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The school setting trope is a narrative device that places the story's events within an educational institution. This trope capitalizes on the nostalgia of school life, leveraging the structured environment to explore a variety of themes, character dynamics, and conflicts.
Pros:
Familiarity: Readers easily grasp the setting, streamlining the introduction of complex plots.
Diverse Characters: Abundance of character types, from supportive friends to minor/major bullies to wizened mentors.
Natural Conflicts: Built-in elements like coming-of-age growth, exams, social dynamics, and extracurricular activities provide ample conflict.
Cons:
Formulaic: Due to the commonality of this setting, there's a potential for the narrative to become predictable.
Classroom Limitations: Often, the most interesting events occur outside the classroom during field trips or special events.
Contrived Stakes: The school, being a structured and safe environment, may struggle to convey a real sense of danger to the students.
Common School Tropes:
Late!: Scenarios involving characters running late.
Group Project: The teamwork and exploration of relationships through collaborative challenges.
Social Conformity: Exploring themes of individuality versus societal norms.
Prom Night: The buildup to and climax of a social event such as prom, as a backdrop for drama.
Academic Struggles: Plot points related to bad grades and their consequences.
Bullies: Delving into the complexities of bullying, from both students and teachers.
Sports and Games: The buildup to and climax of high-stakes events, as a backdrop for drama.
Vacation Time: Navigating challenges and relationships during vacation periods.
Detention: The conflicts and breaking of rules, leading up to detention.
Field Trips: Exploring the wider world and lore, while encountering conflict.
Tests: Showcasing the skill and growth of characters, while tackling the anxiety surrounding tests.
Social Structures: Examining the dynamics of school groups and hierarchies.
Graduation: Feel-good denouement, when the characters celebrate their successes and reflect on their journey together
Types of Bullies:
Goons: Unpleasant, hostile characters functioning as easy obstacles, typically following a Bigger Badder Bully.
Reasonable Bullies: Characters with legitimate reasons for their dislike of the protagonist, such as family rivalries or personal ambitions.
Villainous Bullies: Truly evil individuals collaborating with external threats or evil organizations for nefarious purposes.
Magic School Subgenre:
Adventure Within the Walls: The school itself becomes the focal point of the adventure.
Specialization in the Supercool: Schools where the subjects are about magic, monsters, superheroes, or even robots.
Wish Fulfillment: The reader is projected into a world beyond the mundane.
Trials and Tests: Incorporating trials, duels, and fights as rites of passage.
Secrecy and Intrigue: The school and its knowledge are usually secluded and hidden from the world.
Building an Alliance: The protagonist has to win over a diverse cast of characters to aid them in their fight against a great threat.
Rival from Nobility: One of the main antagonists is usually a scion of a high-status, wealthy family.
Outside Threat: The school is usually a focal point for a greater conflict taking place in the wider world. And comes under attack later in the story.
Outside Adventures: Characters sometimes leave the safety of the school for adventures in the wider world.
This is part of my Writing Tips series. Everyday I publish a writing tip to this blog.