Are You Writing Serious Fantasy? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Nar · 09-19-2002, 08:30 AM

'Perception as imagination'? Tell me more, Belin! You mean the world as a dream of the mind? Hmm, what do we think about a definition of 'fancy' rearranging and reattaching things that did not go together? I can see where the idea would come from-- that's how all those lovely medieval beasties were constructed: Winged lions with scorpion tails (now THAT's serious!) --Griffins are my favorite. Anyone else have a favorite medieval beast? Know any obscure ones? What about the Basilisk? Body of a lizard, wings of a bird of prey, head of a ... chicken? That's what it looks like in my beastiary, anyway. And of course that glaring eye that paralyzes ... why did I never notice it is the glare of a very angry chicken!

Anyway, if rearranging parts is 'fancy' then fantasy I think is something more, there has to be an overarching consistency and flow for a story to work for me as fantasy. There are certainly elements in LotR and the Silmarillion from many sources, but they feel composed and melded together, don't they? I certainly couldn't deconstruct them. That's what's meant by 'sub-creation' I think-- it's a living thing, and if you tried to dissassemble it into allegory or elements of myth and legend it would give a terrible cry like a ... mandrake pulled from the living earth! There's a beast for you, the world's only vegetable beastie.

09-19-2002, 08:30 AM	#11
Nar Wight Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 228	'Perception as imagination'? Tell me more, Belin! You mean the world as a dream of the mind? Hmm, what do we think about a definition of 'fancy' rearranging and reattaching things that did not go together? I can see where the idea would come from-- that's how all those lovely medieval beasties were constructed: Winged lions with scorpion tails (now THAT's serious!) --Griffins are my favorite. Anyone else have a favorite medieval beast? Know any obscure ones? What about the Basilisk? Body of a lizard, wings of a bird of prey, head of a ... chicken? That's what it looks like in my beastiary, anyway. And of course that glaring eye that paralyzes ... why did I never notice it is the glare of a very angry chicken! Anyway, if rearranging parts is 'fancy' then fantasy I think is something more, there has to be an overarching consistency and flow for a story to work for me as fantasy. There are certainly elements in LotR and the Silmarillion from many sources, but they feel composed and melded together, don't they? I certainly couldn't deconstruct them. That's what's meant by 'sub-creation' I think-- it's a living thing, and if you tried to dissassemble it into allegory or elements of myth and legend it would give a terrible cry like a ... mandrake pulled from the living earth! There's a beast for you, the world's only vegetable beastie.