Your idea of High Fantasy?
- Thread starter Sir Elton
- Start date
reanjr
First Post
Sir Elton said:Everyone.
Please tell us (or at least me) what your idea of High Fantasy is? Just give me your definition. If you hold up a piece of literary work as an example (i.e. The Lord of the Rings) explain your position.
I'm curious as to what everyone defines high fantasy.
To me high fantasy indicates that fantasy replaces reality in some way that most of the world has experienced.
If there are wizards who fought great battles and destroyed mountains a millenia ago and now brood quietly in their blasted towers in the northlands (or so the story goes) it's low fantasy. The average person has not had their reality usurped by fantasy. The existence and knowledge of humanoids like elves, dwarves, and orcs does not necessarily constitute high fantasy as long as these other races act pretty much like humans or live far away from them.
If instead word has been sent that the enemy had been barreling down on the village but fortunately they were vanquished by griffon-riding elves, then fantasy has affected their lives in some meaningful way. High fantasy.
rogueattorney
Adventurer
Sir Elton said:Everyone.
Please tell us (or at least me) what your idea of High Fantasy is? Just give me your definition. If you hold up a piece of literary work as an example (i.e. The Lord of the Rings) explain your position.
I'm curious as to what everyone defines high fantasy.
To me, high fantasy v. low fantasy is a literary distinction. High fantasy is the epic quest in the Tolkien vein, coming from the saga and myth tradition, and epidimised by much of the multi-volume fantasy literature that's been popular over the last 20-25 years. Low fantasy is the pulpy stuff, generally equivalent to the "swords & sorcery" genre, and is generally associated with shorter stories, or at least, more episodic adventures, rather than long drawn out quests. This style went through a major burst of popularity in the 60's, but I'd argue has been a more underground thing more recently.
I personally think that D&D best emulates low fantasy, and that was the type of fantasy it was originally designed to support. (I mean, let's face it, Brooks, Eddings, Jordan, Martin, and, of course, Weiss and Hickman hadn't published their books in 1974.) However, I believe that many of the changes to the game over the past thirty years have been made to better enable it to model the high fantasy (generally stronger characters, less strict training rules that don't require the character to take weeks off of adventure, etc.).
R.A.
Last edited:
Desdichado
Hero
From a literary genre-splitting point of view, high fantasy is any story that takes place in a "secondary" world. I.e., any fantasy that takes place in a fantasy world is high fantasy.
However, in common usage of the term, this really doesn't hold up anymore; Conan pretty much takes place in a "secondary world" (I know, I know, technically it's supposed to be pre-cataclysm Earth) yet Robert E. Howard is pretty much called low fantasy.
In common terms, I'd say high fantasy is more about heroes and the classic conflict of good and evil, and world-shaking stakes, or RSE's as Mystery Man calls them. Lord of the Rings is the quintessential high fantasy; the fate of the world resting on a band of heroes struggling against impossible odds kinda stuff.
However, in common usage of the term, this really doesn't hold up anymore; Conan pretty much takes place in a "secondary world" (I know, I know, technically it's supposed to be pre-cataclysm Earth) yet Robert E. Howard is pretty much called low fantasy.
In common terms, I'd say high fantasy is more about heroes and the classic conflict of good and evil, and world-shaking stakes, or RSE's as Mystery Man calls them. Lord of the Rings is the quintessential high fantasy; the fate of the world resting on a band of heroes struggling against impossible odds kinda stuff.
Galethorn
First Post
Ok, I'll try to define what I call High Fantasy (or at least what I would, if I used that term often)...
First, you have to have epic plots. And by epic, I mean world-changing, spanning over whole continents, and so on, rather than 'above level 20'. Ususally, good epic plots are given extra drama with challenges of the mundane sort as well, like having to find somewhere to camp for the night on the way to find the "evil widget of doom".
Second, you need the element of good vs. evil; that's the main thing that makes it 'high' fantasy instead of 'regular' or 'low'.
Third, you need the classic elements that Felix mentioned.
Fourth, you need 'fantastic creatures,' like dragons, trolls, and other more original creatures.
Last, you need verisimilitude. Everything has to fit with everything else. You can't explain away impossible climates with 'magic' or 'the gods' in high fantasy if everything else has a scientific basis. You can't have magic shops and witch-burnings in the same town (except in strange circumstances, of course). You have to have things fit together in high fantasy.
First, you have to have epic plots. And by epic, I mean world-changing, spanning over whole continents, and so on, rather than 'above level 20'. Ususally, good epic plots are given extra drama with challenges of the mundane sort as well, like having to find somewhere to camp for the night on the way to find the "evil widget of doom".
Second, you need the element of good vs. evil; that's the main thing that makes it 'high' fantasy instead of 'regular' or 'low'.
Third, you need the classic elements that Felix mentioned.
Fourth, you need 'fantastic creatures,' like dragons, trolls, and other more original creatures.
Last, you need verisimilitude. Everything has to fit with everything else. You can't explain away impossible climates with 'magic' or 'the gods' in high fantasy if everything else has a scientific basis. You can't have magic shops and witch-burnings in the same town (except in strange circumstances, of course). You have to have things fit together in high fantasy.
