Manic Pixie Dream Girlunknown
A Manic Pixie Dream Girl or MPDG, is a term coined by film critic Nathan Rabin after seeing Elizabethtown. It refers to 'that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.' A pretty, outgoing, whacky female romantic lead whose sole purpose is to help broody male characters lighten up and enjoy their lives.
In Garden State, Natalie Portman was a Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
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Manic Pixie Dream Girlunknown
A female character who's entire character is based around a guy's shallow definition of a 'perfect girl', a nerd's wet dream girlfriend. She plays all the games he plays, likes everything he likes, and probably has a pixie cut or some other radical hairstyle. She probably has a 'perfect body' but hides it under baggy clothes, and wears nothing but nerdy video game centric t shirts or ridiculously over the top outfits that are practically costumes.
Guy: I'm not like other guys who are shallow and just want a blonde bimbo, I want a girl who plays video games and embraces life like me. She's beautiful but doesn't know it, and she loves nerdy stuff!
Girl: So you want a manic pixie dream girl
Girl: So you want a manic pixie dream girl
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manic pixie dream girlunknown
A female in her 20s who tries to interact with a brooding, loner guy, for she adores him. She acts so cutesy and a little quirky but she believes she was put in this guy's life to change his life and perhaps he will fall for her. She will go to great lengths to please him, showing him the world in her eyes. The guy soon realizes he can't go a day without seeing girl. It gets to a point where she will do absolutely ANYTHING to make his world comfortable, waiting for his requited love and sometimes he ends up taking her for granted. They either fall in love, or the love is unrequited. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl could potentially end up broken hearted. This type of girl was defined by a man who noticed the MPDG behavior in the movie Elizabethtown staring Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom, as well as the film Garden State starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman.
Ainsley acts like broodingMorgan's manic pixie dream girl.
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Manic pixie dream girlunknown
An album made by the band doll skin that was released in 2017. The album includes some amazing songs like “shut up (you miss me) and daughter.
Have you heard the amazing albummanic pixie dream girl by doll skin?
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Manic pixie dream girlunknown
A manic pixie dream girl is a, typically young, female character, aged from late teen’s to early twenty’s. A manic pixie dream girl is usually juvenile in appearance and in mind, giving an air whimsy. found in pop culture, these characters on their own would be traditionally seen as helpless in the real world but are useful tools to their main character counter part(s).
The manic pixie dream girl can be seen as a tool for :comic relief, emotional support, and,emotional uplifting.
The manic pixie dream girl can be seen as a tool for :comic relief, emotional support, and,emotional uplifting.
by Ashla Brinn Lippi February 15, 2019
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- 1Examples of MPDG
- 17COMM 3460 - Updates to Manic Pixie Dream Girl
- 18Peer Feedback for COMM 3460 Students
Examples of MPDG[edit]
It seems that Ruby Sparks (2012) should be a paradigmatic example of this? Ruby is conjured up literally from the imagination of the depressed male protagonist. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:BB8:2002:1500:FDE5:7510:9B00:48C1 (talk) 14:13, 6 March 2017 (UTC)
Source for Zooey/Summer as MPDG? Because I thought the whole plot of that film was that she WASN'T a MPDG. She had her own goals and dreams (so she dumps the main character and proceeds to live that life). 93.182.134.163 (talk) 18:00, 29 January 2010 (UTC)
- I agree with you that she is not an MPDG, but the characterization of Summer as this stock character is entirely subjective. But I don't think she should be listed in the article precisely because there are so many other, better examples of the trope. Additionally, the article that was originally sourced is not a good, authoritative source, since it first describes Summer as an MPDG, then explains all the ways in which she is not an MPDG. -Juansmith (talk) 07:26, 25 February 2010 (UTC)
- And now this role appears in both the 'Examples' and 'Counterexamples' sections.. sigh.
- Could she be an example of a Maniac Pixie Dream Girl (an alternative and more interesting type mentioned by Charles Stross in his blog? Schissel | Sound the Note! 15:31, 12 June 2017 (UTC)
Would Maude from Harold and Maude count? She's _older_, but beyond that I think perhaps a perfect fit? Kaolin fire (talk) 05:03, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- I have a reference citing her. I'll add it.--Esprit15d • talk • contribs 20:22, 9 November 2010 (UTC)
I was thinking Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind captures it pretty well (and has the modern indie elements). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.49.100.92 (talk) 19:14, 21 May 2010 (UTC)
Finding good examples is problematic in that the archetype you're looking for in the term is incompatible with good writing, such that even good MPDG candidates usually have, at the very least, some tacked on motives. For instance, Maude in Harold and Maude clearly has her own goals and agenda, which are revealed (to the protagonist's chagrin) at the end of the film. Even Penny Lane becomes a meta-MPDG, as we and the protagonist see her backstage collapse in her attempt to play that inherently emptying role, not with the protagonist, but with another major character. So, not sure these two examples work, but perhaps they serve to gesture at the point. 69.178.57.36 (talk) 07:04, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
- Please see the note immediately following this. - SummerPhD (talk) 23:41, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
- Please see Wikipedia's 'No original research' rules. The article isn't the place to speculate about the scope of the term, but a place to report what reliable sources have said about the scope of the term. THF (talk) 05:07, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- In addition, she's a deconstruction of the MPDG, not a straight example. In that she's genuinely unbalanced, not happy, and not really coping very well with the real world. Has a little more depth than the typical MPDG. In other news, when did this wiki become tvtropes?!
I was thinking Lisa from Weird Science is definitely an MPDG. In light of the fact that I'm not quite certain if adding her would fall in the scope of this article as the commenter above referenced, I'll leave it to someone else to determine whether she's a good enough fit to add.Ø (talk) 19:39, 30 January 2011 (UTC)Ø
- I guess Summer is an MPDG to an extent, but why choose a Zooey character that's borderline-MPDG when you could go were her more clear-cut MPDG characters (Alison in Yes Man is SO MPDG). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.251.184.220 (talk) 08:44, 5 February 2011 (UTC)
Source for Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment? That character has a pretty dark story, and an awful lot going on. I'd be pretty surprised to see her seriously suggested as a good example. spoko (talk) 18:56, 23 September 2011 (UTC)
Madonna in Who's That Girl (1987 film)? Robert K S (talk) 02:09, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
- If a reliable source says she is, she is. If there are no reliable sources saying she is, she isn't. - SummerPhD (talk) 03:10, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
Examples in Other Media[edit]
Many have described Alaska from 'Looking for Alaska' as an MPDG. A Google search for the two together turns up an unending list of blog posts on the topic, but I'm not sure what might be a reliable source. GCNovus (talk) 17:26, 02 November 2011 (UTC)
- I would certainly feel comfortable using her as an example in casual conversation, but I think here we should stick to a few iconic and easily-recognizable examples. If Green himself or a major reviewer (Kirkus, Booklist, something like that) has made the connection, it would probably merit a mention at the Looking for Alaska article, though. FiveColourMap (talk) 04:55, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
I hadn't thought to look for Green's own thoughts on the subject. He discusses Alaska as an MPDG in the Destruction of Manic Pixie Dream Girls: 'I actually think the MPDG criticism is more fairly leveled against a novel like, say, Looking for Alaska–in which the narrator, by nature of his circumstances, is never able to see the other as fully human.' GCNovus (talk) 23:02, 03 November 2011 (UTC)
Cassie from 'The Nightmare Stacks' by Charles Stross is described by the author as a 'maniac pixie dream girl'. She superficially appears to fit the description perfectly, but it's an act to advance her own goals (conquest of Earth and enslavement of mankind). Her species are the source of legends of elves and other fae folk, so she is also literally a pixie, in a way. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.107.186.18 (talk) 16:41, 12 May 2017 (UTC)
that's a chauvinist title[edit]
find sources to support it in article 'cause it's obvious. --79.130.11.198 (talk) 13:33, 21 May 2010 (UTC)
- How is it a chauvinist title? It's a chauvinist 'concept', not a chauvinist title. The title merely reflects the concept. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.235.128.132 (talk) 12:43, 29 October 2010 (UTC)
What about Amelie? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.96.37.19 (talk) 15:06, 21 May 2010 (UTC)
- Uh, no. Amelie is her own protagonist, not the romantic interest of a brooding male protagonist and is clearly seeking out her own happiness not only helping others find theirs. Also, she's not shallow at all, she definitely has her own issues to work through. If this article didn't lay out what qualities denote an MPDG clearly enough for you, try this one: [1]Ø (talk) 08:30, 30 January 2011 (UTC)Ø
Do you really understand what wikipedia is all about? Just because I think that the queen of Jordan is an MPDG does not qualify her to be cited here. Perhaps, you think that the princess of Japan, the Chancellor of Germany, or Princess Diana qualifies as MPDG, but that would be your personal opinion. Your personal opinions are not sufficient to justify placing any fact or non-fact into wikipedia articles.
Hence Jewish Anderstein (talk) 01:38, 18 February 2011 (UTC)
Non-American media[edit]
MPDG is purely an American (United States) classification of stereotypical/stock characters. However, movies of non-American origins may have characters that correspond to MPDG. If so, those inclusions should be made into a separate section 'Non-American media'.
I extracted the following, removed it from the article and placed it here because without attribution of any reference, I take it as original research by whomever who inserted it:
- 'However many characters from European art-house cinema do fit the criteria, including Paz Vega's character in Julio Medem's Sex and Lucia and Eva Green's character in Bertolucci's The Dreamers.'
- 'The character known only as The Girl in Korea's wildly popular My Sassy Girl, Faye Wong's character in the Hong Kong film Chungking Express all fit the description.'
I also further wish to modify its structure a little to make the sentence more acceptable:
- 'However many characters from European art-house cinema do fit the criteria, including Paz Vega's character in Julio Medem's Sex and Lucia and Eva Green's character in Bertolucci's The Dreamers.'
- 'The character known only as The Girl in the Korean movie My Sassy Girl, as well as Faye Wong's character in the Hong Kong film Chungking Express, both fall into the description of MPDG.'
Someone please work hard to find references to justify the inclusion of the above and insert it back into the article under the section name I proposed.
Hence Jewish Anderstein (talk) 18:27, 22 July 2010 (UTC)
I have no clue what kind of references I would have to insert, but a classic example of a MPDG is Betty Blue in Betty Blue / 37°2 le matin.
I think the stereotype exists in literature also. Sabeth in Max Frisch's Home Faber comes to mind - she (and her lover, Faber) fit all the criteria. But we'd need somebody who knows more about literature to tell us if the cliché exists in literature as well. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.87.141.2 (talk) 22:22, 27 April 2012 (UTC)
- You'll need reliable sources calling your examples 'Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. Without those sources, we have nothing to add. - SummerPhD (talk) 01:47, 28 April 2012 (UTC)
Does anything out there mention the parallel to magic negro?[edit]
I'm aware of the rule against original research. Therefore, I'm just going to ask if anyone knows of any qualifying source (i.e., meeting verifiability and reliable source policies) that draws this parallel? Lawikitejana (talk) 21:02, 5 September 2011 (UTC)
The line in this article about only caring for her mans happiness without caring for her own is clearly an opinion and not an encyclopedia type description, as the listed source is 'A feminist critique'. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.76.43.133 (talk) 03:00, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
Someone help me fit in this quote[edit]
Can't decide on the best place to put this quote from a retrospective piece analyzing the enduring appeal of Annie Hall:
What's the Big Deal?: Annie Hall (1977)Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) - Wednesday, May 12, 2010Author: FILM.COM / Eric D. Snider
Annie Hall herself is reflected in the quirky, carefree characters who are now often played by Zooey Deschanel -- the 'manic pixie dream girl,' as film critic Nathan Rabin famously called them. Annie's kooky manner of dress (which was Keaton's own, and which inspired a brief fashion craze) and her general flightiness weren't totally new -- Goldie Hawn co-existed -- but Annie was a fully realized character being appreciated by a new generation of moviegoers, many of whom became moviemakers. The women in Garden State, Almost Famous, and Elizabethtown, just to name a few, have a bit of Annie Hall in them, though usually not as nuanced.
Lawikitejana (talk) 02:13, 6 September 2011 (UTC)
Manic Pixie Dream Girl Tv Tropes
Anne Hathaway[edit]
Would Anne Hathaway in 'Love and Other Drugs' fit this type cast? Not very familiar with chick flicks. Warband light and darkness.
- Do you have any reliable sources that describe her in this way? We must follow the sources, no matter what we think of her. -- Brangifer (talk) 04:44, 15 February 2012 (UTC)
Too Broad a Category to Be Useful?[edit]
It seems any female character whose somewhat unconventional is getting this label attached to her. With several of the examples given such Annie Hall the female character clearly does have her own interests or issues. The problem of course may be with the original definition and definer, not wikipedia itself. 50.101.125.50 (talk) 17:29, 18 March 2012 (UTC)
- To the extent that I've been able to control it, the label -- in this article, anyway -- is only attached to those characters who are described as 'Manic Pixie Dream Girls' in independent, reliable sources. We don't get to decide that character X is or is not a MPDG, we merely report what reliable sources say. - SummerPhD (talk) 04:49, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
Chronological list[edit]
I think on this talk page it would be useful to compile a list of all the movies mentioned in this article (plus any others in the references or mentioned on this talk) and arrange them in chronological order.
Then, those who have trouble understanding this meme (like myself) could undergo a movie marathon, hopefully reflecting upon these characters and their roles, to understand it. Ranze (talk) 06:16, 7 December 2012 (UTC)
Stop[edit]
You people are turning wikipedia into tvtropes.com. Please stop this shit and delete this article. When coming up with an article that describes a phrase, ask yourself if that phrase will cona be deleted. Thanks. 50.89.174.229 (talk) 16:49, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
- Here is something you won't see at tvtropes.com. If our standards for inclusion are not to your liking, you'll want to address that at a much higher level than a brief, unsigned rant on a random article's talk page. Thanks. - SummerPhD (talk) 17:20, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
See also Magical Negro?[edit]
Manic Pixie Dream Girl Movies
Per WP:SEEALSO, we generally limit inclusions in the 'See also' section to 'links that would be present in a comprehensive article on the topic'. My contention is that these are two of numerous stock characters in fiction with no other sourced connection. Clearly we would not include an extensive listing of various stock characters here. Why this particular one?
The editor disputing my removal states, 'this other stock character has obvious parallels, even in its name'. I don't see a parallel in the names. As for the other 'obvious parallels', I think we're looking at original research ('Gee, the descriptions sound kinda related to me..'). Anything sourcable here that 'would be present in a comprehensive article on the topic'? - SummerPhD (talk) 00:10, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
- If you're just looking for a citation, a quick web search found that this piece in the Onion A/V Club states, 'Like the Magical Negro, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype is largely defined by secondary status and lack of an inner life.' Korny O'Near (talk) 05:30, 17 March 2013 (UTC)
- Got it. Added it to the description. Thanks! - SummerPhD (talk) 18:10, 17 March 2013 (UTC)
Girls on Film: Why it's time to retire the term 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'[edit]
Here's an interesting article that has potential for content:
- Girls on Film: Why it's time to retire the term 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' This once-useful piece of critical shorthand has devolved into laziness and sexism. By Monika Bartyzel, The Week, April 26, 2013
Brangifer (talk) 16:07, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
Hey! Thanks for the source. We added information from this article to the Criticism and Debate section as part of our class project.Krtiffany1824 (talk) 16:30, 1 October 2014 (UTC)
'Static' characters[edit]
The link to 'static characters' goes to the page Character, but there is no designation 'static' on that page any longer. There is 'flat vs. round' but I am not confident that this means the same thing, so I'm not sure what to do about this. It does look like it dates from when the page Character was different, though. Bunnyhugger (talk) 06:47, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
- Note to the Cornell communications students — if this issue still exists in the article, you might seek a better wikilink for the term 'static character.' Lawikitejana (talk) 01:13, 24 September 2014 (UTC)
Thanks for the suggestion! I followed the link and it seems as though someone has re-added the 'dynamic vs. static' distinction on the Character page. Krtiffany1824 (talk) 16:35, 1 October 2014 (UTC)
Luther[edit]
I added this example, the only one that explicitly used the word 'pixie'. Of course it was immediately deleted.
- In the final episode of the third series of Luther, Alice Morgan describes John Luther's new love interest Mary Day as 'A pixie. A sprite. A daydream of the life you imagine you want to live.'[1]
References
- ^Subtitles Luther 3x04, Luther recap: season three, episode four, The Guardian, Stuart Heritage, 23 July 2013.
There is no 'synthesis'. I presented the facts, I did not synthesise any conclusion. There is both a primary (the dialogue quoted) and a secondary (a review) source both using the word 'pixie'. Unlike many other examples here, all just the opinion of some reviewer. Anyone who watched the episode could see this was indeed a MPDG, but I did not just add it based on my own opinion. 202.81.243.196 (talk) 05:21, 30 July 2013 (UTC)
- This article is about the stock character in films called the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'. Not every pixie is an MPDG. (Similarly, not every 'negro' who is magical is a 'Magical Negro'.)
- Yes, the dialogue and review both use the word 'pixie'. Neither one, however, is referring to the stock character that this article is about. - SummerPhD (talk) 13:54, 30 July 2013 (UTC)
Katharine Hepburn[edit]
- 'Rabin points to Katharine Hepburn's character in Bringing Up Baby (1938) as one of the earliest examples of the archetype'
Really? Unless I missed something, it looks like it is the commenter called 'Kathryn' () who brings up this example[1]. Rabin does not mention either Katharine Hepburn or Bringing up Baby in the review text.
Cheers, 90.229.34.175 (talk) 07:13, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
Counterexample Eternal Sunshine[edit]
This is also first mentioned by a reviewer, here: [2]
Three years earlier than the reference given. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.229.34.175 (talk) 07:22, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
Amy Adams in Enchanted[edit]
I think Amy Adams in Enchanted is a perfect example of this genre plus she is from a fantasy, cartoon world. The man she saves is due to marry a woman who is all wrong for him. I don't know enough about this topic to find references for it, perhaps someone who does could add it. Thank you. Rissa -- bossy, obsessive/compulsive copy editor 21:30, 30 March 2014 (UTC)
- The only way we could add this would be with a reliable source pointing to Giselle as an example of a MPDG. We are unlikely to find that as Giselle is pretty much the protagonist in the film: Everyone from the fantasy world has an interest in finding her (whether to marry her or kill her) and she is the nexus for the real world characters as well. That the film is a direct parody of so many princess movie themes, of course, blurs the lines considerably. Is her goal to find her purported true love, find that the purported true love is not her true love or merely find her true true love? (A typical princess movie's goal is much easier: marry a prince and live happily ever after.) In any case, long story short, we would need a source. - SummerPhD (talk) 22:32, 30 March 2014 (UTC)
COMM 3460 - Updates to Manic Pixie Dream Girl[edit]
For Cornell's COMM 3460 - Crowds, Communities and Technologies, we will be updating and editing this Wikipedia page.
- Rachel Ellicott , Communications
- Kaitlyn Tiffany , Communications
- Mo Rahman , Communications
- Anthony Xia , Computer Science
Education Program:Cornell University/Online Communities (Fall 2014)
Updates: We plan to update the section on criticism and debate to include details on the recent controversy in which the coiner of the term attempted to redact it. Further, we plan to expand the section on the original coining of the term, detailing the more specific point that the coiner made about Elizabethtown and Kirsten Dunst in it.
We will organize the examples and counter-examples sections to create more thorough and readable lists of films that have been popularly called 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' films by a TBD number of critics.
Further, we would add a section on this trope has functioned in television and television criticism. We would also add a section on academic writings on the subject.
Our primary sources will be television and film reviews and widely circulated criticism (for subjective quotes and justification of inclusion of a film, only), communication/media studies journals and the original MPDG/redacting the MPDG articles written by Nathan Rabin.
Krtiffany1824 (talk) 21:16, 17 September 2014 (UTC)
Aquamarine315 (talk) 18:40, 11 September 2014 (UTC)
- Hi folks, please remember to sign your talk page edits using four tildes ~~~~, don't leave a post unsigned. Also use references correctly, such as the reference to the course page should not be a bare URL. Make sure your sources are notable - scientific articles from journals are okay; reviews written by unknown critics in less-well-known sites are not. Happy editing! LeshedInstructor (talk) 18:23, 11 September 2014 (UTC)
- Hi LeshedInstructor, thanks for the reminder on signing and linking with bare URL. RE: sources, we were planning on using these popular media sources not for objective fact but to provide context of the discourse surrounding MPDGs. E.g. '[Insert movie title] was popularly characterized as an example of the MPDG trope by [insert publication or author]' We believe this is preferable to merely listing MPDG examples, considering how subjective our creation of that list would inherently be. We have noticed this method of citation on various other popular culture articles. Krtiffany1824 (talk) 21:16, 17 September 2014 (UTC)
More specific plans:
To create a section entitled 'Manic Pixie Dream Boy' in order to discuss the spin-off term and the tropes appearance in recent cinema. Popular discussion focused on Augustus Waters in the film adaptation of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and on TV characters such as Parks and Recreation's Ben Wyatt and 30 Rock's Criss Chros.
- The case for calling Augustus Waters a Manic Pixie Dream Boy[3]
- The case for calling Ben Wyatt and Criss Chros Manic Pixie Dream Guys[4]
Further, we would like to expand the criticism and debate section by including a new subsection about Nathan Rabin's 2007 coinage of the term as well as his 2014 retraction of the term. We would also add (to the original section, not the NR subsection) discussion of the 2013 debate about whether the term had 'died.'
- Original Nathan Rabin article: [5]
- Nathan Rabin article retracting the term: [6]
- The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Has Died[7]
- Girls on Film: Why it's time to retire the term 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' [8]
- Is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Dead?[9]
- 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' Has Lost All Meaning[10]
To clarify and expand on the 'Examples' section, we will refer to two academic papers on the topic which have been peer-reviewed and accessed through the Cornell University Library. Each provides justification that we believe sufficient for including an example on this page.
- Deciphering the Manic Pixie Mythos (From Randolph College Journal of Academic Writing) [11]
- Manic Pixie Dream Girls (From Emory College Electronic Theses) [12]
Krtiffany1824 (talk) 21:56, 17 September 2014 (UTC)
- You might try turning all these plans of yours into a wiki formatted list, so that it's more readable. Otherwise I think you have a good plan. You might want to compile a list of characters (and what story/film they are from) that have been classified as MPDGs. I was also thinking that there might be less pop-y sources (maybe psychology or sociology of archetypes). I'm looking forward to seeing how you develop this article! Nebelmeister (talk) 18:02, 23 September 2014 (UTC)
- Funny you should say that (about turning the plans into a list) - just did something very minor in that direction, for exactly the reason you stated. Lawikitejana (talk) 01:09, 24 September 2014 (UTC)
We have reached out to three users who have been active on this talk page with hopes that they can be helpful in guiding our efforts: SummerPhD, Lawikitejana and Hence Jewish Anderstein.
Krtiffany1824 (talk) 21:59, 17 September 2014 (UTC)
Adding feminist theory and sociology sources as per suggestion of Nebelmeister.
Character | Actress | Movie | Date | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Susan Vance | Katherine Hepburn | Bringing Up Baby | 1938 | [13] |
Jean Harrington | Barbara Stanwyck | The Lady Eve | 1941 | [14] |
Gery Jeffers | Claudette Colbert | The Palm Beach Story | 1942 | [14] |
Sugar 'Kane' Kowalczyk | Marilyn Monroe | Some Like It Hot | 1959 | [14] |
Patricia | Jean Seberg | Breathless | 1960 | [15] |
Holly Golightly | Audrey Hepburn | Breakfast at Tiffany's | 1961 | [16] |
Catherine | Jeanne Moreau | Jules and Jim | 1962 | [14] |
Toni Simmons | Goldie Hawn | Cactus Flower | 1969 | [16] |
Maude | Ruth Gordon | Harold and Maude | 1971 | [17] |
Judy Maxwell | Barbara Streisand | What's Up, Doc? | 1972 | [17][13] |
Jill Tanner | Goldie Hawn | Butterflies Are Free | 1972 | [16] |
Belle | Paige O'Hara (VA) | Beauty and the Beast | 1991 | [15] |
Penny Lane | Kate Hudson | Almost Famous | 2000 | [17] |
Sam | Natalie Portman | Garden State | 2004 | [18][17][19] |
Summer Finn | Zooey Deschanel | 500 Days of Summer | 2009 | [20][21][22] |
Counterexamples[edit]
Character | Actress | Movie | Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Clementine | Kate Winslet | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | 2004 | [14] |
Potential table to add for alternative formatting purposes.
Atinyox (talk) 19:13, 1 October 2014 (UTC)Atinyox (talk) 21:32, 1 October 2014 (UTC)
- Feminist readings of Hollywood conventions (audiofile)[23]
- From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in Movies (1978) [24]
- Marjorie Rosen’s Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies, and the American Dream (1973)[25]
- Laurie Penny on sexism in storytelling: I was a Manic Pixie Dream Girl [26]
- Gender Bias Without Borders: An Investigation of Female Characters in Popular Films Across 11 Countries[27]
Krtiffany1824 (talk) 16:37, 25 September 2014 (UTC)
Just made our first edit: adding a section on Manic Pixie Dream Boys. Let us know what you think!
Krtiffany1824 (talk) 16:37, 25 September 2014 (UTC)
Just added some more edits to criticism and debate, detailing the 2012/2013 call for the retirement of the term! Krtiffany1824 (talk) 16:24, 1 October 2014 (UTC)
Just added the section for retraction of the term. Mosammad93 (talk) 21:34, 1 October 2014 (UTC)
Added a section on the implications of the male gaze in films with an MPDG. Aquamarine315 (talk) 16:56, 2 October 2014 (UTC)
References
- ^http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-bataan-death-march-of-whimsy-case-file-1-eliza,15577/#comment-275318076
- ^http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-bataan-death-march-of-whimsy-case-file-1-eliza,15577/#comment-275318052
- ^Patches, Matt. 'He's Perfect, He's Awful: The Case Against The Fault in Our Stars' Gus Waters'. Vulture. New York Magazine. Retrieved 9/17/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Lambert, Molly. '1D Internet Fantasies: Liz Lemon, One Direction, and the Rise of the Manic Pixie Dream Guy'. Grantland. Retrieved 9/17/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Rabin, Nathan. 'The Bataan Death March of Whimsy Case File #1: Elizabethtown'. A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Retrieved 9/15/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Rabin, Nathan. 'I'm sorry for coining the phrase 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl''. Salon. Salon Media Group. Retrieved 9/15/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Stoeffel, Kat. 'The 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' Has Died'. The Cut. New York Media LLC. Retrieved 9/16/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Bartyzel, Monika. 'Girls on Film: Why it's time to retire the term 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl''. THE WEEK. THE WEEK Publications, Inc. Retrieved 9/15/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Harris, Aisha. 'Is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Dead?'. Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved 9/16/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Moore, Tracy. ''Manic Pixie Dream Girl' Has Lost All Meaning'. Jezebel. Gawker Media. Retrieved 9/17/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Joyce, Julianna (Fall 2013). 'Deciphering the Manic Pixie Mythos: Contemporary Depictions of Alternative Femininity'(PDF). Randolph College: A Journal of Academic Writing. 4: 8. Retrieved 9/16/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Metcalf, Meredith. 'Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. Emory Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Emory College. Retrieved 9/16/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^ abGillette, Amelie (August 4, 2008). 'Wild things: 16 films featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
- ^ abcde'Top Five Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. Filmspotting. November 19, 2010.
- ^ ab'Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. The Guardian. Clip Joint. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ abcUlaby, Neda (October 9, 2008). 'Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge?'. All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ abcdCite error: The named reference
welker
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^Cite error: The named reference
rabin
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^Berman, Judy (August 7, 2008). 'The Natalie Portman problem'. Salon. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^Douthat, Ross (August 24, 2009). 'True Love'. National Review. 61 (15):50.
- ^'Indie Dream Girls', The Daily Beast, July 20, 2009.
- ^Poniewozik, James (October 6, 2011). 'Women Watch TV Like This, But Men Watch TV Like This'. Time. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
- ^Fried, Debra (November 19, 1988). Feminist readings of Hollywood Conventions. Cornell University: Cornell University. Retrieved 9/23/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Haskell, Molly (1987). From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in Movies (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN0226318842.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help);|access-date=
requires|url=
(help) - ^Rosen, Marjorie (1973). Marjorie Rosen’s Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies, and the American Dream (First ed.). Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. ISBN978-0698105454.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help);|access-date=
requires|url=
(help) - ^Penny, Laurie. 'Laurie Penny on sexism in storytelling: I was a Manic Pixie Dream Girl'. New Statesman. New Statesman. Retrieved 9/23/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^Smith, Stacy. 'Gender Bias Without Borders: An Investigation of Female Characters in Popular Films Across 11 Countries'(PDF). Seejane.org. Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Retrieved 9/23/14.Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help)
Minor Edits[edit]
- Changed “Nathan Rabin, who coined the term after seeing Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown (2005)” to “Nathan Rabin, who coined the term after observing Kirsten Dunst’s character in Elizabethtown (2005)”
- Added years of release to the first mention of each film in the article
- Removed Fahrenheit 451 as an example on the grounds that the first sentence of the article calls MPDG a piece of film terminology, doesn’t make sense to have one random literary example.
- Linked to Roger Ebert (the first mention of his name was previously not linked to his Wikipedia page)
- At suggestion of Wikipedia user, checked the See Also link to “static characters”
- Fixed spacing under headings; were previously inconsistent
- Added Feminist Film Theory to See Also, removed Mania and Pixie
Krtiffany1824 (talk) 18:14, 2 October 2014 (UTC)
Peer Feedback for COMM 3460 Students[edit]
Contents[edit]
- On the table listing all of the different examples, you may benefit from adding a brief description of each character, and maybe a 1-2 sentence summary of the film they appear in.
- We think the section on The Male Gaze isn't really relevant to this article.
- Flesh out the Manic Pixie Dream Boy section. Maybe put in a chart of examples like you did above.
- Add a few more counterexamples!!
- Flesh out the See Also links. Make sure they're all really relevant to the article. For example, mania and pixie don't seem to be relevant.
- Maybe add another section with examples of similar archetypes with links to the articles (i.e., Manic Pixie Dream Boy and Magical Negro)
Organization and Style[edit]
- Add bullet points to indicate the start of a new section within the subsections of the page.
- Make sure all subsections are under the correct section heading.
- Add some pictures of the characters you reference.
- Add more charts.
- This article seems a little short.
Discussion on Credibility of a Source[edit]
Under the 'Retraction of Term' section, I included insight from a verifiable and reliable source (one that I would deem as such) but v2.0 reversed the edit believing otherwise. Do others find Erraticus[1] qualifies as a 'verifiable' and 'reliable' source?
- The article cited comes from a publication which has been around for a couple years, and includes content from dozens of contributors. Many 'ideas' or 'essays' (as the editorial team at Erraticus appear to call them), are original publications while some are republished under Creative Commons, originally appearing in Aeon magazine and The Conversation. Original contributors are authors of books, academics, and writers who have been published in other established publications.
- The edits I included were as follows: Jeffrey Howard proposes that we reclaim the MPDG rather than outright reject the character. He asserts, 'The most problematic element of the MPDG isn’t that she’s a crippling fantasy, it’s that we take the symbolic literally..We must learn to see psychic forces in the characters acting on our screens, that each of these individuals represents internal and archetypal aspects of ourselves.' The MPDG represents an immature, 'empty vessel view' of women, but when understood mythologically the trope makes 'more concrete the psychological aspects of our experiences.' The MPDG can be used to subvert the hopeless romantic concept that another person can complete us, make us whole, or compensate for our personal shortcomings. Instead, Howard concludes, 'The hero saves himself, or herself. By doing so, they transform into counterexamples to those who might succumb to broken myths, suggesting that ultimate satisfaction in life comes from within rather than without.'[2]
- v2.0 suggests that Jeffrey Howard is not a notable enough person but just 'a random guy,' which seems like a somewhat fair assessment to me, beyond that fact that he's the editor of the publication, which is somewhat notable, and the author of the content I included. Jeffrey Howard may be editor in chief of this online magazine, but that doesn't mean it qualifies his article as 'self-published' as v2.0 suggests. Editors publish content, they've written themselves, in publications they manage all the time. It might be reasonable to omit Jeffrey Howard's name from the addition, replacing it with something more generic like 'One observer,' but I otherwise find it to a reasonable inclusion. This is cultural commentary from a magazine that focuses on culture; it isn't an article on Quantum Mechanics or String Theory.
- Drmies (talk) has reverted the same edit for 'giving too much air time' to a 'questionable source.' As you can see above, I hold a different perspective. It seems like a shame to leave out such a relevant insight about the MPDG. Can you address some of my points? Thank you much, friend! The Invisible Hook (talk) 00:01, 25 January 2019 (UTC)
- Jeffrey Howard (who?) is the founder, editor and author of the piece. The publication is an 'online publication focused on human flourishing.' Yes, it gives the author's opinions on the MPDG, as do approximately 382,000 sites, ranging from wikihow to The Atlantic. On that continuum, this online publication seems to be a whole lot closer to wikihow (which is unequivocally not a reliable source) than it is to The Atlantic. - SummerPhDv2.0 00:56, 25 January 2019 (UTC)
- The source is meager: what isErraticus? It looks like just another pop culture website, and a venue for beginning writers (from the Submissions page). Not a very well-known magazine. And the author is an unknown--so that's two strikes against. Now, the content you inserted consisted mostly of huge quotes--and given that the article is also a very personal reflection (again, by an unknown), that's three strikes against. If this had been one single sentence, without an overload of whoever Jeffrey Howard is, that would be an improvement (the way it's written interesting: it reads like it came out of a composition class, written by one of the better students). But let me just note that while Wikipedia might be here to list all notable popular culture tropes, it is not here to be a reservoir of things said in magazines about popular culture tropes. (The problem here isn't the 'credibility' of the source, but rather its importance.) Drmies (talk) 00:58, 25 January 2019 (UTC)
Sources[edit]
- Your sources look great!
- You could afford to add a bit more content, so maybe add a few more sources.
Overall, this is a great start! We really like your topic. We think you could afford to add a few more examples, maybe outside of a cinematic setting. Maybe look to see if there are any references to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in music, or art, or any other form of expression. Good job!
Love,
Abby Sonnenfeldt , Kate Gruenberg , Sunny Joo , Yuqing Gabby Zhang
Abbysonn (talk) 18:27, 2 October 2014 (UTC)
Changes Made Based On COMM 3460 Feedback[edit]
- We edited the Male Gaze section to be a little more relevant to the topic of MPDG.
- Charts are great--however, each thing we put on a chart needs to have a a relevant source. We can't just base it on everyone's opinion. Therefore we can't make a MPDBoy chart since there are so few real examples. We did, however, find more examples of the MPDG and added that to the chart.
- A description of every character on a chart is a little uncharacteristic of Wikipedia--we are linking to the page of the movie if people want more info.
Mosammad93 (talk) 02:49, 8 October 2014 (UTC)
Jupiter Ascending's 'Caine Wise' character as Manic Pixie Dream Boy[edit]
Hello everybody
I really don't understand why my changes were deleted. The fact that Wachowski's Jupiter As-cending utilizes a 'female gaze' and has an audience especially with young, female viewers is very well showed also in the Wikipedia-page on the film. Now, expanding and investigation this information in the trope of the character of 'Caine Wise' as Manic Pixi Dream Boy seems to me quite logic.
You can find primary source here: http://www.torontosun.com/2015/02/04/jupiter-ascending-filmmakers-thrive-on-being-sci-fi-originals and an interesting development here: http://k8monstrscloset.com/2015/02/23/jupiterascendingregenderedspaceopera/. And there are the footnotes about the female gaze in the main Wikipedia-page about the film that refer here: http://www.hitfix.com/harpy/jupiter-ascending-is-the-sci-fi-movie-women-were-waiting-for and here http://www.dailydot.com/geek/jupiter-ascending-female-audience/.
So, with this information, I really see no accuracy in deleting Jupiter Ascending from this chapter, especially as we are talking of an online encyclopaedia which should keep fast but accurate track of new evolvements.
Would appreciate especially feedbacks by SummerPhD.
Thanks a lot,Dddorian grey (talk) 15:20, 22 March 2015 (UTC)
- What we need here is a reliable source which directly states that the character is a MPDB. The Toronto Sun link does not use the term. The k8monstrscloset site is blog -- a 'self-published site' -- and is therefore not a reliable source. - SummerPhD (talk) 16:30, 22 March 2015 (UTC)
Undue significance[edit]
Given the Retraction discussed in the body of this article (and some of the discussion), I think the Lead of the article makes the concept of a 'MPDG' sound more established than it in fact is.
Anyone else agree?
CBHA (talk) 02:57, 11 August 2015 (UTC)
Male gaze section[edit]
I was reading the article and I noticed something off with one of the sections. The article discusses a term coined in 2005 to describe a type of stock character. The 'Male gaze' section quotes a source from 1985, discussing heroines in film and that they only serve to inspire action from male heroes. The source is way too old to cover this stock character, does not mention Manic Pixie Dream Girl types at all, and seems to be discussing another type of female characters. What is the connection? Dimadick (talk) 19:28, 10 December 2016 (UTC)
Annie Hall[edit]
Diane Keaton's title character in 'Annie Hall' doesn't fit the description of someone with no 'inner life' or goals. Numerous scenes focus on her goal of singing and how she struggles with self-confidence in that regard, which has parallels to her uncertain approach to relationships. Her inner life is explored in discussions with her boyfriend (Woody Allen's character), her therapist, her discussion of her stage fright, her attachment to marijuana, etc. There's even a scene in which subtitles reveal her inner thoughts, which should disabuse anyone of the notion that the character lacks inner thoughts!
So to suggest that the movie presents her as having no inner life is misleading and inaccurate, which doesn't meet the standards of Wikipedia. Yet the entry puts her in a list of 'Manic Pixie Dream Girls in film.' This list doesn't include any qualification saying that this is just what some people have said and it may be questionable or ill-founded. That one writer in AV Club once labeled Annie Hall an MPDG without explanation isn't sufficient to make the MPDG label a fact about that character. It's a fact about what was once said about that character by one person.
Later in the Wikipedia article, there is some criticism of labeling Annie Hall as an MPDG. I could see leaving in that criticism along with any counterpoints. But the current inclusion of her in a list of MPDGs just as inaccurate as if the entry on 'Annie Hall' called it a drama rather than a comedy. Even though labeling the genre of a movie is often a tricky judgment call, that would be quickly changed because it's clearly an inaccurate way to describe this movie. And even if it can sometimes be a close question whether a character is an MPDG, it's so clearly inaccurate in the case of Annie Hall that it should not be left up as if it were an unequivocal statement of fact. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaltcoh (talk • contribs) 05:26, 3 May 2017 (UTC)
- While I appreciate your opinion, Wikipedia articles are based on independent reliable sources, not the opinions of editors. List articles should be based on objective, sourced selection criteria.
- The current inclusion criteria we are using are: the film must be blue-link notable (i.e., have its own article) and independent reliable sources must directly state the character is an MPDG.
- If you would like to suggest different objective criteria, please do. - SummerPhDv2.0 12:28, 3 May 2017 (UTC)
- Roughly a third to half of the pre-2000 examples are from a single source (AV Club). This page feels like an opinion piece, which is mostly supported by a single podcast. Just because the AV club podcast came up with a bunch of subjective examples, then speculated wildly with every character remotely close to this trope, shouldn't mean it is encyclopedia worthy. They simply took a provocative idea, expanded on it in a speculative fashion, and now we are calling it fact just because we can link to it. Androsynth (talk) 01:58, 9 October 2017 (UTC)
- I count 5 out of 19. Closer to 1/4.
- I'm not really sure if you are saying AV Club isn't a reliable source for the material it is cited for, the article needs different inclusion criteria or the topic isn't notable. Please clarify.
Heaven Help Us (1985)[edit]
i über-liked the one in 'Catholic Boys' / Heaven Help Us (1985)And did Molly Ringwald do any? And Badlands (1973) ? :-)Natural Born Killers ?
82.170.88.56 (talk) 23:06, 15 July 2017 (UTC) NN
- To include any of these, we would need reliable sources calling them 'manic pixie dream girls'. - SummerPhDv2.0 04:27, 16 July 2017 (UTC)
Why does Nathan Rabin get to define this?[edit]
I have considered manic pixies to be a trope for a long time. I don't think of them as dreams meant for men. In fact, the best example ever created is Natasha Rostof from War and Peace. She starts out a manic pixie (and in fact very male dependent) then grows into an adult. The idea that this character somehow exists in an adolescents mind is simplistic and provocative. Just because some guy had that idea for a blog post shouldnt define this entire trope. This is a useful trope that has been hijacked for the wrong reasons.
I would like to see this trope in a non-sexist way. This can be achieved by simply changing to trope name to 'Manic Pixies' and dropping 'dream'. Real women exhibit manic pixie traits. There is no inherent reason why manic pixies have to exist for men. Androsynth (talk) 15:54, 27 September 2017 (UTC)
- Nathan Rabin got to define the term because he is Nathan Rabin and other reliable sources soon picked up on his usage.
- Yes, it is a sexist, patriarchal stock character. It is one of many similar characters in the history of film -> storytelling. The Damsel in distress and Magic Negro come to mind. Yes, there are characters who break the mold, often in dramatic fashion. The existence of the trope, however, is not challenged by those counter-examples. Rather, the counter-examples often exist because of the trope. (When she was younger, my niece had a kids' book 'The Paperbag Princess' that was a perfect example of this phenomenon.)
- Wikipedia uses the term 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' and discusses the trope not because it 'should' be this way. Wikipedia uses the term and discusses the trope because reliable source indicate that it is this way. MPDGs, Magical Negros, Damsels in distress, White saviors, Noble savages and countless other offensive stereotypes are propagated in popular culture. Identifying them is part of the battle to wipe them out. - SummerPhDv2.0 18:07, 27 September 2017 (UTC)
- I disagree. This term was coined 12 years ago (as of this comment). This is not a long established trope that deserves ossification in an encyclopedia. He took a common human personality type (manic pixie girl) and altered it to make it more provocative. All Nathan Rabin did was add the 'dream' element to it, thus making it offensive. This article belongs on TV tropes, not on wikipedia. Androsynth (talk) 01:15, 9 October 2017 (UTC)
- The vast majority of the examples in the table are not dreamlike at all. They mostly are real characters, who do not exist solely for men. The reason this trope is sexist is because every female who is a MPG (a real, common, normal character personality type) is being shoehorned into this sexist trope. It is self-perpetuating sexism: 'we have to define these women as dream girls so the next generation knows what a dream girl is'. Androsynth (talk) 01:29, 9 October 2017 (UTC)
- What you think of the trope is rather immaterial. Independent reliable sources state it exists. Whether or not the trope or the belief that it is a trope is sexist is also immaterial (except to the extent that independent reliable sources discuss this aspect of the trope or belief in the trope). Basically, Wikipedia reports what independent reliable sources have to say about the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'.
- If you feel the subject is not notable, you can nominate the article for deletion at Articles for Deletion. Honestly, I don't think you have much chance there.
- If you feel the article should not be here for some other reason (the concept is offensive, it's 'too new' or whatever, you could suggest the article should be deleted for that reason. In over a decade on Wikipedia, I've seen articles deleted for failing notability, being blatant copyright violations and for being nothing more than an 'attack' page. I don't think that is going to happen either.
- If you can find independent reliable sources that share your opinion, we might add some of that content, subject to WP:IRS and WP:WEIGHT, of course. - SummerPhDv2.0 01:54, 10 October 2017 (UTC)
- It is offensive to common sense. Any trope that states Marilyn Monroe is a pixie, Maria Von Trapp is manic, or Annie Hall is a dream girl is trying to be provocative or is just overly broad.
- Plus the original author has retracted it because of its 'fuzzy definition'. If he had called it 'Hollywood Dream Girl', it would be more accurate, but wouldn't have been as provocative or memorable.
- The rules are on your side, but common sense is not. This is an example of the internet running amok with a new concept. This will be my last talk comment on this page. Androsynth (talk) 22:48, 14 October 2017 (UTC)
- Then I guess we're done here. - SummerPhDv2.0 05:40, 15 October 2017 (UTC)
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Annie Hall redux[edit]
IP editor 82.34.147.246 disagrees with including Hall.
The current inclusion criteria for this article say, in short, 'If an independent reliable source says a character is an MPDG, Wikipedia says they are an MPDG.' The source cited is certainly independent and reliable and labels Hall.
If you wish to change the inclusion criteria here, you will need to establish alternative criteria and build a consensus here.
If, for some reason, you feel that The A.V. Club is not a reliable source for this information, please take the issue directly to Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard as the source is widely used for similar material in a broad range of articles.
If you do not feel the source directly states that Hall is an MPDG (it's pretty clear), you will really need to explain and build a consensus.
If, for some reason, you feel that we should use the criteria we are using except for this case, you will need to explain why.
Other than that, I'm not sure what your argument would be, other than you don't agree with the reliable source. - SummerPhDv2.0 00:44, 2 February 2019 (UTC)
- The page contradicts itself by giving it as an example of an MPDG then also as a counterexample. The counterexample is supported by an article of The Guardian which states: 'An often cited example of an MPDG prototype is Diane Keaton's portrayal of the titular character in Woody Allen's Annie Hall. But Annie absolutely is not an MPDG. She's a complicated, slightly eccentric, powerful woman who, over the course of the movie, develops her own goals, has her own motivation, and pursues it with or without her partner. Her character doesn't only exist for her lover's self-discovery.'[3] That quote is completely accurate and in line with the what is conveyed in the rest of the Wikipedia article. The Guardian is one of the most reputable newspapers in the world, while A.V. Club is an online entertainment website. Having Annie Hall both as an example and counterexample delegitimizes and confuses the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.34.147.246 (talk) 01:48, 2 February 2019 (UTC)
- If your argument is that the A.V. Club is not a reliable source, please take this issue directly to Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard.
- If your argument is that we should use different criteria, you will need to suggest criteria and build a consensus.
- Other than that, Hall clearly meets the established criteria.
- 'One of the most reputable newspapers in the world' says she is 'an often cited example of an MPDG prototype'. The current inclusion criteria asks for an independent reliable source. Hall is clearly an often cited example. Yes, sources disagree. Whether or not a character is an MPDG is a matter of opinion. Providing conflicting claims should help make that clear. - SummerPhDv2.0 04:07, 2 February 2019 (UTC)
Samantha in Spike Jonze's Her[edit]
This article lists Samantha as an example of an algorithm-defined fantasy girl, but she doesn't fit the description of Her being 'without having any desires or journey of her own': a major plot point in the film is her desire for relationships with other people, and the resulting course of action she chooses to take--her journey, if you will.
Without reading the cited source, one might argue that Wikipedia requires reliable sources, and if this one inaccurately describes the film or the character, we shouldn't take its word about Her being MPDG.
71.121.143.169 (talk) 06:26, 4 May 2019 (UTC)
- Guardian is a reliable source. Saying it is 'wrong' and therefore not reliable is backwards. If a source meets the criteria outlined at WP:IRS, it is reliable and what it says is verifiable.
- In this particular case I don't think it's that Samantha isn't an MPDG, I think (as the source explains) she doesn't stay an MPDG.
- 'Samantha' basically becomes Phoenix’s Manic Pixie Dream App. She is supportive, lively, curious, completely available. She is the perfect girlfriend, at least until he finds out she’s been seeing other people – about 8,000 of them. But Her takes the radical step of letting Samantha go off to pursue her own goals..' She's an MPDG 'until' and then there's the 'radical step'. - SummerPhDv2.0 15:57, 4 May 2019 (UTC)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl&oldid=895486730'
Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) is a stock character type in films. Film critic Nathan Rabin, who coined the term after observing Kirsten Dunst's character in Elizabethtown (2005), said that the MPDG 'exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.'[1] MPDGs are said to help their men without pursuing their own happiness, and such characters never grow up; thus, their men never grow up.[2]
The Manic Pixie Dream Girl has been compared to another stock character, the Magical Negro, a black character who seems to exist only to provide spiritual or mystical help to the white savior protagonist. In both cases, the stock character has no discernible inner life, and usually only exists to provide the protagonist some important life lessons.[3]
- 1Examples
- 5Similar tropes
Examples[edit]
MPDGs are usually static characters who have eccentric personality quirks and are unabashedly girlish. They invariably serve as the romantic interest for a (most often brooding or depressed) male protagonist. Examples of an MPDG are described below:
- An example is Natalie Portman's character in the movie Garden State (2004), written and directed by Zach Braff.[1][2][4] In his review of Garden State, Roger Ebert also described this kind of rather unbelievable 'movie creature' as 'completely available' and 'absolutely desirable'.[5]
- The A.V. Club points to Katharine Hepburn's character in Bringing Up Baby (1938) as one of the earliest examples of the archetype.[3]
- TheFilmspotting podcast created a list of Top Five Manic Pixie Dream Girls; Nathan Rabin appeared as a guest and created his own, separate list of MPDGs.[6]
Character | Portrayed by | Movie | Date | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Susan Vance | Katharine Hepburn | Bringing Up Baby | 1938 | [3] |
Gery Jeffers | Claudette Colbert | The Palm Beach Story | 1942 | [6] |
Princess Ann (Anya 'Smitty' Smith) | Audrey Hepburn | Roman Holiday | 1953 | [7] |
Sugar 'Kane' Kowalczyk | Marilyn Monroe | Some Like It Hot | 1959 | [6] |
Fran Kubelik | Shirley MacLaine | The Apartment | 1960 | [3] |
Patricia Franchini | Jean Seberg | Breathless | 1960 | [8] |
Catherine | Jeanne Moreau | Jules and Jim | 1962 | [6] |
Coquelicot | Geneviève Bujold | King of Hearts | 1966 | [9] |
Corie Bratter | Jane Fonda | Barefoot in the Park | 1967 | [10] |
Sara Deever | Sandy Dennis | Sweet November | 1968 | [11] |
Toni Simmons | Goldie Hawn | Cactus Flower | 1969 | [12] |
Mary Ann 'Pookie' Adams | Liza Minnelli | The Sterile Cuckoo | 1969 | [13] |
Dame Marjorie 'Maude' Chardin | Ruth Gordon | Harold and Maude | 1971 | [14] |
Judy Maxwell | Barbra Streisand | What's Up, Doc? | 1972 | [2][3] |
Jill Tanner | Goldie Hawn | Butterflies Are Free | 1972 | [12] |
Annie Hall | Diane Keaton | Annie Hall | 1977 | [3] |
Audrey Hankel, a.k.a. Lulu | Melanie Griffith | Something Wild | 1986 | [3] |
SanDeE* | Sarah Jessica Parker | L.A. Story | 1991 | [15][16] |
Faye | Faye Wong | Chungking Express | 1995 | [17] |
Layla | Christina Ricci | Buffalo '66 | 1998 | [18] |
Penny Lane | Kate Hudson | Almost Famous | 2000 | [2] |
Sara Deever | Charlize Theron | Sweet November | 2001 | [3][19] |
Sam | Natalie Portman | Garden State | 2004 | [1][2][4] |
Claire Colburn | Kirsten Dunst | Elizabethtown | 2005 | [1] |
Kim | Rachel Bilson | The Last Kiss | 2006 | [3] |
Violet | Lucy Liu | Watching the Detectives | 2007 | [20] |
Allison | Zooey Deschanel | Yes Man | 2008 | [21] |
Maggie Murdock | Anne Hathaway | Love & Other Drugs | 2010 | [22] |
Ramona Flowers | Mary Elizabeth Winstead | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | 2010 | |
Emma | Kate French | Language of a Broken Heart | 2011 | [23] |
Penelope Lockhart | Keira Knightley | Seeking a Friend for the End of the World | 2012 | [9] |
Bainsley | Mélanie Thierry | The Zero Theorem | 2013 | [24] |
Sofi | Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey | I Origins | 2014 | [25] |
Margo Roth Spiegelman | Cara Delevingne | Paper Towns | 2015 | [26] |
Clara | Troian Bellisario | Clara | 2018 | [27] |
Counterexamples[edit]
- The titular character of Annie Hall (1977) is often called a MPDG but is arguably not one, as she has her own goals independent of the male lead.[8]
- Kate Winslet's character Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) acknowledges the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and rejects the type, in a remark to Jim Carrey's Joel: 'Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a fucked-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours.”[6]
- Although Zooey Deschanel's Summer in 500 Days of Summer (2009) is often identified as a MPDG, the movie can be seen as a deconstruction of the trope because it shows the dangers of idealising women as things, rather than respecting them as real people with their own complex outlooks. Director Marc Webb stated, 'Yes, Summer has elements of the manic pixie dream girl – she is an immature view of a woman. She's Tom's view of a woman. He doesn't see her complexity and the consequence for him is heartbreak. In Tom's eyes, Summer is perfection, but perfection has no depth. Summer's not a girl, she's a phase.'[28]
- Eve, the lead character of Stuart Murdoch's musical film, God Help the Girl (2014), has also been noted as a subversion of the trope, with actress Emily Browning approaching the character as 'the anti-manic pixie dream girl' and describing her as having 'her own inner life' and being 'incredibly self-absorbed; [..] Olly wants her to be his muse and she's like, 'No, I'm not having that. I'm gonna go do my own shit.'[29][30]
Criticism and debate[edit]
In an interview with Vulture, the entertainment section of New York, about her film Ruby Sparks, actress and screenwriter Zoe Kazan criticized the term as reductive, diminutive, and misogynistic. She disagreed that Hepburn's character in Bringing Up Baby is a MPDG: 'I think that to lump together all individual, original quirky women under that rubric is to erase all difference.'[31]
In a December 2012 video, AllMovie critic Cammila Collar embraced the term as an effective description of one-dimensional female characters who only seek the happiness of the male protagonist, and who do not deal with any complex issues of their own. The pejorative use of the term, then, is mainly directed at writers who do not give these female characters more to do than bolster the spirits of their male partners.[32]
In December 2012, Slate's Aisha Harris posited that 'critiques of the MPDG may have become more common than the archetype itself', suggesting that filmmakers had been forced to become 'self-aware about such characters' in the years since Rabin's coining of the phrase and that the trope had largely disappeared from film.[33]
In July 2013, Kat Stoeffel, for The Cut, argued that the term itself had become sexist, citing her opinion that 'it was levied, criminally at Diane Keaton in Annie Hall and Zooey Deschanel, the actual person. How could a real person's defining trait be a lack of interior life?'[34]
Similar sentiments were elucidated by Monika Bartyzel for The Week in April 2013, who wrote 'this once-useful piece of critical shorthand has devolved into laziness and sexism'. Bartyzel argues that '[The term] 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' was useful when it commented on the superficiality of female characterizations in male dominated journeys, but it has since devolved into a pejorative way to deride unique women in fiction and reality.'[35]
Retraction of the term[edit]
In July 2014, for Salon, Rabin prompted a retraction of the term 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'. He argued that in 'giving an idea a fuzzy definition', he inadvertently gave the phrase power it was not intended to have. The trope's popularity, Rabin suggested, led to discussions of a more precise definition, a reduction of the critic's all-encompassing classification of MPDG. While he coined the term to expose the sexist implications in modern culture, the 'phrase was increasingly accused of being sexist itself'. Backlash occurred when many well-loved female characters were placed under this trope. In response, Rabin suggested that nuanced characters cannot be classified in such a restricted nature, and thus he apologized to pop culture for 'creating this unstoppable monster'.[36]
Manic Pixie Dream Boy[edit]
A possible male version of this trope, the Manic Pixie Dream Boy or Manic Pixie Dream Guy, was found in Augustus Waters from the film version of The Fault in Our Stars (2014); he was given this title in a 2014 Vulture article, in which Matt Patches stated, 'he's a bad boy, he's a sweetheart, he's a dumb jock, he's a nerd, he's a philosopher, he's a poet, he's a victim, he's a survivor, he's everything everyone wants in their lives, and he's a fallacious notion of what we can actually have in our lives'.[37]
The Manic Pixie Dream Boy trope has also been pointed out in sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock. The female protagonists of these shows are married to men (Adam Scott's Ben Wyatt and James Marsden's Criss Chros, respectively), who, according to a 2012 Grantland article, 'patiently [tamp] down her stubbornness and temper while appreciating her quirks, helping her to become her best possible self'.[38]
The character Jesse, played by Skylar Astin, in the film Pitch Perfect (2012) embodies the Manic Pixie Dream Boy trope. His role in the film appears to be to coax the very serious character Beca, played by Anna Kendrick, out of her gloom and embrace life to the fullest. He has no backstory of his own, and no major goals of his own in the context of the film. According to an article on Ohio State's Entertainment News site.
Jesse, the male protagonist, never fails to break my heart. His character is seemingly flawless: he is sweet, charming, funny, boyishly handsome, and talented, but in a self-deprecating way. The character radiates youthful appeal in a way that makes me want to sit close to him and watch John Hughes movies with him. He takes on the selfless task of cracking open the stony girl protagonist by showing her The Breakfast Club and becomes a victim—Jesse is unusual. Jesse is a background story-less charisma machine.[39]
Similar tropes[edit]
Algorithm-defined fantasy girl[edit]
Another version of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is the algorithm-defined fantasy girl. The difference is that the latter is not human, but a robot or artificial intelligence of some sort. The function is the same one: to fulfill the desires of the male character and to help him in his journey without having any desires or journey of her own. Some examples are: Joi in Blade Runner 2049 and Samantha in Spike Jonze's Her.[40][41]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdRabin, Nathan (January 25, 2007). 'My Year Of Flops, Case File 1: Elizabethtown: The Bataan Death March of Whimsy'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ abcdeWelker, Holly (February 12, 2010). 'Forever Your Girl'. Bitch (46): 26–30. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^ abcdefghiBowman, Donna; Gillette, Amelie; Hyden, Steven; Murray, Noel; Pierce, Leonard & Rabin, Nathan (August 4, 2008). 'Wild things: 16 films featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
- ^ abBerman, Judy (August 7, 2008). 'The Natalie Portman problem'. Salon. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^Ebert, Roger (August 6, 2004). 'Garden State'. Rogerebert.com. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^ abcde'Top Five Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. Filmspotting. November 19, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^'The Definitive List of Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. BDCWire. 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
- ^ abKelly, Dominic (January 9, 2013). 'Clip Joint: Manic Pixie Dream Girls'. The Guardian. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ abHandy, Bruce (22 June 2012). 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World: The Worst Movie of Its Generation'. Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^TucsonSentinel.com. 'Kooky 50-year-old 'Barefoot in the Park' shows its age | Arizona Repertory Theatre'. TucsonSentinel.com. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
- ^LeVoit, Violet. 'Sweet November (1968)'. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ abUlaby, Neda (October 9, 2008). 'Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge?'. All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^Christley, Jaime. 'The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)'. Slant Magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^{{cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/04/maude-in-harold-and-maude-represents-the-best-mani.html
- ^Campbell, Christopher (June 4, 2010). 'Their Best Role: Sarah Jessica Parker in 'L.A. Story''. moviefone. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^Brown, Kat (25 March 2015). 'Sarah Jessica Parker's 11 best screen moments'. The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^Dowd, A.A. (August 22, 2014). 'California dreamin' on a Hong Kong night'. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ^Tobias, Scott (August 19, 2010). 'Buffalo '66'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
- ^Dyer, Karilla (February 21, 2013). 'The feminist perspective on the manic pixie dream girl'. The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^Rabin, Nathan. 'Dispatches from Direct To DVD Purgatory: The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Edition'. avclub.com. Onion, Inc. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^Bunch, Sonny (December 19, 2008). 'Carrey's 'Yes' man eager to please'. The Washington Times. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^Buckwalter, Ian (November 24, 2010). 'Out of Frame: Love and Other Drugs'. DCist.com. Gothamist LLC. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
- ^Hunt, Drew (March 2, 2013). 'Language of a Broken Heart'. slantmagazine.com. Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^Lyttelton, Oliver. 'Venice Review: Terry Gilliam's 'The Zero Theorem' Starring Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon & Tilda Swinton'. IndieWire. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^Donnelly, Elisabeth. 'The Manic Pixie Dream Girl May Be Dead, But Film's Shallow Female Characters Live On'. IndieWire. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^Leszkiewicz, Anna. 'Paper Towns and the myth that just won't die: the Manic Pixie Dream Girl'. NewStatesmenAmerica. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^''Clara' Is An Ambitious Hunt for the Meaning of Life Directed by Akash Sherman'. exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
- ^Wiseman, Eva (August 16, 2009). ''Is there such a thing as 'the one' - and what happens if you lose her?''. The Guardian. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^Morgan, Laura (October 13, 2014). 'Emily Browning On Playing An 'Anti-Manic Pixie Dream Girl' In The New Pop Musical God Help The Girl'. Lucky Magazine. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^Juan, Jada (January 26, 2014). 'Sundance: Belle and Sebastian Front Man Stuart Murdoch's Glasgow Musical'. Vulture.com. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^Greco, Patti (July 23, 2012). 'Zoe Kazan on Writing Ruby Sparks and Why You Should Never Call Her a 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl''. Vulture. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^Semantic Breakdown: The Manic Pixie Dream Bitch. YouTube. December 14, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^Harris, Aisha (December 5, 2012). 'Is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Dead?'. Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
- ^Stoeffel, Kat. 'The 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' Has Died'. The Cut. New York Media LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
- ^Bartyzel, Monika (April 26, 2013). 'Girls on Film: Why it's time to retire the term 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl''. The Week. The Week Publications, Inc. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ^Rabin, Nathan (July 15, 2014). 'I'm sorry for coining the phrase 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl': In 2007, I invented the term in a review. Then I watched in queasy disbelief as it seemed to take over pop culture'. Salon. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^Patches, Matt. 'He's Perfect, He's Awful: The Case Against The Fault in Our Stars' Gus Waters'. Vulture. New York Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^Lambert, Molly. '1D Internet Fantasies: Liz Lemon, One Direction, and the Rise of the Manic Pixie Dream Guy'. Grantland. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^Ross, Lacey (December 25, 2012). 'Boys and Girls in Current Film: A Glimpse into 'Manic Pixies''. Uloop. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^Alexander, Julia (11 October 2017). 'Blade Runner 2049 continues questionable trend of the 'algorithm-defined fantasy girl''. Polygon. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/15/ex-machina-sexy-female-robots-scifi-film-obsession
External links[edit]
- 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'. TV Tropes.
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