Rational adventure in the modern age

[Lock]

Adventure is a a risk for profit, a spiritual rebirth, a refreshing breath from the typical; yet in modern western societies it seems as though adventure has become less rational, partially because of our increased capacity for safety, becoming more closely tied to luxury than it was in, say, medieval times. The risks are now so minimal that it is used increasingly as a game. This shift is observable in the increased use of the word adventure to modify phrases like adventure travel or adventure fiction. Yet adventure for the sake of entertainment hardly makes an engaging story, a reason I suspect many of us have chosen to write Fantasy in the first place: Fantasy being more conducive to a rational adventure wherein characters can justify their dragon slaying quests for reasons other than that they were bored.

Stories about someone skydiving or going on vacation to the Sahara and something bad happening to them are often difficult to sympathize with, as the reasons for them getting into that situation were largely irrational. When I refer to rational and irrational adventure I am doing so loosely, as entertainment can indeed be a rational pursuit, but since the profit in it is usually minimal and temporary, with the risks also being minimal, when something does go wrong, it immediately seems irrational, and that seeming is all that matters to me as a writer.

I want to be wrong here, as I would love to write a rational adventure based in the modern world, but cannot think of any that aren't psychological or microscopic in nature. Can you think of any rational adventures that are physical/external (not drug binges like Hunter S. Thompson uses) and occur in the modern age? Can you think of any examples of writers who have effectively applied this model?

 

[BWFoster78]

To be honest, I had a bit of a hard time trying to figure out what you're asking. I think you want an example of a motivation you can use to set a modern character on an adventure.

I think that the urge to improve one's lot in life is a pretty universal concept. Take any ambitious poor person as your character and offer them a chance to become rich in exchange for going through some trial that will risk their life.

Did that help?

 

[WyrdMystic]

Adventure by definition is pyschology - in that it is a matter of perspective. What one person sees as an adventure another might see as mundane, while observed externally as temporary the lasting effects are permanent.

It's difficult to determine exactly what kind of example you are looking for, but if you are looking for an external/physical adventure based on rational reasons then Indiana Jones springs to mind (sure a movie but an adventure nonetheless). His reason for adventure was rational. He was not looking for adventure at all, but was not willing to give up in the face of adversity.

War is generally another topic used for adventure in a modern setting. Not a nice, leave you with a good feeling at the end adventure, but still.

Tom Clancy also springs to mind - neither psychological nor microscopic but far sweeping and with a MC motivated by the parental instinct to protect others no matter what the cost.

Dan Brown - actually most thriller writers, some are microscopic some are more sweeping. I'm not nutty on thrillers so I bow to others in this genre.

If you want to stray from reality then Stephen King or Dean Koontz. Maybe not rational, but modern.

Those illustrate the lines - if you want a rational adventure in a modern setting, you're talking about thriller/action type books. Fantasy and horror, though appearing irrational are actually very rational in that the motivations and underlying motifs are an exaggerated parody of the modern world.

I've ranted and digressed here and there, but hey ho. That's me.

 

[Darkblade]

I disagree there are many potential modern narratives.

Your description sounds like you are coming at the concept from a rather high class place. It is important to remember that there are those living in the hearts of every urban centre in the modern world not knowing for sure if they will be able to keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs at the same time. To the countless poor people in the world life is just as much about day to day survival as in any pseudo-medieval fantasy world. Also with so little opportunities to pull themselves out of poverty the risk of crime versus the potential reward (risk for profit, the definition of adventure you used) doesn't seem so great since they already lack most of the luxuries that drive people away from danger.

Beyond the crime narrative, you also have researchers going to various remote places in the world to study all sorts of things, such as the effects of climate change, indigenous flora and fauna, history of dead civilizations and many other things. People potentially putting their lives on the line to discover things thus far unknown to their fellow man.

Although potentially less sympathetic than others you also have people going around the world for business reasons. Setting up call centres in Mubai, auto-plants in Mexico, oil rigs in the middle east, etc. Potentially the flip side to the impoverished person from my first suggestion, this is a person out on the fringes of the world to expand their wealth at the cost of countless others.

 

[dwellerofthedeep]

I'm also a bit confused as to what you're asking, but I've run into a problem with motivation in the fantasy series I'm writing set in the modern day (I guess that makes it Urban Fantasy/whatever). I think its key for sympathetic characters to have reasonable motivations. For me, at least, reasonable motivation means understandable purpose for the character to pursue whatever they are doing.

This differs from thrill-seeking, because in thrill-seekers the thrill of, say, skydiving, is the Point of the activity. In my opinion characters are more sympathetic (and interesting) when they are forced to do things they'd rather not in order to get something greater. It's Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, or better yet Frodo from Lord of the Rings, versus some mountain climber who is doing this for fun or challenge.

That said, I think its also important to remember the sheer amount of jadedness that is going around in the world today. Some things that were once perceived as important have become less so, while, at least in America, comfort has soared in importance for most people. To get a character to do something they don't want you'd better be able to convince the reader that what they want to get out of it is worth it to them.

Just some thoughts for you.

 

[Lock]

Lot's of excellent points in the responses: the impoverished MC going on an adventure to increase their station works well in a modern setting and Indiana Jones is a good example. I particularly like the idea of researchers exploring the world as a modern day adventure; it makes me think of Azimov.

My first post came about when I was doing a thought experiment trying to bring as many elements from a fantasy based in the 16th century into the 21st. The focus in the original story is on the aristocracy so I implied wealthy modern people. One of the problems I quickly encountered was keeping the misplaced characters motivated, which lead me to ask my initial questions. I now think the thought experiment was ridiculous and have realized that I was simply depriving the original story of its setting and replacing it with another that didn't fit. Though it is possible to transfer stories across time periods, significant change is inevitable. Your comments have helped me understand what I was actually asking–so thanks!

 

[BWFoster78]

Lot's of excellent points in the responses: the impoverished MC going on an adventure to increase their station works well in a modern setting and Indiana Jones is a good example. I particularly like the idea of researchers exploring the world as a modern day adventure; it makes me think of Azimov.

My first post came about when I was doing a thought experiment trying to bring as many elements from a fantasy based in the 16th century into the 21st. The focus in the original story is on the aristocracy so I implied wealthy modern people. One of the problems I quickly encountered was keeping the misplaced characters motivated, which lead me to ask my initial questions. I now think the thought experiment was ridiculous and have realized that I was simply depriving the original story of its setting and replacing it with another that didn't fit. Though it is possible to transfer stories across time periods, significant change is inevitable. Your comments have helped me understand what I was actually asking–so thanks!

Given the revised objective, consider having the fate of the human race be threatened by something, and the adventure is to find a way to stop it.

 

[WyrdMystic]

Given the revised objective, consider having the fate of the human race be threatened by something, and the adventure is to find a way to stop it.

Or even a way to expedite it.

 

[Darkblade]

If that is the case you do not even have to raise the stakes that high. Simply having the magical threat be directed towards friends and/or family of the main character may be enough to break them out of their comfort zone.