Preface on Fantasy
What is the essence of Western fantasy? My personal interpretation is that it is a projection of fantasy onto historical culture. Knights represent the nobility of the feudal era, priests are the armed missionaries of the Christian church, magic is the superstition of ancient nature worship and medieval witchcraft, while elves, dwarves, and dragons are the protagonists of folklore. All these fantasy elements can find their historical counterparts. Just like Eastern martial arts novels, there may not be any lightness skills or internal energy, nor any martial arts world, but there indeed once existed wandering heroes who sang passionately and wielded swords across the land. Knights represent the nobility of the feudal era, priests are the armed missionaries of the Christian church, magic is the superstition of ancient nature worship and medieval witchcraft, while elves, dwarves, and dragons are the protagonists of folklore. All these fantasy elements can find their historical counterparts. Just like Eastern martial arts novels, there may not be any lightness skills or internal energy, nor any martial arts world, but there indeed once existed wandering heroes who sang passionately and wielded swords across the land. It is merely the addition of some romantic imagination and fiction that gives birth to a distinctly different and magnificent world.
Ryan Lapis Christmas Eve 2002
The enchanting splendor of fantasy and the profound weight of history are seamlessly intertwined; this is perhaps the charm of this article! This is a piece that discards all entertainment and popular elements from https://www.hetushu.com, with the author's purpose being merely exploration and experimentation. It may not become wildly popular, nor will it attract countless admirers and rave reviews like certain works. However, a quieter approach is preferable, as it is more suitable for attracting like-minded friends to sit down, savor slowly, and share their thoughts in detail. As one of the earliest readers of this article, I hold this small wish to bring forth the article and share it with everyone. Thus, this serves as the preface
Beneath these Eastern imprints, we have indeed discovered a fantastical essence. In a tumultuous time and an orderly space, the two protagonists, Peng Gang and Feng Yang, with their distinctly different personalities, overlap in time and space. As a great calamity approaches, the era is in turmoil, with ambitions to conquer the world and various schemes from m. hetushu.... comcom closely linked to four treasures and a treasure-hunting adventure
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I have also read some so-called Eastern-style fantasy, but it is merely a superficial transformation, replacing wizards with qi practitioners, knights with swordsmen, unicorns with qilins, and magic with Taoist arts, among other changes. At most, it incorporates some elements from martial arts novels, yet fundamentally, it remains a hodgepodge that lacks coherence. I cannot say that this work, "Record of Dust and Tribulation," is successful, but it indeed offers a possible avenue.
Once, I discussed with a friend that the feeling Westerners experience when watching fantasy is quite similar to our experience with martial arts. Conversely, our perception of Western fantasy should resemble their view of Eastern martial arts. The excitement of reading comes not only from the text itself but more so from the cultural differences.
"Ruian · m.hetushu.com.com Lanbis"
The theory is quite simple, yet it certainly does not originate from a simple mind
( The following is purely a personal opinion and does not represent the author )
Some individuals begin to break through, either by using Western bottles to contain Eastern wine, directly applying Eastern ways of thinking; or by blurring the lines, situating the background in a unique environment that accommodates both Eastern and Western elements; or simply ignoring cultural differences altogether. I once read an article that surprisingly mixed geographical and personal names from both East and West, and under the centralized military structure of the East, it employed typical Western military units, particularly knights, which are elements that can only emerge in a feudal system. This left me astonished during my first reading.
A small suggestion: to read this article smoothly, it is best to keep a dictionary handy.
Since we want to break through, why not be more straightforward? Let us discard all those Western names like the Book Knight, the Magic Duke, and the Earl! We have a more profound history, we possess a richer culture, and most importantly, we understand it and comprehend it deeply
The author possesses an extraordinary understanding of Chinese history and culture, with the article reflecting Eastern imprints almost everywhere. The historical citation at the beginning employs a method that has become somewhat clichéd today; however, if that friend were to make a comparison, they would discover that these phrases have evolved from the "Zuo Zhuan," representing the true style of historical writing. The social system of the Son of Heaven, feudal lords, hereditary nobles, ministers, scholars, commoners, and slaves indeed reflects the reality before the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The discussion of the concepts of "existence" and "non-existence" in the text is a significant point of contention in Confucian thought; while the terms "fool, superior person, immortal, and sage" are entirely derived from Laozi and Zhuangzi. Even the two protagonists from different times and spaces, Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly dream, are seamlessly connected, hinting at a certain profound meaning and expressing the author's philosophical contemplation of the cosmology of Confucian and Daoist culture.
I have a passion for fantasy. Many years ago, unable to find a complete translation, I read classics of Western fantasy such as "Dragonlance" and "The Lord of the Rings" in a mix of Chinese and English. Gradually, many of my Chinese friends who also love fantasy began to create their own works, which is a good thing! However, when I see fantasy created by Chinese authors, although there are occasionally excellent pieces, the prevalence of knights, mages, and Western names and places raises my concerns. Everyone is using a cultural background that they are not familiar with! If you cannot even achieve a basic understanding of the cultural background you are writing about, how can you possibly produce great works? Moreover, most authors are not even clear about the basic processes of Western history, let alone understand the underlying culture.