History Quotes / StandardFantasySetting

->"Generically medieval", by which we mean our peerage is French, our castles are German, our weapons are Italian, and everybody speaks English.\\
you can have religion in one of 2 flavors: "woo hoo aesthetic garnish" and "Sinister State Control in Bad Allegory for Problems in Modern Christianity"\\
Also, the latter is aesthetically French Catholic, theologically German Protestant, and has the institutional structure of the Church of Scientology.\\
not to mention that this land is simultaneously inhabited by thinly modified northern vikings (Nordic pre-medieval/9th century), travelling mongols (European medieval/13th century) and a wealthy italian merchant family with a house full of oil paintings (Southern European renaissance/15th century). the dance of the day is waltz (refined German 18th century country dance).
-->-- [[https://jasmiinitee.tumblr.com/post/184827342288/prokopetz-the-venereal-bede-prokopetz A thread]] on Website/{{Tumblr}}.

Of course, the consensus fantasy universe is full of cliches, almost by definition. [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elves are tall and fair and use bows]], [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves are small and dark and vote Labour]]. And [[FunctionalMagic magic works]]. That's the difference between magic in the fantasy universe and magic here. In the fantasy universe a wizard [[MagicalGesture points his fingers]] and all these sort of [[PowerGlows blue glittery lights come out]] and there's a sort of explosion and [[BalefulPolymorph some poor soul is turned into something horrible]].''

->''But a part of my mind remained plugged into what I might call the consensus fantasy universe. It does exist, and you all know it. It has been formed by {{folklore}} and Victorian romantics and Creator/WaltDisney, and E. R. Eddison and Creator/JackVance and Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin and Creator/FritzLeiber -- hasn't it? In fact those writers and [[Creator/JRRTolkien a handful]] [[Creator/TerryBrooks of others]] have very closely defined it. There are now, to the delight of parasitical writers like me, what I might almost call "public domain" plot items. There are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]], and magic users, and [[FantasyWorldMap far horizons]], and [[TheQuest quests]], and [[McGuffin items of power]], and [[AdventureTown weird cities]]. There's [[SceneryPorn the kind of scenery]] that we would have had on Earth if only God had had the money.\\

-->-- [[https://jasmiinitee.tumblr.com/post/184827342288/prokopetz-the-venereal-bede-prokopetz A thread]] on Website/{{Tumblr}}.

->''But a part of my mind remained plugged into what I might call the consensus fantasy universe. It does exist, and you all know it. It has been formed by {{folklore}} and Victorian romantics and Creator/WaltDisney, and E. R. Eddison and Creator/JackVance and Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin and Creator/FritzLeiber -- hasn't it? In fact those writers and [[Creator/JRRTolkien a handful]] [[Creator/TerryBrooks of others]] have very closely defined it. There are now, to the delight of parasitical writers like me, what I might almost call "public domain" plot items. There are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]], and [[WizardsAndWitches magic users]], and [[FantasyWorldMap far horizons]], and [[TheQuest quests]], and [[McGuffin items of power]], and [[AdventureTown weird cities]]. There's [[SceneryPorn the kind of scenery]] that we would have had on Earth if only God had had the money.\\

Of course, the consensus fantasy universe is full of cliches, almost by definition. [[OurElvesAreBetter Elves are tall and fair and use bows]], [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves are small and dark and vote Labour]]. And [[FunctionalMagic magic works]]. That's the difference between magic in the fantasy universe and magic here. In the fantasy universe a wizard [[MagicalGesture points his fingers]] and all these sort of [[PowerGlows blue glittery lights come out]] and there's a sort of explosion and [[BalefulPolymorph some poor soul is turned into something horrible]].''

-->''But a part of my mind remained plugged into what I might call the consensus fantasy universe. It does exist, and you all know it. It has been formed by {{folklore}} and Victorian romantics and Creator/WaltDisney, and E. R. Eddison and Creator/JackVance and Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin and Creator/FritzLeiber -- hasn't it? In fact those writers and [[Creator/JRRTolkien a handful]] [[Creator/TerryBrooks of others]] have very closely defined it. There are now, to the delight of parasitical writers like me, what I might almost call "public domain" plot items. There are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]], and [[WizardsAndWitches magic users]], and [[FantasyWorldMap far horizons]], and [[TheQuest quests]], and [[McGuffin items of power]], and [[AdventureTown weird cities]]. There's [[SceneryPorn the kind of scenery]] that we would have had on Earth if only God had had the money.\\
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Of course, the consensus fantasy universe is full of cliches, almost by definition. [[OurElvesAreBetter Elves are tall and fair and use bows]], [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves are small and dark and vote Labour]]. And [[FunctionalMagic magic works]]. That's the difference between magic in the fantasy universe and magic here. In the fantasy universe a wizard [[MagicalGesture points his fingers]] and all these sort of [[PowerGlows blue glittery lights come out]] and there's a sort of explosion and [[BalefulPolymorph some poor soul is turned into something horrible]].''\\
--'''Creator/TerryPratchett''', ''[[http://www.ansible.co.uk/misc/tpspeech.html Why Gandalf Never Married]]''

-->...I grew up on ''Franchise/TheTwilightZone'' stories and they were as fantastic as they got and were always grounded in humanity and human emotions. I think modern fantasy, and Tolkien’s work took off right after ''The Twilight Zone'' was cancelled, began in the 60’s and hasn’t changed since. Withholding judgment, I find that to be a remarkable and depressing fact....\\
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There must be an [[ConLang invented mythology/language]] to support the whole business. Note: the writer is free to borrow. For example, I believe there is a relationship between [[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Wagner’s Ring]] and Tolkien, though I hasten to add I am not accusing the latter of plagiarism.\\
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There must be a disconnect from everyday reality, at no point is the reader to be reminded of the everyday realities of bill-paying, work, and/or family squabbles. Fantasy is to escape. And yes, [[Creator/RodSerling Serling’s]] fantasies were not about escape.\\
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There must be no allegory — and here I salute Tolkien. I think that was an absolutely correct decision. Allegory is like satire — nobody understands it and nobody cares about it. By dispensing with allegorical interpretations, Tolkien freed him to write something that anyone could readily interpret for their own purposes (In the 60’s I recall, Orcs = Narcs was all the rage)\\
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These I believe to be all necessary conditions. But the question is: are they sufficient?\\
-- Science fiction author J. Kel, author of ''Shedding Grace'', on "The Tolkien Template"

-->"Generically medieval", by which we mean our peerage is French, our castles are German, our weapons are Italian, and everybody speaks English.\\
\\
you can have religion in one of 2 flavors: “woo hoo aesthetic garnish” and “Sinister State Control in Bad Allegory for Problems in Modern Christianity”\\
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-->[[https://jasmiinitee.tumblr.com/post/184827342288/prokopetz-the-venereal-bede-prokopetz A thread]] on Website/{{Tumblr}}.

-- Science fiction author J. Kel, author of ''Shedding Grace'', on "The Tolkien Template"

There must be an [[ConLang invented mythology/language]] to support the whole business. Note: the writer is free to borrow. For example, I believe there is a relationship between [[TheRingOfTheNibelung Wagner’s Ring]] and Tolkien, though I hasten to add I am not accusing the latter of plagiarism.\\

-->...I grew up on ''TheTwilightZone'' stories and they were as fantastic as they got and were always grounded in humanity and human emotions. I think modern fantasy, and Tolkien’s work took off right after ''The Twilight Zone'' was cancelled, began in the 60’s and hasn’t changed since. Withholding judgment, I find that to be a remarkable and depressing fact....\\

-->''But a part of my mind remained plugged into what I might call the consensus fantasy universe. It does exist, and you all know it. It has been formed by {{folklore}} and Victorian romantics and WaltDisney, and E. R. Eddison and Creator/JackVance and Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin and Creator/FritzLeiber -- hasn't it? In fact those writers and [[Creator/JRRTolkien a handful]] [[Creator/TerryBrooks of others]] have very closely defined it. There are now, to the delight of parasitical writers like me, what I might almost call "public domain" plot items. There are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]], and [[WizardsAndWitches magic users]], and [[FantasyWorldMap far horizons]], and [[TheQuest quests]], and [[McGuffin items of power]], and [[AdventureTown weird cities]]. There's [[SceneryPorn the kind of scenery]] that we would have had on Earth if only God had had the money.\\

There must be a disconnect from everyday reality, at no point is the reader to be reminded of the everyday realities of bill-paying, work, and/or family squabbles. Fantasy is to escape. And yes, [[RodSerling Serling’s]] fantasies were not about escape.\\

--'''Creator/TerryPratchett''', ''[[http://www.ansible.co.uk/misc/tpspeech.html Why Gandalf Never Married]]''

-->''But a part of my mind remained plugged into what I might call the consensus fantasy universe. It does exist, and you all know it. It has been formed by {{folklore}} and Victorian romantics and WaltDisney, and E. R. Eddison and Creator/JackVance and Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin and Creator/FritzLeiber -- hasn't it? In fact those writers and [[Creator/JRRTolkien a handful]] [[TerryBrooks of others]] have very closely defined it. There are now, to the delight of parasitical writers like me, what I might almost call "public domain" plot items. There are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]], and [[WizardsAndWitches magic users]], and [[FantasyWorldMap far horizons]], and [[TheQuest quests]], and [[McGuffin items of power]], and [[AdventureTown weird cities]]. There's [[SceneryPorn the kind of scenery]] that we would have had on Earth if only God had had the money.\\

-->''But a part of my mind remained plugged into what I might call the consensus fantasy universe. It does exist, and you all know it. It has been formed by {{folklore}} and Victorian romantics and WaltDisney, and E. R. Eddison and JackVance and UrsulaKLeGuin and FritzLeiber -- hasn't it? In fact those writers and [[JRRTolkien a handful]] [[TerryBrooks of others]] have very closely defined it. There are now, to the delight of parasitical writers like me, what I might almost call "public domain" plot items. There are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]], and [[WizardsAndWitches magic users]], and [[FantasyWorldMap far horizons]], and [[TheQuest quests]], and [[McGuffin items of power]], and [[AdventureTown weird cities]]. There's [[SceneryPorn the kind of scenery]] that we would have had on Earth if only God had had the money.\\

To see the consensus fantasy universe in detail you need only look at the classical DungeonsAndDragons role-playing games. They are mosaics of every fantasy story you've ever read.\\

--'''TerryPratchett''', ''[[http://www.ansible.co.uk/misc/tpspeech.html Why Gandalf Never Married]]''