tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8463395374040679379.post401405437769145999..comments2023-12-12T16:30:15.159+00:00Comments on Floor to Ceiling Books: AltFiction Panel: Has Fantasy Moved Past Tolkien?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8463395374040679379.post-51536179277428168592011-06-29T23:06:39.023+01:002011-06-29T23:06:39.023+01:00Tolkien had several powerful female characters in ...Tolkien had several powerful female characters in the Lord of the Rings. As for minorities, it may simply have never occured to him to include them. But that is all beside the point. I think he tried to make a somewhat subtle case that humanity itself is deficient. The Men of LOTR are generally portrayed as greedy, power-hungry, and corrupt. Aragorn hardly counts as an exception because he's not technically a Man; he's a Dunedain ranger, raised by Elves to be an exceptional leader, and even he has to overcome a significant character flaw (perhaps best described as a lack of self-confidence) before he can reclaim what is rightfully his. The non-humans, the Hobbits, wizards, and more particularly the Elves, are more "evolved" races that frequently shake their collective heads at the follies of Man.<br /><br />As for fantasy moving beyond Tolkien, you hardly need to look to urban fantasy to see examples of it. Even epic fantasy has broken new ground in the decades since. David and Leigh Eddings' Belgariad series introduced new versions of "the princess" and "the sorceress" in Ce'Nedra and Polgara, who were every bit the equals of their male counterparts. The Malloreon, the followup series, even took a stab at the "diversity" angle by making the villains of the first series, the Angaraks (whom Eddings admits were based on Muslims, Huns, and Visigoths), into allies and even heroes.<br /><br />Here's a branch of fantasy/sci-fi that people frequently seem to overlook, for what seem like obvious reasons: superheroes. Whether they're aliens, magicians, mutants, or scientifically-enhanced humans, the male and female heroes of the comics have always found ways to address such hot-button issues as racism and discrimination. The most famous example, perhaps, is the X-Men. If you haven't seen "X-Men: First Class" in theaters yet, then I highly recommend it; it suggests a whole new level to the "diversity" debate. It's another example of how sci-fi and fantasy give us new ways to examine and discuss old problems.Stephen Monteithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15143772995125473635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8463395374040679379.post-34260613496461415692011-06-29T14:37:31.142+01:002011-06-29T14:37:31.142+01:00I think fantasy, if defined by authors producing o...I think fantasy, if defined by authors producing original work and interesting stories of a fantastical nature, has unquestionably diversified. I'd also mention, as I did at Alt Fiction, that this diversity has *always* existed to one degree or another in the genre. It just tends to get forgotten. Fantasy's borders are porous and ill-defined, and have been so, historically speaking.<br /><br />Tolkien neither invented the genre, nor has always defined it. He does stride it like a Hobbit-loving colossus, and I'd not argue against his influences, benign, neutral, and deplorable, being widespread. But - he has always been only one author among many voices, some of them telling tales thankfully anything but Tolkien-like.<br /><br />I would say instead that the question is, why has this natural diversity within the genre struggled for equal recognition? Both among publishers and readers, it has been swept aside. I'd further argue that both these groups have had plenty to choose from, but have voted in a degree of homogeneity with their pocket books. <br /><br />More an issue of perception then - especially now. There are rapidly opening horizons for innovative fantasy with smaller imprints, ebook formats, and self-publishing authors taking the markets even farther away from the monopoly of traditional publishers. Even two years ago, this would have been harder to achieve I suspect.<br /><br />What will emerge out of this chaos is difficult to predict. But I'd go out on a limb and say that it will encourage overall diversity in the genre. It seems certain to spread awareness of such, among a previously, more traditional readership.<br /><br />For now, I'm expecting not only that the existing diverse offerings within the genre will persist, but that there will be a more accessible way for large numbers of readers, if still not publishers unless you count the authors themselves in this role, to experience it afresh.<br /><br />Good times. I'm counting on it.Eric M. Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11464329371478605627noreply@blogger.com