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Deus ex machina
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==Plot device== [[Aristotle]] (in the Poetics 15 1454b1) was the first to use a Greek term equivalent to the Latin phrase ''deus ex machina'' to describe the technique as a device to resolve the plot of tragedies.<ref name=machine /> It is said by one person to be undesirable in writing and often implies a lack of creativity on the part of the author. The reasons for this are that it damages the story's internal logic and is often so unlikely that it challenges the reader's [[suspension of disbelief]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_D.html |title=Literary Terms and Definitions: D |author= Dr. L. Kip Wheeler |access-date=2008-07-26}}</ref> ===Examples=== * ''[[Avengers: Endgame]]'' writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely admitted the time travel plot device in the 2019 film was the result of having written themselves into a corner in [[Avengers: Infinity War|the previous movie]].<ref>[https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2477366/even-the-avengers-endgame-writers-admit-time-travel-is-ludicrous Even The Avengers: Endgame Writers Admit Time Travel Is Ludicrous]</ref> Also, the sudden arrival of [[Carol Danvers (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Captain Marvel]] in the climax of the film has been criticized as bordering on a ''deus ex machina'' because "her late arrival to the final battle ... feels like a function of her powers being too strong".<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/04/27/avengers-endgame-gets-captain-marvel-so-wrong-spoilers/3572243002/ How did 'Avengers: Endgame' get Captain Marvel so wrong?]</ref> * The [[Eagle (Middle-earth)|Great Eagles]] in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' carrying [[Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Samwise]] out of [[Mordor]] have been critiqued as a ''deus ex machina''.<ref name=worst>{{Cite web|url=https://bestforfilm.com/film-blog/top-10-deus-ex-machina-moments/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502180545/https://bestforfilm.com/film-blog/top-10-deus-ex-machina-moments/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-05-02|title=Top 10 Deus Ex Machina moments}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tRvHDwAAQBAJ&dq=deus+ex+machina+eagles+Tolkien+OR+%22lord+of+the+rings%22&pg=PA184 | title=Fantasies of Time and Death: Dunsany, Eddison, Tolkien | isbn=9781137518385 | last=Vaninskaya | first=Anna |author-link=Anna Vaninskaya | date=26 December 2019 | publisher=Springer }}</ref> * ''[[Lord of the Flies]]'': A passing navy officer rescues the stranded children. [[William Golding]] called that a "gimmick"; other critics view it as a ''deus ex machina''. The abrupt ending conveys the terrible fate that would have afflicted the children if the officer had not arrived at that moment.<ref>{{cite book |title=William Golding's Lord of the Flies |editor-last=Bloom |editor-first=Harold |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j1ZJcFqQ7V8C&q=Lord+of+the+Flies,+deus+ex+machina&pg=PA67 |pages=67β68 |chapter=Grief, grief, grief: ''Lord of the Flies'' |first=Lawrence S. |last=Friedman |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2008|isbn=9780791098264 }}</ref> * ''[[Oliver Twist]]'': [[Charles Dickens]] used the device when Rose Maylie turns out to be the long-lost sister of Agnes, and therefore Oliver's aunt; she marries her long-time sweetheart Harry, allowing Oliver to live happily with his savior Mr. Brownlow.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Glossary of Literary Terms |editor-last=Abrams |editor-first=MH |pages=44β45 |publisher=Harcourt Brace & Company, USA |year=1993 }}</ref> * ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'': The Martians in H. G. Wells's novel have destroyed everything in their path and apparently triumphed over humanity, but they are suddenly killed by bacteria.<ref name=Greenwood>{{cite book |editor1-last=Westfahl |editor1-first=Gary |title=The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders, Volume 1 |date=2005 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0313329516 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=SQMQQyIaACYC&pg=PA195 195] }}</ref>
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