Did DGSD have more "long scenes" than other Jin Yong stories?

The most familiar Jin Yong stories to me are DGSD and the three parts of THE CONDOR HEROES TRILOGY, mostly through the 1980s TVB adaptations.

THE CONDOR HEROES TRILOGY as a whole did not seem to feature too many "long scenes" of characters standing in one location and talking at length without much action (or with a great deal of action that takes place after the talking is done). There's a great deal of movement and changes of scenes in THE CONDOR HEROES TRILOGY. LOCH, ROCH, and HSDS don't seem to dwell on any particular scene for very long...at least not that I can gather from the adaptations.

DGSD, on the other hand, seems to have a great many scenes that just drag on and on and on. I'm not saying that these scenes are boring, but just that there's very little movement or change of scenery. For example, the Beggar's Union Conference where Kiu Fung's heritage was revealed seemed to go on forever (it did last an entire night). Similarly, the events at Tsui Yin Manor seemed to go on forever with Kiu Fung and the various wulin people arguing with each other before the fighting began (and the fight was long too). Ditto the events at the Shaolin Conference.

In the TVB adaptations of these stories, seldom did the characters linger in one spot for an extended period of time in LOCH '82, ROCH '83, and HSDS '86. In DGSD '81, however, there seemed to be a tendency for scenes in a single location to last whole episodes.

Is that in line with the way the DGSD novel was paced vis a vis the CONDOR HEROES TRILOGY novels, or was it just a TVB pacing thing?

Those scenes from DGSD didn't include much change in scenery, but they involved so many interesting characters AND interesting mysteries/revelations, they were simply lovely.

By the way, the second biggest scale single static-location scene from DGSD (the largest would have to be the Shaolin conference), is probably the Myriad Immortals Conference, which spanned about nearly 2 long chapters.

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Originally Posted by PJ

Those scenes from DGSD didn't include much change in scenery, but they involved so many interesting characters AND interesting mysteries/revelations, they were simply lovely.

By the way, the second biggest scale single static-location scene from DGSD (the largest would have to be the Shaolin conference), is probably the Myriad Immortals Conference, which spanned about nearly 2 long chapters.

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In DGSD '81, the Beggar's Conference occupied parts of three episodes: one half of each of two episodes (the beginning and end), and one entire episode (the middle). Tsui Yin Manor occupied part of one episode and all of a second episode. I think the Shaolin Conference also spanned most of two episodes.

The only comparable sequence from LOCH '82 would be the revelation of the true circumstances of the Gong Nam 5 Freaks' murder, but that lasted only one whole episode, and even though the entire story took place in Iron Spear Temple, it didn't seem static because there were frequent flashbacks to the murders on Peach Blossom Island.

No comparable episode- or multi-episode spanning scenes were evident in ROCH '83 or HSDS '86.

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Originally Posted by PJ

... probably the Myriad Immortals Conference, which spanned about nearly 2 long chapters.

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Also your favourite part of the novel right?

How can you compare?

The Ox village incidents in LOCH lasted for 7 days and 7 nights.

Han Solo

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Originally Posted by Han Solo

How can you compare?

The Ox village incidents in LOCH lasted for 7 days and 7 nights.

Han Solo

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I'd forgotten that Gwok Jing and Wong Yung were stuck inside that secret room for most of three episodes in LOCH '82.

That didn't seem quite as static as the DGSD Beggar's Union Conference, however, because there was so much going on around Sor Goo's inn. In one part of the inn, Au Yeung Hak was murdered. Elsewhere, East Heretic Wong Yerk See and Mui Chiu Fung faced off against West Poison Au Yeung Fung and the Cheun Jen 7 Disciples. Later, the Gong Nam 6 Freaks showed up from elsewhere.

There were also quite a few comings and goings in the DGSD Beggar's Union Conference, and a few fights as well, but it seemed to take place in the same space (I think the separation of different rooms, courtyard areas in the LOCH case made it seem less like the same place even though there wasn't necessarily any more land involved).

Hehe Ken,

I suppose now that you've got your newly acquired DVDs of these adaptation, it has inspired you to ask us or should I say entertain us with more questions. Hehe...always looked forward to what you come up with because it's always properly thought out with reasonable evidence to back up, instead of just throwing some question or statement out without backing it up. I appreciate that. :)

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Originally Posted by Ken Cheng

There were also quite a few comings and goings in the DGSD Beggar's Union Conference, and a few fights as well, but it seemed to take place in the same space (I think the separation of different rooms, courtyard areas in the LOCH case made it seem less like the same place even though there wasn't necessarily any more land involved).

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The sheer quantity and quality of the lovable secondary characters introduced during this scene made it extremely exciting, although those characters weren't quite as lovable in the TV series.

Also, this scene is a turning point in the novel which has no equal match in wuxia literature. This is the moment when the main character of the novel all along literally steps down, and hands over the story to another main character (who is now being introduced). This unique feature of DGSD is one of the many reasons that I am very much partial to it, and that scene established this feature.