 Can Jung explain coincidence? I was reading a mystery today, enjoying the story, when I was brought to a screeching halt. The author had introduced a rather significant coincidence into the story--two seemingly unrelated events--which of course became pivotal to the plot.
I wasn't bothered by the coincidence, but rather by how easily the heroine assumed that these events--a distant relative's death from natural causes and the disappearance of a local person--just HAD to be connected. It felt a bit clumsy, a bit contrived. I know that history is full of crazy coincidences, but as a reader, I wasn't sure that it worked. I felt a little manipulated by the author. HOWEVER, my husband, a cognitive psychologist, had a different take. He said that the character's insistence that the events had to be linked exemplifies two things. First, that people naturally look for patterns, even when no patterns exist. Second, people feel the need to account for extraordinary events with extraordinary explanations, even when a common explanation would suffice (also called the "Spectacular Explanation Fallacy.") So, for example, have you ever been humming a tune, and when you next turn on the radio, that same tune is playing? Or have you ever dreamed about a friend, and the next day she calls you? Strange, right? But how do you explain it? A divine being at work? ESP? Fate? Alignment of the planets? Jung's collective unconscious? Producers manipulating your life? (okay, think Truman Show for the last one). So I'm curious about two things: Have you ever been thrown off by a coincidence that seemed too jarring to be credible, as either a reader or as a viewer? Have you ever experienced a coincidence that's stranger than fiction? So, ultimately, should a coincidence be plausible?
11 Comments
Matt
1/28/2012 11:18:45 pm
"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine." Alright, maybe this isn't exactly the same, but it's still an awesome line. :-)
Matt
1/28/2012 11:27:27 pm
Of course, her apparent 'illusory correlation' ultimately ended up being a real correlation, right? Ain't chance grand?!? Right--that's why it bugged me. I wish the author had linked the events somehow, so that the reader could go back and say, 'aha!" I felt in this case I was being hit over the head with it. ("Look look you'll see this isn't really a coincidence...pay attention!) I would have appreciated a more subtle approach.
bekerys
1/29/2012 04:11:15 am
I think someone once referred to that sort of leap of logic as intuition, and as your brain making hundreds of little connections so fast that you aren't aware of it, just the conclusion that the two events are related in some way. I think this was Spock to Kirk, or McCoy to Kirk, in one of the movies, and if they say it, it must be true. 1/31/2012 07:13:48 am
From a narrative perspective, the main question is whether the reader accepts it as part of the story. You were jarred out of the fictional space, so I'd argue that in that case, the author didn't do a good enough job of presenting it as valid. Jeff, I didn't want to give to many specifics about the book, but in this case, the protagonist finds something a short while later that legitimately connects the aunt and the missing person. I'd have preferred her to stumble upon the evidence first, and then make a connection from these seemingly disconnected events. But I'm starting to slowly realize that I can't control the universe...
bekerys
2/4/2012 04:58:40 am
Well, you can't control the universe we all share, but your own universe in your upcoming novels is totally your playground! And I can't wait to visit!
caroll
2/27/2012 10:30:41 pm
Hi all, I feel the need to tell someone about some things that have happend in my life over the past few years. My husband and I own a petrol station in country victoria . All parties signed the Contract of Sale on 7/2/2005. I still have my copy. The thing is... that the property was destroyed by fire on what is now known as 'black saturday', or 7/2/2009. 'spooky eh' , My most recent cause to wonder happened today. I was previously married and divorced, I have had no contact with my first husband for 30 or so years. I had no idea where he was at all. At work at the petrol station today a man drove in and filled his car up with fuel and came into the shop to pay, he looked at me and said Caroll I said yes and he said his name and I still didnt know him. He then said my first husbands name and then I remembered the man was my first husbands best friend who I also had not seen for 30 years. He told me that he was living in Queensland and had driven down a couple of days previously to attend the funeral of my first husband. He decided to visit a couple whom he once lived next door to and who now live in my town. He realised he needed fuel and so stopped at our petrol station before he continued on his way. I am numb.. and I am in shock at todays events. I feel that my ex husband arranged the visit to let me know and to say goodbye.. What do you think. ? Leave a Reply. |
Susanna CalkinsHistorian. Mystery writer. Researcher. Teacher. Occasional blogger. Categories
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