Do All Great Stories Begin (or End) With Tragedy?

[Gildarts]

The mods can move this topic if they want, but me, Vic, and Cat were brainstorming about at what point a story begins. Most stories, when I look back, have kind of a sad beginning, probably as a device to keep us, the readers, reading. We want to experience the completeness that the end gives us and a purposeful beginning.

So I ask, do all great stories begin with tragedy?

Examples: Supernatural, Harry Potter, and well, I'm sure this list could go on for a while and I'm a bit lazy so...

[Demetri Malius]

I think the reason for this is because of the change that a character must go.through. its hard to have a character change if your story is happy and it ends happy, and your reqder will end up getting bored. If you being eith tragedy, your reader will want to discover how the character(s) overcome(s) it. For the end, it will give your reader s sensible ending, most likely where a character must sacrifice something for the greater good or endire some tragedy. It makes everything feel real.

[Illidan Stormrage]

Tragedy? No. A motivator to seek out a goal? Yes. Tragedy just happens to be an easy motivator.

[Dark Link]

Tragedy? No. A motivator to seek out a goal? Yes. Tragedy just happens to be an easy motivator.

Pretty much this. It's not so much that tragedy is the best way or even the only way to get the ball rolling, but it is one of the most reliable ways to get the story moving. It provides the main character with the motivation to accept the call to adventure or at least break up the status quo so that they can't reject it. Since Star Wars has been in the spotlight these days, Luke is a good example of the latter:

[spoiler]He initially planned on remaining home in spite of his desire to leave the planet, but after his uncle and aunt were murdered and his home destroyed, there was nothing for him to go back to.[/spoiler]

But yeah, tragedy isn't necessary for beginning a great story. A classic example would be Tolkien's The Hobbit:

[spoiler]Bilbo doesn't leave his comfortable life in Hobbiton because of tragedy. In fact, beyond curiosity and an adventurous spirit (or sympathy for the dwarves, as was the case in the movie), he doesn't really have a personal motive for going off on his adventure.[/spoiler]

On a side note, Harry Potter is kind of a mixed example:

[spoiler]While the death of the Potters is undoubtedly a tragedy, the event also marks the first victory over Voldemort and an end of a long period of conflict. Compared to the years of violence and terror that preceded it, the story's time period is relatively peaceful...at least until the end of Goblet of Fire.[/spoiler]