How Modern Literature Innovated Fantasy Fiction
Hey guys, it’s Jim Wilbourne, author of The Continua Chronicles, and today we’re exploring the modern era of literature and how it influenced the fantasy storytelling of today.
And at the end of this video, I’ll share a mind-blowing connection between one of these classic works and the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson that you might have missed.
So stick around until the end to find out.
For the purposes of this video, I’m defining the Modern Era of stories as the period between the 16th and 20th centuries, beginning near the end of the Middle Ages, crossing the Renaissance and the Enlightenment movements, and spanning to the Contemporary Period, often referred to as the Information Age that began in the mid 20th century.
The Modern Era
First, we have to talk about the era itself so we have the proper context for what made this period so different from the ancient world and the Middle Ages.
During the Modern Era, there was a swath of scientific and technological advancements such as steam-powered ships and trains, never-before-seen industrializations through factories and a shift to city life, political changes that lead to revolutions and the expansion of human rights, and the beginnings of globalism via imperialism and the rise of international organizations.
But for the literary world, and indeed, for the world at large, one of the most important advances during this period was the printing press. Johannes Gutenberg’s invention made its debut in 1436, and by the early 16th century, it was in broad use in Europe.
The printing press allowed for books to be printed quickly and cheaply. It gave literature to the masses, provided a means for the inexpensive trade of ideas, and finally, the words of the original storyteller could be immortalized and embedded into the zeitgeist in ways that the oral tradition couldn’t.
The evolution of a few, foundational stories, once spread like a game of telephone, were now suddenly much more rigid, taking more distinct and traceable steps. And, more importantly, new stories suddenly had the ability to take root as storytellers now had the means to distribute their work without the tedious and time-consuming reproductions penned by scribes and monks.
The new stories told in this era certainly had an impact on the fantasy stories of today, but there are five works of literature that I’m going to touch on whose stories are undoubtedly important to the contemporary period of fantasy.
Don Quixote
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes was one of the very first novels printed with the printing press. Written in two volumes and published in 1605 and 1615, it’s generally considered the first modern novel, making it not only important for fantasy storytelling but to the literary form in general.
Don Quixote tells the adventures of Alonso Quixano, the man from La Mancha. Obsessed with the stories he’s heard, he acquires a squire and sets out to make his mark as a knight. Along the way finds himself engaged in a number of conflicts and encounters that he has deluded himself into believing are larger than they are in reality, including his memorable battle with a windmill that he mistakes for a giant.
Like many stories that proceeded it, Don Quixote explores the idea of heroism and chivalry, and, more specifically, it meditates on the perception a hero has of himself and the world around him, displaying a hero that is much more complex than many of the other protagonists that preceded him. It’s a brilliant bit of metatextual satire that’s even more interesting because of how early it appeared in the timeline of storytelling.
Cervantes’s use of humor in his novel added a new dimension to fantasy stories. No longer were our epics and heroes required to be self-serious. This led to some of our most beloved and respected installments in fantasy literature such as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, and Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede.
The Arabian Nights
The Arabian Nights is a collection of stories set in the middle ages that were first published in English in 1706. Though these stories originated before the modern era, their spread through the western world during the modern period amplified their influence on fantasy storytelling.
The English translation uses a framing device of a king who has become distrustful of women after being betrayed by his first wife. When the king kills her, another of his wives tells the king a new story each night in order to prevent the king from killing more of them. The stories in the collection include tales of love, humor, and adventure.
In addition to popularizing Middle Eastern stories and myths in the western world, we can see its influence to this very day through novels like The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin. This collection of stories uses a framing device to tell the history of the world, and, like its predecessor, incorporates intrigue, romance, and fantasy. Similarly, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman also uses this framing construction while also leaning on many of the same fantastical elements of the stories in The Arabian Nights.
Gulliver’s Travels
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift was published in 1726, and like Don Quixote before it, it’s largely comedic in nature. But instead of taking a romantic view of a time gone by, Swift examines his present.
Lemuel Gulliver, the story’s central character, travels to many exotic lands, encountering giants, little people, realms in the sky, pirates, and even a place where horses reign over men. It’s a story of fantasy and adventure and is largely humorous while also being an interesting exploration of human nature and the flaws innate to society and the politics of Swift’s time.
The fish-out-of-water construction of Gulliver’s Travels can be seen in stories like The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley also deliver probing critiques of society and politics in a style reminiscent of Gulliver’s Travels.
The Little Prince
Jumping forward in time, The Little Prince, a novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was published in 1943, near the end of the Modern Era. It’s a fantastic little allegory that explores love, friendship, and the importance of imagination among other highly resonant themes.
The story is about a young prince that travels the earth and other heavenly bodies, learning life lessons through the many characters that he encounters along the way, and, eventually wants to return home to the rose that he cares for. While simple in its delivery, The Little Prince is a thematically weighty story, written primarily for adults.
This story is beloved by many, and you might recognize its striking similarity to The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. The surreal and highly imaginative imagery of these stories is paired with the search for identity and purpose. Additionally, its allegorical elements are seen in stories like The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, and, of course, the Narnia novels by C.S. Lewis.
Frankenstein
I wanted to save this final, pivotal novel of the Modern Era for last as its impact on fantasy storytelling rivals the importance of Don Quixote before it: the 1818 novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Perhaps unlike the other stories I’ve already mentioned, Frankenstein is one of the most recognizable today and its story is well-remembered, saturating popular culture. The young scientist named Victor Frankenstein creates a grotesque monster from dead body parts and the monster’s new life brings tragic consequences to both Victor and the monster itself.
Shelley’s classic is widely considered the world’s very first science fiction novel. And like many science fiction novels that followed it, it explores the themes of science, nature vs. nurture, what it means to be human, and the often tragic consequence of unchecked ambition.
The Robot series of stories by Isaac Asimov, Neuromancer by William Gibson, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, and many other science fiction and horror stories of the late 20th century can be said to be rooted in the work done by Mary Shelley, an 18-year-old Londoner.
Other Works
H.G. Wells, H.P. Lovecraft, Jules Verne, Bram Stoker, and many other authors should really be included on this list. We only have so much time together, so I could only talk about a few of the novels that the Modern era gave us.
Additionally, the entire Gothic movement in literature might deserve its own dedicated video. Its impact on horror and fantasy helped build the contemporary speculative fiction vocabulary that we still see today.
And like the Enlightenment period, the industrial revolution also had a profound impact on the development of the Science Fiction subgenre. The new technologies and cultures developed around the steam engine, mass production, airplanes, and many other inventions sparked the imaginations of storytellers in ways that were previously outside of the collective consciousness.
Because of the printing press and the modern publishing machine, the Modern Era was an inflection point for the fantasy genre. We owe so much to these authors, for we are much more as fantasy fans for their gifts to their societies and our contemporary culture.
But here’s that mind-blowing connection I promised: Did you know that the idea of democracy explored in The Well of Ascension can be traced back to themes present in Gulliver’s Travels?
Talk about standing on the shoulders of literary giants!
I’ll drop a link here and in the description so you can see how these themes are masterfully woven into the Mistborn series.
But what do you think? How do you think the Modern period impacted fantasy storytelling? What other authors and stories should be included on this list?
Let me know in the comments. I’d love to know what you think and discuss it further with you.
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Until next time, err on the side of awesome.
