The fantasy of manners is a subgenre of fantasy literature that also partakes of the nature of a comedy of manners (though it is not necessarily humorous). Such works generally take place in an urban setting and within the confines of a fairly elaborate, and almost always hierarchical, social structure. The term was first used in print by science fiction critic Donald G. Keller in an article, The Manner of Fantasy, in the April 1991 issue of The New York Review of Science Fiction.
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Transcription
In J.R.R.'s world, Gandalf is one of five wizards sent by the Valar to guide the inhabitants of Middle Earth in their struggles against the dark force of Sauron. Gandalf's body was mortal, subject to the physical rules of Middle Earth, but his spirit was immortal, as seen when he died as Gandalf the Grey and resurrected as Gandalf the White. According to the Wachowski's script, an awakened human only has to link up and hack the neon binary code of the Matrix to learn how to fly a helicopter in a matter of seconds. Or if you are the One, or one of the Ones, you don't even need a helicopter, you just need a cool pair of shades. Cheshire cats can juggle their own heads. iPads are rudimentary. No Quidditch match ends until the Golden Snitch is caught. And the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is most certainly 42. Just like real life, fictional worlds operate consistently within a spectrum of physical and societal rules. That's what makes these intricate worlds believable, comprehensible, and worth exploring. In real life, the Law of Gravity holds seven book sets of "Harry Potter" to millions of bookshelves around the world. We know this to be true, but we also know that ever since J.K. typed the words wizard, wand, and "Wingardium Leviosa," that Law of Gravity has ceased to exist on the trillions of pages resting between those bookends. Authors of science fiction and fantasy literally build worlds. They make rules, maps, lineages, languages, cultures, universes, alternate universes within universes, and from those worlds sprout story, after story, after story. When it's done well, readers can understand fictional worlds and their rules just as well as the characters that live in them do and sometimes, just as well or even better than the reader understands the world outside of the book. But how? How can human-made squiggles on a page reflect lights into our eyes that send signals to our brains that we logically and emotionally decode as complex narratives that move us to fight, cry, sing, and think, that are strong enough not only to hold up a world that is completely invented by the author, but also to change the reader's perspective on the real world that resumes only when the final squiggle is reached? I'm not sure anyone knows the answer to that question, yet fantastical, fictional worlds are created everyday in our minds, on computers, even on napkins at the restaurant down the street. The truth is your imagination and a willingness to, figuratively, live in your own world are all you need to get started writing a novel. I didn't dream up Hogwarts or the Star Wars' Cantina, but I have written some science thrillers for kids and young adults. Here are some questions and methods I've used to help build the worlds in which those books take place. I start with a basic place and time. Whether that's a fantasy world or a futuristic setting in the real world, it's important to know where you are and whether you're working in the past, present, or future. I like to create a timeline showing how the world came to be. What past events have shaped the way it is now? Then I brainstorm answers to questions that draw out the details of my fictional world. What rules are in place here? This covers everything from laws of gravity (or not) to the rules of society and the punishments for individuals who break them. What kind of government does this world have? Who has power, and who doesn't? What do people believe in here? And what does this society value most? Then it's time to think about day-to-day life. What's the weather like in this world? Where do the inhabitants live and work and go to school? What do they eat and how do they play? How do they treat their young and their old? What relationships do they have with the animals and plants of the world? And what do those animals and plants look like? What kind of technology exists? Transportation? Communication? Access to information? There's so much to think about! So, spend some time living in those tasks and the answers to those questions, and you're well on your way to building your own fictional world. Once you know your world as well as you hope your reader will, set your characters free in it and see what happens. And ask yourself, "How does this world you created shape the individuals who live in it? And what kind of conflict is likely to emerge?" Answer those questions, and you have your story. Good luck future world-builder!
Characteristics
Original definition
Keller used the term to describe a group of American fantasy writers who emerged in the 1980s, including Steven Brust, Emma Bull, Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, Caroline Stevermer, and Terri Windling; Kushner suggested the name.[1] These writers were influenced by television, children's literature, and the works of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Dorothy Dunnett; in fantasy fiction, Fritz Leiber was important, as were Michael Moorcock and M. John Harrison. Their works included themes of negotiating social structures, disguise, the importance of childhood, the necessity of self-discovery, and the importance of manners and especially of language. This emphasis meant that their characters' speech tended to be more important than their actions, and they used a wide range of diction.[2] After the article was released, fantasy of manners was nicknamed "mannerpunk".[3]
Modern definition
In the words of author Teresa Edgerton, the term has since taken on a life of its own.[4] It began to mean fantasy literature that owes as much or more to the comedy of manners as it does to the work of J. R. R. Tolkien and other authors of high fantasy. The protagonists are not pitted against fierce monsters or marauding armies, but against their neighbors and peers; the action takes place within a society, rather than being directed against an external foe; duels may be fought, but the chief weapons are wit and intrigue; romance and emotions are central, and the plot may revolve around courtship and marriage. The way the protagonist pushes against their social constraints drives the plot. The setting is a city in another world, usually post-medieval but pre-technological. Stylistically, fantasies of manners tend to be dry and witty.[5][1][6]
While there is occasional overlap with steampunk or gaslamp fantasy, fantasy of manners is more grounded in reality; magic, fantastic races, and legendary creatures are downplayed or dismissed entirely, and the technology is typically no more advanced than is expected of the period. Indeed, but for the fact that the settings are usually entirely fictional, some of the books considered "fantasy of manners" could be also considered historical fiction, and some do cross over with historical fantasy. The social system, with its conventions and restraints that can be mastered, replaces magic.[6]
Influences
Like the authors Keller originally described, contemporary fantasy of manners is influenced by the social novels of Jane Austen, the historical romances of Georgette Heyer, and Dorothy Dunnett's historical novels.[5][6] Other major influences on the subgenre include the drawing room comedies of Oscar Wilde and P. G. Wodehouse. Many authors also draw from nineteenth century popular novelists such as Anthony Trollope, the Brontë sisters, and Charles Dickens. Traditional romances of swashbuckling adventure such as The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, or the works of Rafael Sabatini may also be influences. The Ruritanian romances typified by The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope, or George Barr McCutcheon's Graustark itself, are also of some consequence as literary precedents.
Examples
- Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater[7]
- Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders by Aliette de Bodard[7]
- Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho[7]
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke[7]
- The Labyrinth Gate by Kate Elliott[7]
- The Glamourist Histories series by Mary Robinette Kowal[7]
- The Riverside series, beginning with Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner[5][7]
- The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia[7]
- Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake[8]
- Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton[7]
- Sorcery and Cecelia, The Grand Tour, and The Mislaid Magician by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer[5][7]
Relationship with other genres
A class of fantasies set in contemporary times and blending some characteristics of fantasies of manners with the subgenre urban fantasy has been dubbed, tongue-even-further-in-cheek, elfpunk.
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold has been described as "science fiction of manners".[1]
References
- ^ a b c Nepveu, Kate. "Panel Report: Fantasy of Manners". Live From Noreascon 4. Archived from the original on 3 October 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Keller, Donald G. (1997). "Fantasy of Manners". In Clute, John; Grant, John (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. London: Orbit. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Kushner, Ellen. "The Big Idea: Ellen Kushner". Whatever. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Emily C. A. Snyder, "An In-Depth Interview with Teresa Edgerton Archived 2006-01-04 at the Wayback Machine"
- ^ a b c d Walton, Jo. "Fantasy of Manners". Tor.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Jennings, Kathleen (2021). "Heyer … in space! The influence of Georgette Heyer on science fiction". In Rayner, Samantha J.; Wilkins, Kim (eds.). Georgette Heyer, History and Historical Fiction. UCL Press. pp. 126–8. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Acks, Alex. "8 Takes on a Fantasy of Manners". Bookriot. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Temple, Emily. "50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read". Flavorwire.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015.
This page was last edited on 30 December 2023, at 03:01