What It Is: The term Manic Pixie Dream Girl was coined by film critic Nathan Rabin after observing Kirsten Dunst's character in the 2005 film Elizabethtown. He described this stock character type as "that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that 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." What It Means: Another rather misguided criticism that's levelled at Green's novels is that most of his love interests fulfil this character type. The criticism is often aimed at the character Margo Roth Spiegelman from Paper Towns. In the book, Margo is the beautiful, popular next-door neighbour who shows up one night, changes the protagonist's life and subsequently disappear. In actuality, Green's use of the trope is merely so that he can subvert it. In Paper Towns, it transpires that protagonist Quentin has been idolizing what essentially amounts to a shadow, adoring qualities that don't even vaguely line up with who she really is as a person. In Looking For Alaska, Alaska has no time for Miles, and her behaviour isn't glorified, either it's criticized as extremely self-destructive.
