Why Are So Many People Snobby About Fantasy Fiction?

[Garren Jacobsen]

It's a bit of a straw-man to say that adding a single element of magic makes a romance story fantasy. But, writing by its nature is not able to be delineated by fences. It shifts and changes. It is a thing that constantly evolve. Before modern fantasy the only supernatural stories you had were fairy tales, horror, and myths. But after Tolkien, Lewis, and others we have fantasy. This too broke down into more sub-genres like urban fantasy, regency-romance fantasy, and some are even combining sci-fi and fantasy to create sci-fa. It's not a problem, that's just the nature of the beast.

I also think fantasy is like porn: you'll know it when you see it.

 

[MineOwnKing]

The horse is dead and I tire of beating it. Long live the bloated corpse of literary diversity. I’ll break my staff, Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I’ll drown my book.

 

[cupiscent]

MOK, I appreciate both your right to an opinion and your concern with earning a living. But people who write romantic fantasy (or high fantasy with strong romantic subplots - I'm not sure where your "line" is to be drawn; how much pink is too much pink?) have similar concerns. My general experience with people who don't read fantasy is that they really, really, really don't read fantasy (from "it's not realistic" to "it's for children"... taking us back to the starting point of this discussion thread) - so having your fantastical romance shelved with romance means dramatically reduced sales. I can appreciate that your dollar is more important to you than their dollar, but I'm not you, and their dollar is equally important to me as yours.

But given the points you are suggesting regarding sales figures and bestseller lists (upon which I cannot comment either way, having less than no idea how to navigate around Amazon and its kin) it seems to me that there's money in "kissing books", so maybe if earnings is your ultimate goal, you should write that romance novel with however much fantasy content you like.

 

[Philip Overby]

MineOwnKing: I don't quite understand. Why does it matter how other people market themselves? If you're marketing yourself in your own way, why can't other people market themselves in their own way? In any case, it's ultimately up to each one of us how we market ourselves. The point of the original article was that this literary writer felt confused that there was so much backlash against him for writing a straight-up fantasy story. In that way, people are trying to box him in. To limit what he can write and what he can't write. For me, it goes the same way with fantasy fiction. I don't think there should be any limits on what is fantasy fiction. If people want to write romantic fantasy, good for them. What makes one brand of fantasy greater than the other?

I'm not trying to argue by any means, I'm just trying to understand your stance. You want to write fiction without boundaries but you want fantasy fiction to have boundaries?

Edit: OK, I was ninjaed a couple of times there.

 

[Mindfire]

I liked this idea from Ishiguro:

He’s still not sure why certain topics provoke such consternation among some readers, but suspects it may come down to insecurity. Readers who are most attached to the idea of literature as a status symbol, and who are most desperate to be seen as serious, may eschew books that seem like too much fun.

“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

― C.S. Lewis

 

[Mindfire]

I think we have this idea in our heads now, perpetrated by the runaway success of Lord of the Rings, I imagine, that fantasy as a genre has to be something grand, sweeping, and deeply serious. This has left little room for those who want to make it light and comical... with the exception of Terry Pratchett of course!

Quite appropriate to this sentiment, Terry Pratchett is now the late Terry Pratchett. Perhaps that means "serious fantasy" has won the day, barring some sort of resurrection. (Of comical fantasy, not Pratchett.)

 

[MineOwnKing]

As a writer I like blending and some of it is present in my work also.

As a slave of the market I want a clearer definition. I feel like I'm sitting behind a tall man in a movie theatre.

I'm pro subgenre, I just think the lines between fantasy subgenre and other genre are becoming really blurry.

I'm a realist and I know my opinion means little, I'm perhaps just being a bit facetious due to writer's fatigue and old age.

I've also just gone from studying Richard II, to studying Falstaff, and the switch has made me feel very low.

In a way I think blending is exciting and opens creative doors. But I'm a bit dubious as to what will be the long term implications of genre blending. From a marketing perspective it looks like romance is set to swallow fantasy whole.

I'm nostalgic for my youth. It all seemed easier back then.

 

[Philip Overby]

Quite appropriate to this sentiment, Terry Pratchett is now the late Terry Pratchett. Perhaps that means "serious fantasy" has won the day, barring some sort of resurrection. (Of comical fantasy, not Pratchett.)

I hope that's not the case. I do love serious fantasy, but I think comic fantasy should have its heyday. There are some writers out there doing comic fantasy, but from what I gather they're on the fringe at the moment. When anyone talks about comic fantasy, it seems to be synonymous with Pratchett. While I love Pratchett's style, comedy is one of those things that can be as expansive as fantasy. Sure, each person has different taste and comedy is difficult to nail. But I think fantasy that doesn't take itself deadly serious has a chance.

 

[Russ]

The numbers don't remotely suggest that romance is about to swallow fantasy whole. Not even close.

If I was currently trying to make my living writing fantasy, I would love the idea of romance readers reading more fantasy. romance readers are a large group and they spend a lot of money. I would love the opportunity to skim off a few points of their readership to get them to read my work and therefore increase my potential market. All things considered fantasy writers would be gaining access to a bigger market if romance readers come that way.

Harlequin has been publishing good quality fantasy and romantic fantasy for decades. This is not a new phenomena. I know true fantasy writers making some very good money in their imprints writing traditional fantasy with strong romantic elements.

I guess one man's doom is another man's opportunity.