Meaning of manic pixie dream girl | Babel Free

Definitions

A stock female character, typically characterized as a bubbly, quirky free spirit, whose main purpose within a narrative is to teach a young male protagonist to embrace the mysteries and adventures of life.

derogatory, sometimes

Examples

“Then again, [Susan] Sarandon's character is the very embodiment of gritty neo-realism compared to Kirsten Dunst's stewardess/love⟳ interest⟳. Dunst embodies a character type⟳ I like⟳ to call⟳ The Manic Pixie Dream⟳ Girl (see⟳ Natalie Portman in Garden State for another prime example). The Manic Pixie Dream⟳ Girl exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach⟳ broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.”

“[page 218] For me, the Manic Pixie Dream⟳ Girl was the story that fit. Of course, I didn't think⟳ of it in those terms; all I saw⟳ was that in the books and series I loved – mainly science fiction, comics and offbeat literature, not the mainstream films that would later make⟳ the MPDG trope famous – [...] [page 219] Most of the classic Manic Pixie Dream⟳ Girls claim⟳ to be ironic re-imaginings of a character trope that they fail⟳ to actually interrogate in any way.”

“Looking for a new apartment, he cute-meets Sofia (Dolores Fonzi), a young woman with a pink bicycle helmet, yellow tights, a vaguely exotic background and all the other signs of manic-pixie-dream-girl status.”

“A guy who understands women based on movies or television will never have⟳ a chance at understanding a real woman, because we aren't like⟳ that. We aren't the "career-focused ice queen" or the "sweet helpless damsel in distress" or the "manic pixie dream⟳ girl" [...]. But at times, we might be some of them. Or all of them. And then we'll change⟳ again, into something much more complex. You can't pin us down.”

“Your love⟳ for her is getting embarrassing. [...] She's gorgeous, she has buckets of charisma she couldn't hide⟳ if she tried, and she makes all the boys fall⟳ in love⟳ with her. That sounds like⟳ Manic Pixie Dreamgirl territory, my friend—which, news flash⟳ again, is a cliché.”

“But even as Gina's behavior dips past manic pixie dream⟳ girl to merely manic, the director never deviates from the detached tone of his prologue.”

“A precursor to the “manic pixie dreamgirl” trope of today, the femme-enfant’s youth was to be mooned over, her naïveté aspired to, her pure countenance captured in poetry and paint⟳.”

CEFR level