I've never written any non-European Medieval setting literature (I haven't even written medieval-setting literature. It's just not my thing), but the only other Medieval Settings I can think of would be Medieval China and the Medieval Middle East.
By that, I mean the Arabs, Jews and Muslims, basically.
I'm writing a Heroic Fantasy in a setting based on Tang and Song Dynasty China.
Depends what you are thinking of "medieval" as representing. Would it be the time period in general, or more its status as a transition phase?
And let's consider how long the period is, from about 400 to 1500 AD is a wide range, and in Europe things did not stay static.
If you can find some maps that depict world history through the ages, you can find places like India, Africa, even the Americas had civilizations developing. Cahokia, Timbuktu, how many people know these places existed??
I don't blame people for being mostly ignorant, there is a lot to learn.
I've been building a world modeled after Japan during the Heian Period, along with a Fantasy Pantheon, and a Fantasy Counterpart Culture of the Philippines. It's actually been a lot of fun doing all the research. :)
I do wish there were more fantasy worlds modeled after Asian countries, or even pre-colonial American (Native Americans, Aztecs), it would be a nice change from the norm.
"RPM! Get in Gear!"The most obvious one is the Medieval-period Middle East, especially since they were on an upward intellectual path at the time. Plus, even the Christians liked Saladin. So there's a lot of room for values that would resonate well with general audiences.
You can also pick and choose the adversaries of your protagonists a bit more. Perhaps they're the Europeans. Or a rival territory in the Middle East. Or perhaps they come from further East?
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A lot of the fantasy people read follows Medieval European Fantasy. Europe is rich in its history and possibilities, certainly, but it's not the only continent to undergo a Medieval period. Personally, I think that other continents/Fantasy Counterpart Cultures need some love. Not that they don't get it, of course, they just get it far less often (at least from what I've seen and read - then again, I don't often get to read books from other countries than the U.S., the U.K., and occasionally Canada, courtesy of being an Eaglelander with limited resources to spend on precious, precious books and a paltry local library.)
What non-Europe Medieval setting have you seen used to great effect, or you would like to see be used? Have you written one of your own?
I've written Medieval Japan, specifically Genki Jidai. I've enjoyed doing the research and writing it - I've found it quite fun (and a good learning experience regarding the very different cultural attitudes of other peoples) to do something other than Europe.
edited 6th Apr '11 5:55:52 AM by punkreader