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Saxony Tarn · 09-09-2002, 06:03 PM

my my, so much happens when i go down to the cellar... good thing i never return empty-handed!

With thanks to the Barrow-Wight's timely rising from his grave, i'll restrain my own knee-jerk reaction to Bombur's, um, shall we say, bar-brawl-inciting entrance. (i WILL however, hop up on this keg to say, actually, good Mr. Dwarf, there are many folks on this board not from America, or Canada for that matter, which just goes to show that Tolkien, and many other good authors, has a global audience, and now my soapbox will transmute back to the brew-keg that it was...)

But you know, Bombur's got me thinking -- WHERE IS IT CARVED IN STONE that the government in a good 90% of the Fantasy works out there MUST BE some form of Monarchy or Aristocracy? Assuming that at the "barely got society formed, who has time to bother with politics" end of the scale is held down with flints by the Clan of the Cave Bear and its cubs, what other forms of government have been dealt with? By us? By authors we like? And how successfully?

(Tolkien's benchmark of a convincing case for monarchy -- would you as a reader swear fealty to Elessar I by the end of the book?)

But must Classic Fantasy ALWAYS have Kings? Can it be pulled off without them? Or -- perhaps in some late regret for having overthrown by peaceful means or violent most of the Kings in the Northern Hemisphere, does the market demand kings with their fantasy?

(Naaramare, whose story i know is set in the present day & thus under the aegis of the current Canadian gov'mint, is exempt from this one but may fire away if she likes!)

|_|) <-- Skoal!

s.t.
bartender for the dead!

09-09-2002, 06:03 PM	#693
Saxony Tarn Wight Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: a western shore Posts: 132	my my, so much happens when i go down to the cellar... good thing i never return empty-handed! With thanks to the Barrow-Wight's timely rising from his grave, i'll restrain my own knee-jerk reaction to Bombur's, um, shall we say, bar-brawl-inciting entrance. (i WILL however, hop up on this keg to say, actually, good Mr. Dwarf, there are many folks on this board not from America, or Canada for that matter, which just goes to show that Tolkien, and many other good authors, has a global audience, and now my soapbox will transmute back to the brew-keg that it was...) But you know, Bombur's got me thinking -- WHERE IS IT CARVED IN STONE that the government in a good 90% of the Fantasy works out there MUST BE some form of Monarchy or Aristocracy? Assuming that at the "barely got society formed, who has time to bother with politics" end of the scale is held down with flints by the Clan of the Cave Bear and its cubs, what other forms of government have been dealt with? By us? By authors we like? And how successfully? (Tolkien's benchmark of a convincing case for monarchy -- would *you as a reader* swear fealty to Elessar I by the end of the book?) But must Classic Fantasy ALWAYS have Kings? Can it be pulled off without them? Or -- perhaps in some late regret for having overthrown by peaceful means or violent most of the Kings in the Northern Hemisphere, does the market demand kings with their fantasy? (Naaramare, whose story i know is set in the present day & thus under the aegis of the current Canadian gov'mint, is exempt from this one but may fire away if she likes!) \|_\|) <-- Skoal! s.t. bartender for the dead! __________________ <-- who, me? Take the Ring? Betray the Fellowship?? Nah -- couldn't be ME, i'm too cute...