader cannot figure out the protagonist, nor is the reader given any reason to care about the protagonist, the reader disengages. (Source)
The summer before last I went to Salt Lake City for the Writers at Work conference. In workshop with Steve Almond, I was introduced to the term “imitative fallacy.” Until then, I’d always called the concept, “A boring story about a boring man.” It was a Dangerous Writing caution: you must avoid falling into the trap of adopting the narrative tools of your narrator when telling a story—unless your narrator is a gifted story teller. It’s up to the writer to craft a compelling story, even if your main character is an idiot. Or, in the case of The Secret to Love’s Fifi, an emotionally disconnected scientist. (Source)