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Hopefully you can tell me how wrong I am, and list the authors or works that defy the above conventions.
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Great rant, Kalessin!
Personally I could give you a number of authors that defy the above conventions, and it would not be just my opinion, but the opinion of critics and the literati as well.
There is nothing wrong, per se, with following a formula. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did with his tales of Sherlock Holmes, (which, by the way, he considered to be “hack” writing which denigrated his more serious efforts.) The followers of the Great Detective of Baker Street are every bit as fanatical in their devotion to these stories as we Tolkienistas are (Love that ! “Tolkienistas“, Aii-Yii-Yii!). Yet generally are considered to be serious scholars with an interest in a worthy body of literature.
You don’t see to many people rolling their eyes if someone tells them they study the fictional characters of A.C. Doyle.
The thing I can’t point out is why! I’ve been looking at my own collection of books, old and new. Why do I love the talking animals of Felix Saltin and Rudyard Kipling, yet turn my nose up at the “Redwall” series? (Sorry Redwall fans). What touched me so deeply when I read the “Earthsea” books and Tolkien, and why have so few authors exploring these same themes been able to inspire those same feelings in me?
I’m grappling with the idea that, unfortunately, most critics and literary scholars tend to draw a rather arbitrary line when it comes to works of fantastical fiction. If it’s good, then it no longer can be classified as “merely” fantasy. If it’s bad, then it’s “typical” of the genre. A good example was the furor that arose when some people tried to classify Kurt Vonnegut as a science fiction writer. Critics, scholars, and even the author himself, vehemently denied that he belong in the sci-fi category. Which was absurd, of course. Vonnegut was a science fiction writer by any definition of the genre. He was also an incredibly, gifted, talented science fiction writer!
You do not see these same lines being drawn with other genre authors. There are great, classic Mystery writers, and there are hacks. Same with Crime Fiction, Horror, and even the Western genre.
Sorry I haven‘t been able to answer any of your questions, but just brought up more questions. I’m looking forward to hearing some other opinions on this.