We get this word from the character of Cassandra in Ancient Greek stories. Cassandra was "blessed" with the gift of prophecy; that is, she knew what was going to happen. Nobody would listen to her, of course, rendering her powerless to alter the nasty future she saw, and as a result of this she went a little schizy. This type of I-know-what's-going-to-happen-but-I-can't-stop-it conflict has since been named the Cassandra Complex.

I've come to realize that almost all children of average intelligence or better experience this complex.
Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote an interesting novel about the Trojan War from the perspective of Cassandra. This was as brilliant an idea as her retelling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of Morgaine.

It's an excellent literary device to have one character who knows what is going to happen but isn't believed - it's a sort of reversal of the suspense novel. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a strong concept with a weak execution.

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