
Today continues the April A-Z Challenge. This month, I'll be blogging (almost) daily about a different speculative fiction trope, one for each letter of the alphabet. Today's entry is on Lords and Ladies. In other words, we'll be talking about medievalism in speculative fiction.
This trope calls to mind the clanging of steel and the pounding of hooves, battle standards flying and war horns sounding. In fact, if it wasn't for the presence of fantastical elements like magic and monsters, you might think you were reading a story set in medieval Europe.
Medievalism in fantasy can be traced back to some of the earliest examples of the fantasy genre, such as The Well at the World's End by William Morris. This 1896 novel introduced the reader to Ralph of Upmeads, who sets out on an adventure to find a magical well that grants strength and destiny to anyone who can drink from it. Morris' story was directly influenced by medieval tales and legends, and along with other early works like Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter, it would help to lay the foundations of fantasy as a literary genre, particularly high fantasy and sword & sorcery.
Lord of the Rings set the type for high fantasy, portraying a world clearly born of medieval culture and folklore. You'd be hard pressed to find a fantasy author that has been emulated more than Tolkien.
Since I was a child, I've been absolutely in love with the medieval setting in epic fantasy. As a writer, I've produced more science fiction than fantasy, but most of the fantasy works I've written are dripping with unabashed influence from the likes of Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and George R.R. Martin. Several short stories of mine have taken place in a world dominated by feudal kingdoms wrapped up in religious conflict, including a couple that may be seeing publication soon.
I don't know what it is that compels me so, but as a reader I just can't get enough of it. Give me wicked tyrants and scrappy rebel armies. Give me epic sword duels and brave dragon slayers. Give me wizards and paladins. You can even give me Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves. As long as it's imaginative and written well, I'll consume just about any story in this mold with a smile on my face.
Recommended Reading:
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Recommended Viewing:
Game of Thrones
Dragonslayer
The Princess Bride
Recommended Gaming:
Dragon Age: Origins
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Witcher
Thanks for stopping by and following! I write contemporary YA, but I read just about everything. I haven't seen Game of Thrones yet, but I keep hearing how great it is. I'm sure I'll delve into it sooner than later!
ReplyDeleteGame of Thrones is fantastic, in my opinion. I've read all of the books, so I know what's going to happen already, and it still manages to keep me on the edge of my seat.
DeleteThanks for reading, Daisy!
Beautifully said, J.W. The fascination you have with epic fantasy seeps out every paragraph of this post, and it got me thinking how it would have looks like without Tolkien. Would any other historical period have been as good a match as the medieval one? Somehow I doubt it. But then again, it's hard for me to shake LOTR out of my mind on this one. I've seen the movies about 14-15 times (not joking, my hubby "accidentally" lost the CDs during a spring-cleaning after that).
ReplyDeleteThat would be grounds for divorce where I come from! :P
DeleteIt's hard to imagine where the fantasy genre would be without Tolkien's influence. Some of the greatest stories of all time are rife with his influence. More often though, I wonder where it would be if he'd lived long enough to finish his work. His son has done a well enough job of trying to share the manuscripts his father was working on, but J.R.R. was so well known for copious redrafting that I wonder if his posthumous work would have looked anything like it did if his work had continued. A shame that we'll never know!
I'm a Tolkien fan, but haven't gotten interested in much other fantasy. I'm trying to visit all the A-Z Challenge Blogs this month.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Sharkbytes! The challenge has been great fun!
DeleteThere is also the Feudal Future types, as is my current WiP. But I would argue that the first "fantasy" stories are the tales of ancient mythologies and the Medieval Romances.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Dune is one of the greatest scifi works of all time, and funnily enough I just recommended it to a friend by describing it as "Game of Thrones in space."
DeleteYou're right about fantasy's connection to medieval romance. As I mentioned, the earliest authors in what is now considered the fantasy genre were clearly inspired by European mythology, Arthurian legend, and epic narrative poems such as Beowulf.
Thanks for the comment, Rafael!
Fascinating topic! Thanks for sharing!(I am halfway through book 3 of A Song of Fire and Ice! Only put it down to check out some a-z blogs with my lunch!)
ReplyDeleteMartin's series is one of my favorites of all time. I only wish he'd write faster!
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Lost Star.