Sword
& Sorcery:
·
Began
with Robert E. Howard’s “Conan the Barbarian” stories
·
American
invention – American-type hero on an American-type frontier in whatever
pseudo-time period the author chose.
o Everything in the story exists in
relation to the protagonist, who's out to fulfill his goals and that’s it.
o Just enough world building to serve
the story.
o Not much, if any, character
development.
o Stories tend to lack subtlety.
o Lots of fighting, violent, might makes
right.
o Accomplished warriors, possibly armed
with magic swords, fighting other warriors and magic-users of all sorts. More sword vs. sorcery.
o Formulaic
o No question of who’s good and who’s
evil, if moral distinctions are being made at all.
·
“In
Robert E. Howards’s hands … the barbarian’s shrugging contempt for effete
civilization is married to a wintry fatalism clearly reminiscent of the
doom-laden worldview expressed by heroes of Nordic saga.” Clute & Grant,
eds. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy p. 481.
·
Fritz
Leiber quote from 1961. “muscular heroes in violent conflict with a variety of
villains, chiefly wizards, witches, evil spirits and other creatures, whose
powers are – unlike the hero’s – supernatural in origin.” (Clute and Grant,
1997). Leiber wrote a very popular sword & sorcery series Fafhrd and the
Grey Mouser.
·
Genre
has evolved and matured. Now with a wide
range of quality and sophistication, it has become fantasy involving
o Swords
o Sorcery/Magic
o Magical beings
o Pre-industrial settings
·
Episodic;
Made up of linked adventures – sometimes previously published as short stories.
Always room for another adventure. Often more adventure than quest. “Sword & Sorceress” series of
anthologies, edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley
·
Good
& evil can be very clearly drawn.
·
Can
cover the range of light to dark, serious to humorous.
·
World-building
can range from just enough to tell the story well to intricately detailed
worlds.
·
Traditionally
used to indicate stories written on a more personal level – about a person or
group of persons with their own agenda(s) and who are trying to make their way
in the world - someone out on a quest to avenge their father or their
village. A thief working to steal
something and then running from the authorities. A sword for hire wandering the
world. Not necessarily true anymore, it’s become something of a catch-all trope
for stories that fit the basic requirements and are hard to fit anywhere else.
·
It
is hard to find consensus on the definition of this trope. I’ve seen stories
that I’d put here referred to by their setting – medievalist. Some don’t make any distinction between
quest, heroic, high, or Sword and Sorcery fantasy. So be sure to quiz any
patron that comes in asking for any of those things what elements they’re
looking for, and search accordingly.
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