Fantasy cliche
From KneeQuickie
Fantasy, like many popular genres of writing, has its share of conventions and clichés. Certain writers, however, have contributed far more than we'd like in that department, to the point that much fantasy today is scarcely readable. Modern fiction by necessity resembles and draws upon past works, and total originality is perhaps impossible. The difference between good and bad fiction is often not simply originality but rather effective use of existing tropes. The poor writer regurgitates convention but the great writer puts a personal spin on ideas they borrow and presents them in a new light.
Contents |
Characters
Chosen One - We all know who this is, the angsty farmboy who longs for adventure and gets it with the help of a wise mentor and a prophesy or two. Often called the (Chosen) One flat out, he is basically a simplistic retelling of the Hero archetype.
Evil Overlord - The evil counterpart to the Chosen One, generally an evil monarch characterized (loosely speaking) by impractical and impractical methods, as well as a tendency to luxuriate in his own delicious wickedness.
Plot
Prophesy -
Setting
Pseudo-Mediæval - The fantasy genre has a certain connection to the Mediæval period that often turns into slavish adherence, except to the aspects that would prove inconvenient or unpleasant for the writer.
Elves - Ever since Tolkien included them in his works, fantasy writers have taken it almost as a given that they must have them as well.
Dreaded Appostrophe - Unless your people's language is a bloated morass of glottal stops, aspiration and palatalized stops, keep grotesqueries like B’or’te’e’’lo’ to a minimum.
See also
- Conlanging cliche
- Grand List of Fantasy Clichés, by Kathy Pulver and J. S. Burke)
Categories: Stubs | Ephemera | Books
