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 Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 4:23 am
Hail and well met, citizens of the Writer's Block!
I thought it would be interesting to start a dialogue on the beloved fantasy genre of literature, seeing as that's what many of us here seem to be fans of. What I'm more interested in, however, is opinions on what’s preferred as far as sub-genres are concerned. The two sub-genres in question today are high fantasy and low fantasy.
High Fantasy is often described as stories taking place in a fantastic world of wizards, elves, magic and other such elements. They usually contain coming-of-age themes, quests and absolute evils that the hero must overcome. Protagonists in high-fantasy stories are almost always morally upstanding individuals who have some sort of extraordinary lineage or ability that will inevitably be a focal point of the tale. They live uneventful lives until a fateful day where some encroaching evil or another event has changed their world and set their journey in motion.
As the tale progresses, the hero of the high fantasy narrative may befriend other characters in his travels, and one of these characters is usually a mentor in the vein of a wise wizard or experienced warrior who helps guide the hero on his journey that ultimate culminates with the hero facing the evil that affected their life at the beginning of the story.
Low Fantasy is a more ambiguous term used to describe works containing elements directly conflicting with the High Fantasy genre. Where the high fantasy protagonist is a good person with something extraordinary about them, the low fantasy protagonist is often an ordinary man or woman possessing a generally morally grey attitude. This extends to the fact that low fantasy settings often opt for a more realistic worldview as opposed to high fantasy’s clear cut “good vs. evil”. It also because of this that the scope of a low fantasy story is as epic as that of a high fantasy tale. They tend to deal with a “day in the life” of the protagonist, rather than a world threatening event that must be stopped.
So, which do you prefer?
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:40 am
"Low Fantasy", though I don't exactly like that term--only because it seems hierarchical.
The fantasy novel I'm working on right now has a protagonist who is a young woman dealing with alcoholism and a history of abuse as a child. She is surly, coy, violent, and spews out vulgarities as though they were greetings. Yes, that is my protagonist. I merge the schematic by having a set of characters clearly defined as "good" and "evil" and another set as ambiguous. Generally the good and evil characters serve mostly as plot devices, where as the ambiguous characters reflect more of human nature.
For me I love writing "mutt" fantasy that blends real world problems in a fantasy setting, because I think the age-old lesson that different circumstances doesn't eliminate problems. Also, my characters live in an exciting world and their problems are only -more- complicated by magic and the like.
For me I like the "low" fantasy genre because high fantasy is pleasant to read and watch, but it can become too formulaic and predictable. Also, in low fantasy you can ironically gather more escapism. I think the more elements from the real world people can see tucked into a fantasy story, the more they can relate to aspects of it. It is much easy to become absorbed into a story in which you can see yourself. That's why I gravitate towards low fantasy-- but don't get me wrong, high fantasy definitely has its charm and appeal as well.
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 7:01 pm
You make some good points and I agree wholeheartedly. I like low fantasy for the fact that, generally speaking, it's more relatable. I think I also prefer stories that are smaller in scope that you typically get in low fantasy, because I can only read about the world being saved so many times.
I myself like to read high fantasy every now and then, but I don't know that I could ever write one but the genre itself seems so rigid that there's little room for deviation from the formula. I think I may actually try it though, before I take a planned break from the fantasy genre to explore other types.
And you're new story sounds interesting. Are you going to post any of it?
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Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:34 pm
I myself like the high fantasy. My thing is when I read book I want to be taken to place that can't really exist I mean I have to deal with reality on an everyday basis so when I read I want my imagination to be taken to the limits within reason of course. I am in the process of reading The Deverry Series by Katharine Kerr. There are a total of 14 books in the series and everyone is what I consider a continuation of the next. I don't know if I could ever write as good as her or others that I have read but one day I will give it a try.
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