tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post5011802867242330980..comments2023-11-03T03:30:26.920-07:00Comments on E.L. Wagner's Umbral Musings: Why Are the Little Differences So Hard to Imagine in Fantasy?E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-78099676639069761492015-07-20T14:31:45.973-07:002015-07-20T14:31:45.973-07:00Exactly. A one-room hut is one of those "litt...Exactly. A one-room hut is one of those "little things" that most readers find very difficult to relate to or imagine. And most of the historical buildings one sees in the UK and Europe, even ones that date back to the middle ages, have been added onto and expanded since. So many people really don't know that multi room homes with fireplaces only date to the 12th century (and of course, average people didn't get to live in such until much later). Of course, a lot of medieval style fantasy isn't really meant to be such, but readers often assume it is. I had a beta call me out on the existence of crude telescopes and microscopes in my "medieval" world, but in fact, my setting is supposed to be early modern. I had to sneak a firearm and a clock into the opening scene of my novel to make this clear, because without distinct cues, most readers will default assume any pre-industrial fantasy setting is supposed to be medieval and strictly modeled on Europe.<br /><br />Of course, a lot of fantasy is supposed to be a fun amalgamation of settings and eras that allows the reader to escape. Whether or not this works depends on the feel of the story, and of course, the reader.E.L. Wagnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-63820290348018792132015-07-11T11:51:52.471-07:002015-07-11T11:51:52.471-07:00Heh. Now I'm imagining a 50SG parody, Little R...Heh. Now I'm imagining a 50SG parody, Little Red Room of Pain on the Prairie. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357136887841496647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-88262237532779633212015-07-06T12:40:27.918-07:002015-07-06T12:40:27.918-07:00One of the things that sets my teeth on edge is id...One of the things that sets my teeth on edge is idiosyncracy. I get irritated when I read in Medieval style fantasy about the upstairs rooms in the very humblest cottages, their sash windows, the study where Father goes to read his parchments, the said parchments that are used like post-its by the village idiots, the shops in said village where people buy their groceries, get their hair cut, hire an assassin, the castles with moats and drawbridges that any Tom Dick or Harry can just wander into and ask the Gendarme on duty to go and speak to the King, who of course is sitting just behind the front door on his throne with his crown on, waiting for his wife, the Queen to serve supper... There is a huge gulf of understanding about the differences between How They Lived in the Early Middle Ages and How They Lived in the mid-nineteenth century. For some writers there is no difference...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com