Research: Meta and the Velveteen Rabbit

A few more pages of Eternal...

Takeaway: I love the use of a story or reference within the story that points to or reveals some larger meaning. For example, in one of Joel's memories, Clementine talks about the book the Velveteen Rabbit. Her reference is about the rabbit, but she is really describing the whole point about the film, the main message about relationships:

"It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Brilliant, isn't it? 

Research: Universal truths

Continuing to read Eternal. I've been tied up at a conference all week, so I've only been able to read a few pages each night.

Tonight's takeaway (elementary but still important): Most stories reveal the same truths but under different circumstances. In this case, it's the reality of relationships but revealed through an unusual story where one can erase one's memory. The same dialogue could have been in any movie (not to diminish the dialogue here, it's quite good), but it's set in these surreal scenes. For example, what Joel once found charming in Clementine is now annoying as the relationship progresses. Or, the jealousy Joel has upon learning Patrick is seeing Clementine.

Universal truths or common realities or shared fears.

Might be an interesting experiment to take the same dialogue of a movie (word for word) and place in a new setting....