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Real-World Fantasy
Posted By: Sam, on host 198.51.118.71
Date: Friday, April 2, 2010, at 11:02:57
In Reply To: Re: Summer Movie Preview 2010 posted by jennyjellybean on Friday, April 2, 2010, at 04:23:20:

> [...]
> But, where in true fantasy the entire WORLD becomes a metaphor, in modern fantasy the magic is a metaphor but the story is told in a way that makes it a bit more accessible. Sometimes making it easier for people to relate to the story makes it easier to tell the story.
>
> I'm not explaining this well. Sorry, it's 3:30 in the morning and I should really be sleeping.

I get what you're saying. But I guess my point is that I disagree that setting a story in a familiar place makes it more accessible or easier to relate to.

What we identify with in stories are characters, not places. All I need to do to write a story you can relate to is create a character with feelings you also have. Even if my character is named Zonkadonk and lives in Port Hydrio in the land of Magicia and makes a living wargifying magic hootagumpers, all I have to do is say how he aspires to make it in the world, is apprehensive about growing up, is shy around girls, fears for his sister who has fallen in with the wrong crowd, can't ever seem to earn the approval of his parents, and suddenly you relate to this person.

The same story easily could be transposed to New York City, but I wouldn't say this would make it easier to relate to, because it's not the city we're relating to in the first place. Besides, for me (and billions of others worldwide), NYC is as alien as Mythologiconia. The difference is I've already seen NYC in countless stories, so I'd much rather go somewhere new.

Again, though, I was exaggerating when I came down on real-world fantasy. Obviously it's okay to set a story in the real world. Our world is plenty rich enough to house a limitless number of great stories. But for me, setting a fantasy in the real world is sort of like spending a week's vacation at the hotel down the road.

Maybe my real problem is that The Sorcerer's Apprentice was not originally conceived as taking place in this world, but was transported here for the upcoming movie. That was a decision clearly not made for the sake of the story and its themes, which would be fine, but for marketing and/or budgetary reasons.

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