Lit-crit question

[rhu]

Is there a name for the phenomenon in some narratives where the bad guy is killed, not by the good guy, but by the bad guy's attack on the good guy backfiring? (I'm sure you can all provide your own examples so I won't include any spoilers here.) 'Cause I'm getting sick and tired of it, and I'd like to be able to denigrate it by its proper name.

Comments

[cazique.livejournal.com]

I see no good reason why you shouldn't make up a name (pick your favorite example, call it the xxxx effect or the xxx twist or something) and start using it. It'll either (a) catch on, (b) someone will tell you a more common and/or better term, or (c) it won't work. Why not?

[rubrick.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it would backfire.

[bookishfellow.livejournal.com]

If the term exists, it exists on http://www.tvtropes.org. I'm not sure exactly how to search for it though. Warning: it is impossible to leave this site once you enter.

[michelel72.livejournal.com]

Perhaps this one or the tropes linked within.

Man, I love hate can't quit that site ....

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

Self-Disposing Villain looks pretty close. The best thing to do would probably be to come up with an example and look on the page for that book/show/movie to see if it's included.

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

Maybe Karmic Death?

[crs.livejournal.com]

Self-Disposing Karmic Petard!

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Poetic justice, or ironic justice are the ones that come to mind to me.

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of a name for it but I think there should be. If you make one up I'll be glad to signal-boost it as far as wide as I can.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

We already had a whole phone conversation about this, but this LJ comment is too small to fit the whole discussion. :-)

[diceytillerman.livejournal.com]

Wile E. Coyote Syndrome? ;)

Hoist by his own petard

[(Anonymous)]

It's pretty common. I suspect everyone has read the most obvious recent example of this.