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D&D = American + European Fantasy
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<blockquote data-quote="Aldarc" data-source="post: 7757831" data-attributes="member: 5142"><p>Many other tropes and motifs of D&D are likewise rooted in a shared Euro-American cultural memory: e.g., a Classical Age, the fall of Rome, Atlantis, "barbarian" migrations that threaten "civilized society," ruins of a forgotten age, Crusades, Renaissance, etc. Even World War I and II inform Euro-America's cultural memory that influences D&D. So when Sauron appears in Lord of the Rings, it's not as if Americans are clueless about BBEGs of the past century coded in media. Captain America was punching Hitler in the face before before the publication of Lord of the Rings. And is it any coincidence that Mars/Ares was first introduced to Wonder Woman in 1942? I am now also curious about the extent to which American superhero comics influenced D&D, though that topic may be for another day. </p><p></p><p>But again, no one doubts the veracity that D&D has a lot "inspired by Europe." Knights, princesses, and dragons were certainly not part of the American Western mythos, for example, but that kinda misses the point. The larger point has been that a lot of this "inspired by Europe" in D&D represents the veneer of Medieval European aesthetics from a mostly modern American mindset. It's like American George RR Martin visiting Hadrian's Wall and then envisioning a story featuring the Wall of the North that kept out barbarian wildlings and Others. Even D&D's use of Tolkien's elves, orcs, dwarves, and halflings almost have an Americanized sense to them that make them feel more like aesthetics detached from their derived cultural, literary, and historical context. </p><p></p><p>Let's take ruins in Europe for example. What do ruins represent in D&D? Sure, ruins in D&D contain semiotic signals of "a lost, forgotten age" or "a fallen empire that had better technology or magic than what is available now," but the presence of ruins in D&D also sends semiotic signals of "dangerous inhabitants, loot, and gold" to player characters, and these signals are more in the forefront. In contrast, what do ruins represent in Medieval and Renaissance Europe? Legacy, historical roots, but also artistic inspiration. It's only later in a more modern age, coincidentally of colonialism and imperialism that Euro-American archaeology (i.e., treasure-seeking and grave-robbing) basically entailed looting exotic, ancient ruins for the glory of the Empire and "science." So sure, I guess that is a European-inspired part of D&D as well.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Aldarc, post: 7757831, member: 5142"] Many other tropes and motifs of D&D are likewise rooted in a shared Euro-American cultural memory: e.g., a Classical Age, the fall of Rome, Atlantis, "barbarian" migrations that threaten "civilized society," ruins of a forgotten age, Crusades, Renaissance, etc. Even World War I and II inform Euro-America's cultural memory that influences D&D. So when Sauron appears in Lord of the Rings, it's not as if Americans are clueless about BBEGs of the past century coded in media. Captain America was punching Hitler in the face before before the publication of Lord of the Rings. And is it any coincidence that Mars/Ares was first introduced to Wonder Woman in 1942? I am now also curious about the extent to which American superhero comics influenced D&D, though that topic may be for another day. But again, no one doubts the veracity that D&D has a lot "inspired by Europe." Knights, princesses, and dragons were certainly not part of the American Western mythos, for example, but that kinda misses the point. The larger point has been that a lot of this "inspired by Europe" in D&D represents the veneer of Medieval European aesthetics from a mostly modern American mindset. It's like American George RR Martin visiting Hadrian's Wall and then envisioning a story featuring the Wall of the North that kept out barbarian wildlings and Others. Even D&D's use of Tolkien's elves, orcs, dwarves, and halflings almost have an Americanized sense to them that make them feel more like aesthetics detached from their derived cultural, literary, and historical context. Let's take ruins in Europe for example. What do ruins represent in D&D? Sure, ruins in D&D contain semiotic signals of "a lost, forgotten age" or "a fallen empire that had better technology or magic than what is available now," but the presence of ruins in D&D also sends semiotic signals of "dangerous inhabitants, loot, and gold" to player characters, and these signals are more in the forefront. In contrast, what do ruins represent in Medieval and Renaissance Europe? Legacy, historical roots, but also artistic inspiration. It's only later in a more modern age, coincidentally of colonialism and imperialism that Euro-American archaeology (i.e., treasure-seeking and grave-robbing) basically entailed looting exotic, ancient ruins for the glory of the Empire and "science." So sure, I guess that is a European-inspired part of D&D as well. [/QUOTE]
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