The holidays are upon us--whether we would risk them or not--and I fear that things will drop off for some of us. But not me. I've got time on my hands just like in that song by Styx. Hopefully some of you are still reading because I would like your help.
The quest seems to be an unavoidable aspect of fantasy storytelling. Back in the Howard days, Conan was a vagabond and even when he made himself king of Aquilonia I don't think it lasted long. Lord of the Rings set the epic quest formula. Jordan's convoluted endless drama is just a series of soap-operatic quests. Quests, quests everywhere.
Is the quest mandatory to good fantasy? I would like your thoughts and any examples you are willing to share. I am currently reading a book called The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. It is a satirical fantasy encyclopedia that addresses common cliches and stereotypes in popular fantasy stories. It is great for a laugh; it also shows the difficulty in telling a quest story with any hope of originality. I believe it can be done, so carry on if you are committed to your quest tale. Have you read any fantasy that doesn't follow the quest format? What was it and how did it strike you? Your input is appreciated.
R.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This is the Lair of the Mind of Riotimus. Reader beware.
About Me
- riotimus
- I have an incredible family. I teach a lot these days; my students are wonderful. My novel is in the revision stage and I work on it when I have time.
Links
Word Count Buddies
Labels
- Book Reviews (25)
- Corperate Life (23)
- Cultural Irony (32)
- Fiction (4)
- History (13)
- Memory Sorrow and Thorn (2)
- Music (20)
- Or What? (5)
- Poetry (1)
- Polls (1)
- School and Education (31)
- Shogun Wars (2)
- The New Blogger Sucks (8)
- The Way it Goes Sometimes (77)
- Word Counter's Union (17)
- Writing Updates (64)
7 comments:
I've been thinking of this very topic the past few days, because I'm considering abandoning the story I've been working on in favor of something more epic. The topic bears further thought, but here's one thing to consider. Almost all action/adventure stories, no matter the medium, can be formulated as quest stories. There's always some concrete goal to be reached. Think of any action movie, and you can probably describe it as a quest. Since fantasy stories tend to have action/adventure plots, they fall easily into the quest paradigm.
But maybe I'm not thinking of quest stories the same way you are, or The Tough Guide to Fantasyland does. Is there a specific definition of quest that you have in mind?
I think I agree with Ben. Any story you pick can be said to have a quest of one kind or another.
It's true the style of quest may change, but it's there in every story. What kind of story doesn't have a quest? Even a story about going through a divorce or baking good cookies has a quest: the divorce, to come out the other side intact, the cookies, to bake the best cookies you can through trial and error. The quest is what leads the main characters to the end.
Or do you mean where the main characters must go somewhere or do something physical in order for the story to move forward: like take this ball safely to the guard between the twin uprights in the green forest or the world will end kind of quest? Still . . . all stories have this element.
Great post, by the way. Really got me thinking about my own novels and what quest my main characters had to go on.
It seems to me that any character who sets out to do a quest in The Song of Fire and Ice series is somehow prevented from reaching their goal. They die, they are blown off course...
Of course, there are little goals that are achieved, but they really aren't the original thing the characters set out to accomplish.
I'm sure someone will get to finish something...eventually. If Martin ever finishes writing, that is.
Thank you all for your comments. I suppose that quest could be synonamous with purpose in a way that every story would require a quest. In my rather vague way I was specifically referring to stories where a small handful of people go off on their own to accomplish something, find something/someone, or destroy something/someone with the fate of the world in the balance.
I think most fantasy uses this format. I can only think of two that avoid it, and it has been a long time since I read either; therefore I might be mistaken. Katherine Kurtz' two trilogies about King Kelson is the first. The second is the two trilogies by Melanie Rawn about the Sunrunners. I remember there being a lot of politics and maneuvering of armies in both series, but not a lot of running around visiting every single place marked on the map.
Does that clarify my question? And if so, does it bring any other stories to mind? Thanks again.
R.
My husband says that The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb should be on the list of non-quest stories, but he thinks Ben may disagree. =)
I disagree! Just kidding. The Farseer trilogy has some of the trappings of a traditional fantasy quest. But it's way more character focused than most fantasy novels. Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy is not a quest story at all. Her Tawny Man trilogy is more a quest story than the others.
All of Hobb's stories are wonderful. I highly recommend them all, but especially the Liveship Traders trilogy as an example of a non-quest fantasy.
Parke Godwin writes historical fantasy stories that don't follow the quest format. He writes about King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Saint Patrick. Awesome stories. He grounds them historically but throws in just a little myth and mysticism to make them a bit fantastic.
Post a Comment