Sword and Sorcery: Bringing Fantasy Down to Earth

After complaining as much as I did in my review of Book of Three I thought it was only fair to discuss the fantasy subgenre I do enjoy: Sword and Sorcery. Coined in the 1960's as a way to describe what made Robert E. Howard and other writers stand separate in their fantasy output from what people referred to as High Fantasy ie Lord of the Rings, Sword and Sorcery simply put is fantasy made immediate. But what does that mean? Essentially High Fantasy focuses on all encompassing world significant battles of good versus evil whereas Sword and Sorcery is marked by the battle an individual may fight against a monster for instance, and the consequences that could affect them from that fight. By paring down the stakes to the effects on an individual those stakes become that much more real to the reader and consequently more visceral. Focusing in on an individual also gives room to flesh that character out with believable flaws and strengths. High Fantasy falls into the trap of Mary Sue characterizations since it's working in absolutes of good and evil to give time to flesh out this massive battle between them. Sword and Sorcery doesn't have that problem. Since the stakes have been reduced down to a days battle or a specific quest there is room to expand on the character instead. The best character example for this is of course Conan the Barbarian, Robert E. Howard's creation that pretty much gave rise to this subgenre.

Some 1967 Ace reissues of Howard's Conan Series

Robert E. Howard wrote during the time of pulp fiction whose heyday coincided with America's Great Depression which created a need for affordable escapism. This escapism arrived in the form of cheap men's fiction magazines like Weird Tales and Howard quickly hit a selling formula with his Barbarian. He made Conan a man's man. Larger than life and set apart from the shackles of modern propriety since he lived in a mythic age set some space after Atlantis' fall, Conan roamed his environment a true wanderer his course unset and only directed by whatever obstacle crossed his path. The general formula of a Conan story is he is invited or forced into an adventure whether by monster encounter or imploring of a band of thieves/pirates. There is normally a beautiful woman somewhere, drinking may be had, and there will for certain be some monster or wizard/cultist killing. The adventure is survived/completed and Conan goes on to another day and another exploit.

Further 1967 Ace reissues. Frank Frazetta painted many of the covers

Now paring Conan down to his core formula you would think it would get boring even as a series of stand alone short stories as originally published. What prevents this is Conan the character. Although he is larger than life he's not immortal. He gets hurt frequently in many battles, he ages, he is not particularly stealthy, and he probably has a drinking problem. But he is also an excellent tactician, respectful of women, against mistreatment of slaves/servants, and a formidable leader and captain. All of these qualities make him dynamic and human in a way that High Fantasy protagonists normally fail at. This combination of flaws and strengths also exist in majot female characters in Conan's sphere, the most important of which is Belit the pirate queen. She is a successful pirate of the coast with an all male crew and Conan becomes her right hand man and from her he learns how to be a pirate and a captain. She has her crews respect and Conan's and he never attempts to wrest authority from her. Ultimately, despite her successes her greed leads to her death. In her single appearance in Howard's fiction she and Conan are depicted as equals and it's implied she is his greatest love. If she existed in High Fantasy she would probably be a villain especially since she is fiercely in touch with her sexuality. Instead she is allowed to have vibrant, messy life in Sword and Sorcery as yes, a pirate but more explicitly an adventurer taking what life offers with both hands.

Many of these Ace reissues feature L. Sprague De Camp and Lin Carter
who completed several Howard story fragments and outlines from his estate

It's this vibrant messiness that keeps me and many readers keep turning pages in Sword and Sorcery. The dangers to our heroes have dimension to them that an esoteric battle between good and evil could never reach. But more importantly these flawed characters have elements we recognize in ourselves and by extension we can more easily put ourselves in these characters on their adventure. High Fantasy may get all the respect and literary praise but when it comes down to it Sword and Sorcery truly understands that even in a fantasy world you need to get a little dirt on your face to adventure. Well that's my overview of Sword and Sorcery. Do you agree with my overview? Are there other fantasy subgenres you're interestd in? As always the comments are open and to get notified about the latest here give the blog a follow. Happy Holidays and see you in the next year!