de⋅us ex ma⋅chi⋅na
–noun
1. | (in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot. |
2. | any artificial or improbable device resolving the difficulties of a plot. |
-it literally means "god from the machine"
-this is a plot device in which a person or thing appears "out of the blue" to help a character to overcome a seemingly insolvable difficulty.
-It refers to a sudden and unexpected resolution to a seemingly intractable problem in a plot-line. (source wikipedia.com)
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FOR SOME CRITICS:
They say that the use of this kind of plot device implies a lack of skill on the part of the author as it completely disregards the logical flow of the story and allows the author to direct the story to an unlikely conclusion in order for him to be able to deliver a palatable ending.
I SAY:
Isn't that how life really is?
We go on with this life thinking that we have all things figured out. We know what we want, we know what to do...everything makes sense, then suddenly *poof* and comes out the biggest surprise of our lives...
I used to like surprises. But right now... not so much.
They say that the use of this kind of plot device implies a lack of skill on the part of the author as it completely disregards the logical flow of the story and allows the author to direct the story to an unlikely conclusion in order for him to be able to deliver a palatable ending.
I SAY:
Isn't that how life really is?
We go on with this life thinking that we have all things figured out. We know what we want, we know what to do...everything makes sense, then suddenly *poof* and comes out the biggest surprise of our lives...
I used to like surprises. But right now... not so much.