Sword and sorcery: Difference between revisions
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Despite such authors' best efforts, sword and sorcery has more colloquially come to be known as a catch-all phrase for low grade, derivative fantasy as well as fiction written in such universes. During the 1980s, influenced by the success of the 1982 [[feature film]] ''[[Conan the Barbarian (1982 film)|Conan the Barbarian]]'' many cheaply made fantasy films were released that came to be derisively known as "Sword & Sorcery". The term is sometimes used in a derogatory manner by writers and readers of the fantasy genre. However, in recent years magazines such as [[Black Gate (magazine)| ''Black Gate'']] and [[Flashing Swords ezine| ''Flashing Swords'']] (not to be confused with the [[Lin Carter]] anthologies) are attempting to return the genre to the status it enjoyed during the pulp era of the twenties and thirties. |
Despite such authors' best efforts, sword and sorcery has more colloquially come to be known as a catch-all phrase for low grade, derivative fantasy as well as fiction written in such universes. During the 1980s, influenced by the success of the 1982 [[feature film]] ''[[Conan the Barbarian (1982 film)|Conan the Barbarian]]'' many cheaply made fantasy films were released that came to be derisively known as "Sword & Sorcery". The term is sometimes used in a derogatory manner by writers and readers of the fantasy genre. However, in recent years magazines such as [[Black Gate (magazine)| ''Black Gate'']] and [[Flashing Swords ezine| ''Flashing Swords'']] (not to be confused with the [[Lin Carter]] anthologies) are attempting to return the genre to the status it enjoyed during the pulp era of the twenties and thirties. |
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==Sword and sorcery heroines== |
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Despite the early work of C. L. Moore and others, sword and sorcery has had a strongly masculine bias. Female characters were generally [[Damsel in distress|distressed damsels]] to be rescued or protected. [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s ''[[Sword and Sorceress series|Sword and Sorceress]]'' anthology series (1984 onwards) attempted the reverse. Bradley encouraged female writers and protagonists: the stories feature skillful swordswomen and powerful sorceresses. The series was immensely popular and Bradley was editing her final volume at the time of her death (the series continued under other editors). Today, active female characters who participate equally with the male heroes in the stories are a regular feature in modern sword and sorcery stories, though they are also relied upon for [[sex appeal]]. |
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Introduced as a minor character in a non-fantasy historical story by [[Robert E. Howard]], "[[The Shadow of the Vulture]]", Red Sonya of Rogatino would later inspire a fantasy heroine named [[Red Sonja]], who first appeared in the [[comic book]] series ''[[Conan (comics)|Conan the Barbarian]]'' written by [[Roy Thomas]] and illustrated by [[Barry Windsor-Smith]]. Red Sonja received her own comic book title and eventually a series of novels by [[David C. Smith (author)|David C. Smith]] and [[Richard L. Tierney]], as well as [[Richard Fleischer]]'s unsuccessful [[Red Sonja (1985 film)|film adaptation]] in 1985. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 17:28, 9 March 2012
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus mainly on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters.[1]
A genre closely related to this is sword-and-sandal, though its subjects tend to be less fantasy-oriented and more historical as they are set in historic time periods rather than entirely fictional worlds or cities, which are mostly the primary setting of this genre.
Defining sword and sorcery
The term was first coined in 1961 when the British author Michael Moorcock published a letter in the fanzine Amra, demanding a name for the sort of fantasy-adventure story written by Robert E. Howard. He had initially proposed the term "epic fantasy". However, the celebrated American sword and sorcery author Fritz Leiber replied in the journal Ancalagon (6 April 1961) suggesting "sword-and-sorcery as a good popular catchphrase for the field". He expanded on this in the July 1961 issue of Amra, commenting:
I feel more certain than ever that this field should be called the sword-and-sorcery story. This accurately describes the points of culture-level and supernatural element and also immediately distinguishes it from the cloak-and-sword (historical adventure) story—and (quite incidentally) from the cloak-and-dagger (international espionage) story too! (Fritz Leiber, Amra, July 1961)
Though not explicitly mentioned in Leiber's letter, the originally Italian film genre known as "sword and sandal", depicting heroic adventures in settings derived from the Bible or greek mythology, was at the peak of its popularity in the US at the time when the letter was written.
Since its inception, many attempts have been made to redefine precisely what "sword and sorcery" is. Although many debate the finer points, the consensus characterizes it by a strong bias toward fast-paced, action-rich tales set within a quasi-mythical or fantastical framework. Unlike high or epic fantasy, the stakes tend to be personal, the danger confined to the moment of telling.[2]
Many sword and sorcery tales have been turned into a lengthy series of adventures. Their lower stakes and less than world-threatening dangers make this more plausible than a repetition of the perils of epic fantasy. So too the nature of the heroes; most sword-and-sorcery protagonists, travellers by nature, find peace after adventure deathly dull.[3] At one extreme, the heroes of E. R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros grieve for the end of the war and that they have no more foes equal to those they defeated; in answer to their prayers, the gods restore the enemy city so that they can fight the same war over again.[4]
Sources
The subgenre has old roots. Ultimately—like much fantasy—it draws from mythology and classical epics such as Homer's Odyssey and the Norse sagas.
It is also influenced by historical fiction, begun by Sir Walter Scott, under the influence of romantic collection of folklore and ballads.[5] However, very few of his works contain fantastic elements; in most, the appearance of such is explained away,[6] but in its themes of adventure in a strange society, this led to the adventures set in foreign lands by H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs.[7] Haggard's works included many fantastic elements.[8]
However, sword and sorcery's immediate progenitors are the swashbuckling tales of Alexandre Dumas, père (The Three Musketeers (1844), etc.), Rafael Sabatini (Scaramouche (1921), etc.) and their pulp magazine imitators, such as Talbot Mundy, Harold Lamb and H. Bedford-Jones, who all influenced Robert E. Howard.[9] However, these historical "swashbucklers" lack the truly supernatural element (even though Dumas' fiction contained many fantasy tropes [10]). Another influence was early fantasy fiction such as Lord Dunsany's "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth" (1910) and A. Merritt's The Ship of Ishtar (1924).[11] All of these authors influenced sword and sorcery for the plots, characters and landscapes used.[12]
In addition, many early sword and sorcery writers, such as Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith, were heavily influenced by the Middle Eastern tales of the Arabian Nights, whose stories of magical monsters and evil sorcerers were a major influence on the genre-to-be.
It can also be noted that in its frequent depictions of smoky taverns and smelly back alleys, sword and sorcery draws upon the picaresque genre; for example, Fritz Leiber's city of Lankhmar bears considerable similarity to 16th Century Seville as depicted in Cervantes' tale Rinconete y Cortadillo.
Sword and sorcery proper only truly began in the pulp fantasy magazines, most notably Weird Tales.
Seminal sword and sorcery
The genre has been defined, strongly, by the work of Robert E. Howard, particularly his tales of Conan the Barbarian and Kull of Atlantis, mostly in Weird Tales from 1932 and 1929 respectively.[13][14]
Other books and series that define the genre of sword-and-sorcery include:
- Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique and Hyperborean tales, beginning with "The Empire of the Necromancers" and The Tale of Satampra Zeiros in 1932 and 1931 respectively.
- C. L. Moore's Jirel of Joiry tales, beginning with "Black God's Kiss" (1934), which introduced the first notable sword and sorcery heroine.[15]
- Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser sequence, beginning with "Two Sought Adventure" (1939).
- Michael Moorcock's Elric sequence, beginning with The Dreaming City (published in Science Fantasy 1961), notable for its adherence to counterstereotype.
- Sprague de Camp's Swords and Sorcery the first sword and sorcery anthology, Pyramid Books, December 1963.
- Karl Edward Wagner's Kane novels, beginning with Darkness Weaves (1970), credited with reinvigorating the genre.[16]
- Charles Saunders' Imaro novels, beginning with Imaro (1981), a collection of short stories first published in the seventies for Dark Fantasy fanzine. Notable for being the first notable black sword and sorcery character.
- David Gemmell's Druss stories, especially Legend [17]
Other pulp fantasy fiction—such as Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series and Leigh Brackett's Sea Kings of Mars—have a similar feel to sword and sorcery, but, because alien science replaces the supernatural, it is usually described as planetary romance or sword and planet, and considered to fall more in the area of science fiction.[18]
SAGA and the revival of sword and sorcery
From the 1960s up till the 1980s, under the guiding force of Lin Carter, a select group of writers formed the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA) to promote and enlarge the sword and sorcery genre. From 1973 to 1981 five anthologies featuring short works by SAGA members were published: edited by Carter, these were collectively known as Flashing Swords!.
Despite such authors' best efforts, sword and sorcery has more colloquially come to be known as a catch-all phrase for low grade, derivative fantasy as well as fiction written in such universes. During the 1980s, influenced by the success of the 1982 feature film Conan the Barbarian many cheaply made fantasy films were released that came to be derisively known as "Sword & Sorcery". The term is sometimes used in a derogatory manner by writers and readers of the fantasy genre. However, in recent years magazines such as Black Gate and Flashing Swords (not to be confused with the Lin Carter anthologies) are attempting to return the genre to the status it enjoyed during the pulp era of the twenties and thirties.
See also
References
- ^ McCullough V, Joseph A. "The Demarcation of Sword and Sorcery".
- ^ Philip Martin, The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest, p 35, ISBN 0-87116-195-8.
- ^ Martin, The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest, p.37.
- ^ L. Sprague de Camp, Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers: The Makers of Heroic Fantasy, p.116 ISBN 0-87054-076-9.
- ^ Michael Moorcock, Wizardry & Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy p 79 ISBN 1-932265-07-4.
- ^ John Grant and John Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Scott, (Sir) Walter", p 845 ISBN 0-312-19869-8.
- ^ Moorcock, Wizardry & Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy, p 80–1.
- ^ Grant and Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Haggard, H. Rider ", p 444–5.
- ^ The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy,by David Pringle. London, Carlton pg. 34
- ^ Grant and Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Dumas, Alexandre père", p 300.
- ^ Sword and Sorcery Timeline
- ^ Moorcock, Wizardry & Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy p 82.
- ^ Diana Waggoner, The Hills of Faraway: A Guide to Fantasy, p 47–8, 0-689-10846-X.
- ^ Steve Tompkins, Kull: Exile of Atlantis, p xix, ISBN 0-345-49017-7.
- ^ Grant and Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Moore, C(atherine) L(ucille)", p. 661 ISBN 0-312-19869-8.
- ^ Grant and Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Wagner, Karl Edward", p. 990 ISBN 0-312-19869-8.
- ^ Sword-and-Sorcery Since the 1980s From The Cimmerian Blog
- ^ Grant and Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Burroughs, Edgar Rice", p 152 ISBN 0-312-19869-8.
External links
