I examine the idea that fiction needs villains, and ask; can stories survive without active opposition or hostility from any quarter, human, or not? Can a writer completely do without an antagonist? Even the most worthy literature falls very flat without dramatic tension, and that does have to spring from some kind of conflict, which is usually described as the antagonist, whether this is a supernatural entity, an internal struggle, a jealous lover, or tsunami.
I look at different types of antagonists, contagonists and protagonists through some interesting books, from Misery to Gone Girl. From Les Miserable to One Flew over the Cuckoo's
Nest. From the Catcher in the Rye to Big Fish.
And what conclusions do I reach? Do we really need the evil villain in our stories? Just remember the first principle of writing is – no conflict, no story.
