# The theme of civilization and wilderness



## Jabrosky (Feb 23, 2014)

And now for a brief moment of rambling introspection...

I spent six years of my childhood as an American expatriate in Singapore. Of all the places I've ever lived, Singapore still inspires the most nostalgic memories. It was a heavily urbanized Anglophone nation with a First World standard of living, yet I remember it best for its lush tropical rainforests. 

We would drive on this big highway cutting through the middle of the island to get from our suburb to the downtown area, and I always loved gazing at the vine-shrouded jungle that grew on both sides of the highway. My imagination went wild as I speculated what kind of beasts might have lurked within that jungle or what kind of ancient secrets it may have hid. The tropical rainforest has always conjured stories of adventure in the Western mind, so having that kind of environment within a short driving distance from my own backyard was an unforgettable experience.

Obviously this had the effect of planting in me a special love for jungle settings. Lately I have come to wonder whether my Singaporean experience lay the foundation for a broader theme that has a deeply ingrained appeal to my subconscious. This would be the theme of civilization juxtaposed with wilderness, especially of shining cities surrounded by hostile nature teeming with savage beasts. Singapore actually didn't have much in the way of charismatic wildlife unfortuantely, but I sure wished it did.

I believe this theme may underlie part of my longstanding fascination with ancient Egypt. I was first exposed to Egypt when my second grade class did a unit on it, and what initially hooked me onto the subject was the image of an old and mighty empire thriving in the "Dark Continent" of Africa. My class never touched on the whole Afrocentric controversy, but whatever the native Egyptians' skin color, I thought it was totally cool that they coexisted with exotic African creatures (e.g. lions, crocodiles, hippos, antelopes, and Watusi cattle) and even incorporated them into their religion. It impressed me that the Egyptians were able to construct their great civilization in the context of the African wilderness. I admit that looking into the whole racial discussion did intensify my Egyptian interest even more and added a social justice angle to it, but the initial hook probably had less to do with race and more to do with that theme of civilization meeting wilderness.

The point of this ramble is probably my effort to tease out the themes that resonate the most deeply with me and therefore would provide the best basis for the stories I want to tell. I often find myself wondering just what kind of stories I want to share with the world, and I hope this moment of introspection has budged me one inch closer to the answer.


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## Chilari (Feb 24, 2014)

It sounds like you had the perfect childhood to inspire writing fantasy. There's definitely a lot of scope for adventure in jungle settings - hence all the 20th century films set in such locations - and it'd be great to see more fantasy in such situations.

I think childhood experiences leave a lasting impression on a person, and in a writer form the basis of inspiration. One of the first fantasy books I ever read remains my favourite; other early reads still inspire me. A theme that I first encountered in a TV series I watched when I was about 14 (and now have the DVDs of) is the core theme I'm exploring in my WIP. A hill that's visible from a load of places around where I live, and which I climbed in fog with my parents as part of some thing with Dad's work when I was 12 (and many times since) ended up in the short story Ailith's Gift that was published in Myths Inscribed volume 1, as did a nearby Roman site I've visited at least 6 times since I was small.


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## Philip Overby (Feb 24, 2014)

Yeah, I agree that your childhood experiences could very well play into your fiction writing in a good way. Perhaps explore those elements you enjoyed so much as a child: the mystery of the jungle, the hope of more exotic animals, civilization and nature functioning so close together. Perhaps even attempt to write something from the POV of a young boy or girl to show the same wonder you felt. This is part of why fantasy appealed to me at a young age. I always was interested in the things I wasn't suppose to be interested in: D&D, tarot, witches, monsters, etc. I found myself both intrigued by the fantastical nature of some of these things juxtaposed with the reality of them. (D&D being this dark, forbidden thing at first actually ended up being really fun and one of my favorite past-times)


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## Jabrosky (Feb 24, 2014)

Philip Overby said:


> Perhaps explore those elements you enjoyed so much as a child: the mystery of the jungle, the hope of more exotic animals, civilization and nature functioning so close together. Perhaps even attempt to write something from the POV of a young boy or girl to show the same wonder you felt.


The story I'm cooking in my mind at the moment stars a young adult, but he's an explorer or hunter who's visiting this lost jungle world and finds a thriving city within it. Classic plot-line for sure, but for a good reason.


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