posted
As Mary pointed out earlier, the "end-of-the-world" theme is primary in a large bulk of Fantasy, but less so in Science Fiction. Yet, in both genres the worlds (and everything in them) are largely unfamilliar.
So why does the epic seem to dominate Fantasy while Science Fiction has basically come up with a neat little corner (i.e. space opera?) for sci-fi epics?
posted
I wonder if it is related to a question you're supposed to ask before doing an SF story. You're supposed to strip the science out and see if you still have a plot. If you do, then it shouldn't be SF. (According to some.) Or to look at it another way, you've got a theme that can not be told in any other way.
So maybe Fantasy--if you're looking at themes you can't deal with any other way--naturally lends itself big themes like Good vs. Evil. Or, maybe its just that if you pull the magic out of Fantasy stories they just become historical novels.
I guess the key then to writing a non-epic fantasy would be to find a story that needs some element of magic to tell, but doesn't deal with good vs. evil.
I'm rambling a bit, does any of that actually make sense?
posted
I'm sure there are plots that can be something other than world/kindom threatening. If you think about it, how many of them would be interesting as fantasy? A story about a bar maid that might be an incredible story, might not be interesting in a fantasy setting. The fantasy would weigh on the whole story as a big question of why.
Of course it could just be that so many fantasy books have main characters that are so exceptional that normal plots would pale to thier abilities. How can you have any suspense when the whole story is a cake walk for the main character.
Maybe that is the answer. To have a intimate fantasy plot, you need a average main character.
posted
I'm very tired and feeling very pregnant today so what I'm trying to say may not come out making as much sense as it does in my head.
Everything I've read so far in this posting is lending itself to one main question for me - if we are asking can it be done, then myself answers back, why not do it then? [The "it" being writing a novel in an intimate setting.] Is it because we lack a template for the exact way to do it right? Do we need a template if we are already questioning it? And the only way to tell if it was done right is to try it and then see if the story works.
posted
Perhaps the epic tendency is because fantasy comes from a large tradition of fairy tales, in which the protagonists are either princes or princesses or end up marrying one as a sign of worldly success. So in a sense they are extraordinary and require an extraordinary plot. And yet...many fairytales do involve kings and queens (fantasies less so nowadays) but are not necessarily end-of-the-world tales. For instance, the persistent motif of a prince travelling the world to prove himself does not even involve a threat to the kingdom (which could be seen as a small-scale end of the world).
On the other hand, one of the other sources for fantasy is myth, which tends to have far loftier concerns. Myths have to explain the creation of the world. But that would not make a good story since stories about gods and goddesses no longer appeal to us nowadays--and there is little suspense in wondering whether the world will end up being created. However, a possible displacement of the problem is towards the other end of the time scale--"will the world end?" holds a far more interesting narrative than the creation myths. So perhaps end-of-the-world stories are one way to take hold of that mythical quality and bring it into the narration.
Maybe what we need is a radical change of fantasy (haven't even dealt with escapism and everything in between )
Just my two cents
[This message has been edited by Silver3 (edited January 12, 2005).]
posted
Oh, Whitney. I feel for you. OK, maybe not EXACTLY. It's been almost six years since I've been very pregnant. But I remember what it was like well enough that it won't happen again except by an act of God!
I just had a thought, and actually on topic: I suppose the best source of 'intimate fantasy' is fairy tales. Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and on and on and on. But how much meat can be added to these fairly simple tales in order to make them novel length before it ends up spiraling into the typical world-saving epic? I wonder if a subject search at the library might yield some promising results. Subject:Snow White...
posted
Actually, the Fairy Tale Series had some of the few stories I'd run across that fit the criteria of what I was interested in. Whitney, I'm not really concerned with "can it be done", but rather "why isn't it", or at least more often. Since I have a story that is not epic but big enough for a novel, I'll tell it regardless of what's come before. It just made me curious. It is also helping me lay parameters for my next WIP.
Posts: 2022 | Registered: Jul 2003
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I will admit, generally--in fantasy--the largest invented element of the milieu will at least be used to define something that is at risk. That's just saying that in a good fantasy all the novel elements contribute something to the story.
The same is true of good SF, any element introduced contributes something to the story, such that it wouldn't be the same story if you took that element out.
If a story can be told without introducing any fantasy or SF elements, then it is a bad idea to introduce such elements, because they won't be serving any purpose in the story. So if you want a story that is just about a relationship between two normal people, then there is no reason for it to be either fantasy or SF or historical or anything like that.
But if one of them is a wizard (or on a quest to kill one) or a relativistic starship captain, then suddenly you have a fantasy or SF story.
posted
Actually, two of the best examples I can think of come from film. The first is Princess Bride, which has already been discussed. But I don't think it qualifies because the suspense, at least in part, hinges on the fate of the kingdom. I interpret this as being of the 'big' variety of fantasy, although writ small. :-)
The second, and much better example, is Ladyhawk. While the two main characters are of noble birth, there are no higher stakes than the simple cessation of their personal torment.
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