Fantasy writers - especially those who write high or epic fantasy - often draw from history in both events and setting. There are lots of good reasons for doing this, not the least of which is achieving a willing suspension of disbelief in the reader by presenting them with something vaguely familiar without bombarding them with world building info. However, this can be a double edged sword in terms of breaking new ground when delivering fantasy novels. How many times have authors of fantasy been hit with the protest 'but that's not historically accurate?' Certainly Jules and Madeleine have both had it levelled at them! In this episode, the dragons look at why that protest is not only of very limited value when applied to fantasy, it's also full of unintentional sophistry. Drawing on popular examples such as Game of Thrones, Jules and Madeleine deconstruct just why it's unhelpful to expect historical accuracy from fantasy fiction. Join us for a lively discussion.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 397: The Beautiful and the Damned - examining the Queerness of the Vampire Genre
Ep 396: It Came from Out of the closet - The Queer Relationship with Horror
Ep 395: Weirdstones and Magic Keys - What makes a Children’s book a classic?
Ep 394: Divas Debutantes and Girls next door - the best and worst female main characters
Episode 393: Unlikely Rebels - the Moral Outlaw Trope
Episode 392: An Awful Lot of Walking - Mastering Pacing in Speculative Fiction
Episode 391: Lost in the Woods - Tracing the Origins of Hansel and Gretel
Episode 390: Let the Games Begin - Why the Competition Trope is so Popular in Speculative Fiction
Episode 389: Beautiful Misery - The Hunger for the Afflicted Woman in Fiction
Episode 388: A Conflagration of Authors - AI, Audiobooks and Infringement
Episode 387: Complicated Runes and Ineffable Power - Hard Versus Soft Magic Systems in Speculative Fiction
Episode 386: The Art of Not Fitting In - A collection of Not Like the Other Girls Trope Observations
Episode 385: Both is Good - Examining Bisexual Representation in Speculative Fiction
Episode 384: Appearances Can be Deceiving - The Hidden Power of Modern Fairytales
Episode 383: Gaslit Magic and Immortal Monsters Hunters - Incorporating Strong Historical Elements in UF
Episode 382: Part of Your World - Tracing the Origins of The Little Mermaid
Episode 381: Hard Times in Magic & Logic - Examining the Parameters of Hard Scifi and fantasy
Episode 380: Will He Escape those Dastardedly Clutches - Why Cliffhangers Are a Bad Idea
Episode 379: Exuding Menace 101 - How to Create Menacing Villains
Ep 378: Separated by a Common Language - Examining the Differences between UK and US Urban Fantasy
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