Epicking On Me
Apr. 8th, 2002 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_gneechWell, since sitting around and thinking doesn't take much physical energy, I did some writing-related thinking tonight ... particularly thinking about the epic form, what it means, what its purposes are, and how to use it.
The modern fantasy market is not only skewed toward the epic, it more or less requires it. The days of pulp novellas are long gone, which is a shame, because if I had my druthers, it's what I'd rather read, and write. I can fill a book -- it's a skill I've taught myself over the course of three finished novels -- but it doesn't come naturally to me. I think on a smaller scale; I don't want to save the world, I want to know if Conan manages to defeat the giant snake while escaping the dungeon (knowing full well that in 10,000 words or less he'll be done with that and off fighting some other beastie).
However, one must balance one's own desires, versus the needs and desires of the market and the audience. Those who want Shannara / Wheel of Time / Pern / Chronicles of Covenant outnumber those who want an anthology of two-fisted short stories, and buy more besides. And let's face it, that's a nice gravy train, if you can get on it ... if your work is popular, each new book will drive reprints of your old books, meaning you'll get a constant and hopefully ever-growing flow of royalties.
So it is, that I examine the epic. When confronted with the term "epic," most people more or less equate it with "long," or at least "big." And, while that's certainly true, that's only part of the story. The epic form, in the classical sense, isn't just a long adventure story. The epic is a distillation of the values, ideals, and ways of a society or culture; the epic is a statement about the history of a nation, usually with a heavy dose of mythology thrown in. The epic, in its highest form, should theoretically encompass everything you would ever need to know about a society or a period in history.
Of course, the modern fantasy epic is not an epic in the most formal sense. It's not a poem, for starters. :) Going by strict literary definition, modern fantasy epics are actually either "adventure novels" or "romances," depending on just how fantastical the fantasy is. However, I don't want to get too pedantic on this point.[1] Suffice to say that the modern fantasy series is a hybrid between the epic and the romance, and when I refer to "epics" for the rest of this discussion, that's what I'm actually talking about.
Tolkien was very consciously echoing the epic form with Lord of the Rings ... specifically, he was primarily using elements of the Ring of the Niebelung (the Norse saga of a cursed magic ring that produced gold but corrupted and destroyed just about everyone who possessed it), and Macbeth, which is not quite an epic, but comes close. Tolkien was trying to create for England, what Homer had for Greece; the Shire is akin to a mythic prehistoric Britain, and the hobbits the precursors to the modern English.
My home country, on the other hand, is the good ol' U.S. of A., so writing a national epic in the fantasy style would be somewhat problematic for me, unless all my protagonists were Algonquins and Mohawks or something. (Clan of the Cave Bear, maybe?) Traditional epics for the U.S.A. would have to take place after 1492, but we've already got Last of the Mohicans, How the West Was Won, and Gone With the Wind, so I'd say we're pretty well covered for the moment.
The point, which I think I misplaced about four paragraphs ago, is that if I'm going to write an epic, I'm going to need a suitably epic topic, or at least a theme. The default fantasy topic is "good nations/races must unite in war against dark lord," courtesy of Master Tolkien. And, while this is a cool, multi-purpose story arc, it is frankly done to death. Yes, I could write about a band of ragtag adventurers, one human, one dwarf, one elf, and an animal companion or two, being chased by black-robed spectres and armies of monsters as they find and/or deliver the talismanic object that destroys the dark lord ... and I could probably make it a solid, entertaining work. But let's face it, it would be just another Tolkien clone.
(In fact, I have written such a book, and I know that some of you reading this journal have read it. You know who you are!)
So, for now any way, let's throw out the dark lord idea. What are some other suitably big topics to write about? Some thoughts that are floating around in my head tonight...
Hmm ... that's a lot, and I feel sure I've missed some. What do you think, should I just pick one at random and start brainstorming? Which one would you pick?
-The Gneech
[1] For those who prefer pedantry, here's a good summary of the formal use of the term "epic," as stolen from Virtual Salt's Glossary of Literary Terms.
Epic. An extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures,
and heroic episodes and written in a high style (with ennobled diction,
for example). It may be written in hexameter verse, especially dactylic
hexameter, and it may have twelve books or twenty four books. Characteristics
of the classical epic include these:
Typical in epics is a set of conventions (or epic machinery). Among them
are these:
Examples:
The modern fantasy market is not only skewed toward the epic, it more or less requires it. The days of pulp novellas are long gone, which is a shame, because if I had my druthers, it's what I'd rather read, and write. I can fill a book -- it's a skill I've taught myself over the course of three finished novels -- but it doesn't come naturally to me. I think on a smaller scale; I don't want to save the world, I want to know if Conan manages to defeat the giant snake while escaping the dungeon (knowing full well that in 10,000 words or less he'll be done with that and off fighting some other beastie).
However, one must balance one's own desires, versus the needs and desires of the market and the audience. Those who want Shannara / Wheel of Time / Pern / Chronicles of Covenant outnumber those who want an anthology of two-fisted short stories, and buy more besides. And let's face it, that's a nice gravy train, if you can get on it ... if your work is popular, each new book will drive reprints of your old books, meaning you'll get a constant and hopefully ever-growing flow of royalties.
So it is, that I examine the epic. When confronted with the term "epic," most people more or less equate it with "long," or at least "big." And, while that's certainly true, that's only part of the story. The epic form, in the classical sense, isn't just a long adventure story. The epic is a distillation of the values, ideals, and ways of a society or culture; the epic is a statement about the history of a nation, usually with a heavy dose of mythology thrown in. The epic, in its highest form, should theoretically encompass everything you would ever need to know about a society or a period in history.
Of course, the modern fantasy epic is not an epic in the most formal sense. It's not a poem, for starters. :) Going by strict literary definition, modern fantasy epics are actually either "adventure novels" or "romances," depending on just how fantastical the fantasy is. However, I don't want to get too pedantic on this point.[1] Suffice to say that the modern fantasy series is a hybrid between the epic and the romance, and when I refer to "epics" for the rest of this discussion, that's what I'm actually talking about.
Tolkien was very consciously echoing the epic form with Lord of the Rings ... specifically, he was primarily using elements of the Ring of the Niebelung (the Norse saga of a cursed magic ring that produced gold but corrupted and destroyed just about everyone who possessed it), and Macbeth, which is not quite an epic, but comes close. Tolkien was trying to create for England, what Homer had for Greece; the Shire is akin to a mythic prehistoric Britain, and the hobbits the precursors to the modern English.
My home country, on the other hand, is the good ol' U.S. of A., so writing a national epic in the fantasy style would be somewhat problematic for me, unless all my protagonists were Algonquins and Mohawks or something. (Clan of the Cave Bear, maybe?) Traditional epics for the U.S.A. would have to take place after 1492, but we've already got Last of the Mohicans, How the West Was Won, and Gone With the Wind, so I'd say we're pretty well covered for the moment.
The point, which I think I misplaced about four paragraphs ago, is that if I'm going to write an epic, I'm going to need a suitably epic topic, or at least a theme. The default fantasy topic is "good nations/races must unite in war against dark lord," courtesy of Master Tolkien. And, while this is a cool, multi-purpose story arc, it is frankly done to death. Yes, I could write about a band of ragtag adventurers, one human, one dwarf, one elf, and an animal companion or two, being chased by black-robed spectres and armies of monsters as they find and/or deliver the talismanic object that destroys the dark lord ... and I could probably make it a solid, entertaining work. But let's face it, it would be just another Tolkien clone.
(In fact, I have written such a book, and I know that some of you reading this journal have read it. You know who you are!)
So, for now any way, let's throw out the dark lord idea. What are some other suitably big topics to write about? Some thoughts that are floating around in my head tonight...
- When good kingdoms go bad. Good King dies; Bad King takes the throne. Good King's loyal subjects persecuted / enslaved / killed. Potential plots include: escape, exile, rescue, conspiracy, rebellion. Potential heroes include: true heir(s) to throne (Hamlet), former nobles looking to restore justice (Robin Hood), aesthetics turned outlaw in rebellion (Shaolin monks vs. Ching dynasty, Jedi Knights)
- Invasion. Bad Kingdom attacks Good Kingdom; will Good Kingdom survive? Potential plots include: defend, attack, diplomacy, espionage. If Good Kingdom is overrun, see above. Potential heroes include: Good King (countless); Good King's retainers / elite guardsmen (Musketeers); soldiers; spies; common folk doing their part to defend their homes
- Let My People Go. Somebody is oppressed; their fight to get unoppressed. Potential plots include: Happily ignorant oppressor learns the truth and turns against his fellow oppressors, charismatic leader of oppressed people gets mad as hell and isn't going to take it any more, betrayal, loss (you can't fight city hall), imprisonment; see above. Potential heroes: Formerly ignorant oppressor; charismatic liberator
- The Family Saga. Person of Note "A" performs Great Deed(s) "B," attracting the attention and wrath of miscreant "C" who takes it out on descendants "D." Potential plots include: Achievement, betrayal, revenge, adultery, murder, generally Jerry Springeresque doings on a vast scale. Potential heroes: Noble-but-flawed "A," noble-but-embattled descendants "D"
- Nation Creation. Forefather (foreparent?) "A" goes through lots of pain, struggle, and dangerous stuff to create Good Kingdom. Potential plots include: exploration, survival, fighting of current inhabitants of future home of Good Kingdom, defeat and/or reconciliation with same, rebellion against motherland, fighting off threats. Potential heroes: Forefather "A" and his fellow foreparents, allies of same
- Biography of X. The life, loves, and career of a warrior / wizard / thief / adventuring sea captain / kung fu master / creature of the night / something else. Like the Saga, except more in-depth, centering on one person. Potential plots include: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age, achievement, loss, love, hate, happiness, pain, friends, enemies, success, failure, parenthood, death. Potential heroes: The person being biographed, duh! Also close friend / confidant / sounding board. Watson to their Holmes.
Hmm ... that's a lot, and I feel sure I've missed some. What do you think, should I just pick one at random and start brainstorming? Which one would you pick?
-The Gneech
[1] For those who prefer pedantry, here's a good summary of the formal use of the term "epic," as stolen from Virtual Salt's Glossary of Literary Terms.
Epic. An extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures,
and heroic episodes and written in a high style (with ennobled diction,
for example). It may be written in hexameter verse, especially dactylic
hexameter, and it may have twelve books or twenty four books. Characteristics
of the classical epic include these:
- The main character or protagonist is heroically larger than life, often
the source and subject of legend or a national hero - The deeds of the hero are presented without favoritism, revealing his failings
as well as his virtues - The action, often in battle, reveals the more-than-human strength of the
heroes as they engage in acts of heroism and courage - The setting covers several nations, the whole world, or even the universe
- The episodes, even though they may be fictional, provide an explanation
for some of the circumstances or events in the history of a nation or people - The gods and lesser divinities play an active role in the outcome of actions
- All of the various adventures form an organic whole, where each event relates
in some way to the central theme
Typical in epics is a set of conventions (or epic machinery). Among them
are these:
- Poem begins with a statement of the theme ("Arms and the man I sing")
- Invocation to the muse or other deity ("Sing, goddess, of the wrath of
Achilles") - Story begins in medias res (in the middle of things)
- Catalogs (of participants on each side, ships, sacrifices)
- Histories and descriptions of significant items (who made a sword or shield,
how it was decorated, who owned it from generation to generation) - Epic simile (a long simile where the image becomes an object of art in
its own right as well as serving to clarify the subject) - Frequent use of epithets ("Aeneas the true"; "rosy-fingered Dawn"; "tall-masted
ship") - Use of patronymics (calling son by father's name): "Anchises' son"
- Long, formal speeches by important characters
- Journey to the underworld
- Use of the number three (attempts are made three times, etc.)
- Previous episodes in the story are later recounted
Examples:
- Homer, Iliad
- Homer, Odyssey
- Virgil, Aeneid
- Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered
- Milton, Paradise Lost
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2002-04-08 08:04 pm (UTC)... and now I'm even more confised as to how to classify my writing project... *shrugs*
no subject
Date: 2002-04-08 08:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-04-08 08:26 pm (UTC)Somehow reminds me of Stalin. Maybe you can make a fantasy parallel to that. =^_^=
I can usually create ideas at the snap of a finger, but applying them to a story is my difficulty.
I mangle story ideas...
Re: I mangle story ideas...
===|==============/ Level Head
Re: I mangle story ideas...
Date: 2002-04-09 03:20 pm (UTC)Short stories vs Epics
I have to admit that short stories aren't my favorite form of book. I tend to be left wanting to hear the rest of the story, which doesn't exist. I do, however, very much like the single book story. In fact, I have been very disappointed on my latest trips to the bookstore when I just want to go and buy one book, only to find that every book there seems to be the first of a series, or somewhere in the middle of one, necessitating buying a lot more books. I just want to go and find one book, one complete story. I usually don't have a whole lot of money to spare for books, so I can't afford to buy a whole series at once, and I hate to buy an incomplete story, I never know when I'll be able to buy the rest. Patricia C. Wrede is a classic example of what I want. She writes good books, they suck my brain in and I can't put them down, and once they're done, they're done. They *are* set in the same world, but each book stands alone. Unfortunately, she hasn't written any in a while. :P
Mur
Re: Short stories vs Epics
Interesting
Date: 2002-04-09 10:56 am (UTC)Writing a good Epic is hard work. You're not just creating a world and telling a small part of it's story, you have to build up a massive history and tell a really large cross section of it, as well as the story that spans so much of it that you trying to tell.
As for plot wise, first off, everything has been done. Though as you mentioned, some have been done there and back again so many times they get boring unless you give it a new twist.
My best suggestion, is keep the epic in mind, but do the first few books in such a way that even if they are in the same world, they can stand apart from each other. The best way to do this seems to be to never tie up all the loose threads at the end of the story. So there's always more to tell, even if you don't have any plans for it. This will also kind of pull the stories together, even when they aren't plotted that way.
It also prevents you from digging around to find a sequel to a popular novel when your publisher tells your agent they will only take your next two books if you provide said sequel. Don't laugh, this actually happens.
You've had some good ideas that you've mentioned in your journal. Many of which seem to be growing into respectable stories. It should be exciting to see when you are finished.
--Fox
Re: Interesting
Date: 2002-04-09 11:34 am (UTC)