Common themes

## Thematic concepts in the Two Paradises fiction arcs

The following is a brief description of literary devices and concepts consistently present in most of the Jonnie Comet-penned fiction using the Two Paradises fantasy/fiction realm as a principal setting.

### Alienation of the reader

Most of the fiction works associated with this setting deal in social situations which, by design, may challenge, puzzle and perhaps offend the Western-European and North American reader. Paradisian places and practices tend to be cited without explicit clarification to the uninitiated, mainly to emphasise the exotic quality of a place a first-time reader has not read of before (though many episodes are furnished with glossed text and endnotes, most from *The Essential Paradis*e, for explanation). In this way the Two Paradises realm can (and should) be compared to an alien world in science fiction, or to Middle Earth in the Tolkien sagas, not quite modern Earth as we know it but strikingly credible to modern earthlings willing to accept it on its own terms. A view of the Two Paradises dichotomy may serve to illustrate some of the typical literary precepts.

### Youth culture

One consistent theme, as included from the start in the author's vision of the setting, is that of the extraordinarily low age of social majority, as inherited from the aboriginal Polynesian culture, and the challenges and opportunities faced by young people making their way into welcoming, but eye-opening, adult-level freedoms and responsibilities. As literature this is not meant as unscrupulous exploitation of the lot of young people but rather as a theoretical exploration of the opportunities available, such as in recreation, vocation, education and socialisation, to people under age 18 or 21 in the territory. The pitfalls, particularly that of tourists' misconstruing what liberties they may take with those whose ages, in their home places, would make them out-of-bounds, is a recurring theme.

### Jonnie Comet's interpretation and application

Certain literary tropes occur frequently within the Comet-penned Two Paradises episodes and are worthy of application to other works as well. These include:

* Adolescent peerage
* The stranger in paradise [sic]
* The eager ingenue
* The untouchable bait
* The unwelcome admirer
* The masterful mother
* The prodigal maiden
* The closeted hussy
* Daddy's good girl
* The youngest mother

There are others as well.

## See further

Introduction: insight into core Paradisian concepts as originally conceived, and subsequently developed, by principal author Jonnie Comet and others

Two Paradises: explanation of the two domains within the fantasy/fiction realm (*vital* for interested contributors!)

*The Essential Paradise*, series sourcebook: detail into key elements of the fantastic realm and its features and characters

The Stories: key works of fiction, including the originating novels and novellae, with literary apology (explanation) and constructive detail

Characters: as feature in various story arcs, with data, illustrations, personal histories (including Wikipedia articles, where applicable!)

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