Fantasy - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

davem · 08-27-2008, 12:07 PM

Yes, but, when I talk about an author's 'repsonsibility' I mean 'responsibility' to the truth - ie, to be honest about what war involves. Should you show the facts about death in battle because they are the facts? Should some Hobbits die of lung cancer because that's what happens to some smokers in the primary world?

Or can the author just say 'This is my world, & in my world battles don't involve such butchery, & smokers don't get cancer'? But if the author takes that approach, completely divorcing 'his' world from the real world, can he/she expect us to treat anything else in that world seriously? I'm not suggesting that not showing the reality of warfare involving people attacking other people with sharpened bits of metal will lead to readers going out & joining the army, because it will give them an overly romantic view of battle (or that showing Hobbits smoking with impunity will encourage readers to take up smoking). I'm asking whether writing in the Fantasy genre absolves the writer from any responsibility to tell the truth about those things?

08-27-2008, 12:07 PM	#11
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	Yes, but, when I talk about an author's 'repsonsibility' I mean 'responsibility' to the truth - ie, to be honest about what war involves. Should you show the facts about death in battle because they are the facts? Should some Hobbits die of lung cancer because that's what happens to some smokers in the primary world? Or can the author just say 'This is my world, & in my world battles don't involve such butchery, & smokers don't get cancer'? But if the author takes that approach, completely divorcing 'his' world from the real world, can he/she expect us to treat anything else in that world seriously? I'm not suggesting that not showing the reality of warfare involving people attacking other people with sharpened bits of metal will lead to readers going out & joining the army, because it will give them an overly romantic view of battle (or that showing Hobbits smoking with impunity will encourage readers to take up smoking). I'm asking whether writing in the Fantasy genre absolves the writer from any responsibility to tell the truth about those things? __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."