Modern idioms in fantasy fiction
Filed under Soapbox on September 30, 2008
Tagged: fantasy fiction, idioms, language, vocabulary
I had a cute title planned out for this post that involved symbols and punctuation used to mask certain four-letter words, but the permalink didn’t like them. That’s fine. Modern idioms don’t belong in fantasy fiction, so it’s only appropriate that I can’t use one in the post title.
Nothing disrupts my sense of immersion in a fantasy story quite like reading modern language or vocabulary, especially those four-letter words our culture considers “foul.” Most of my distaste for the use of “swear” words stems from my moral and religious worldview, though a proverb (not a biblical one) my mom often repeated has stuck with me through the years: “Swearing is a sign of a limited vocabulary.” Even the appearance of a limited vocabulary is anathema to writers.
My argument against the use modern vulgarity has more to do with creativity than moral preferences, however. When you’re putting so much effort into building a fantasy world with cultures and creatures not found in our own reality, with magic that defies our natural laws, it’s a cop out to use linguistic expressions that originated outside that sphere.
There was a great thread on the Candlekeep forums a couple years ago where Ed Greenwood provided a glossary of oaths and “swear” words used in the Realms. Most involved taking one or more gods’ names in vain. I use a similar concept in Shattered Amulet. One of Logan Shadowhand’s favorite curses is “Jord’s fist.”
Of course, there are exceptions. Modern vulgarity wouldn’t be out of place in an urban fantasy, or a story where one or more characters were from our world. If the words were used with regularity by a certain class of people or in certain emotional situations, it might seem more plausible in your standard epic fantasy or sword-and-sorcery tale, but in most cases the words are thrown in by the writer once or twice for shock value. In those cases, I refer back to my mom’s proverb on limited vocabulary.
Modern vulgarity is just one example of idioms that don’t belong in fantasy fiction. I made another type of error concerning this in Maiden of Pain. While describing a scene in the epilogue, I mentioned “French doors” as a way of describing an architectural style of door. (As an interesting aside, I was using an illustration from a Dragon article about the NPC in the scene as reference and, now that I think about it, the doors pictured were actually batwing doors, aka saloon, rather than French.)
The obvious mistake here was that “France” and “French” had no connection to the Realms, linguistically or culturally. Yes, the reader would understand what I meant, but a character from the fantasy setting would never use that term to describe something. I used a modern reference as a shortcut for describing something.
As creators of worlds, it’s certainly within our prerogative to add elements from modern culture to the settings we write about. In those cases, the writer establishes the element’s origin and use, integrating it seamlessly. Unfortunately, the use of modern idioms is most often a sign of laziness or sloppiness on the part of the writer. They’re relying on the reader’s familiarity with the language to cover an inability or unwillingness to be creative.
What are some examples of modern idioms in fantasy fiction that you’ve found distracting? Do you take issue with wizards using four-letter words to trash-talk their opponents? Did an author come up with some creative vulgarity that made you smile?
September 30th, 2008 at 6:53 am
I guess I don’t have much of a problem with swear words per se. (Probably because I tend to use them more than I should.)
The infamous “F Word”, for example, has been around in print since the 15th century, and has probably been used for even longer. Most modern vulgarities really aren’t all, well, modern.
I’ve never seen using such language as a problem in fantasy works, particular if the fantasy is based on Dark Ages/Renaissance/Age of Enlightenment-styled European culture.
My issue with vulgar language in factasy fiction revolves more around whether or not it seems out of place. If the character seems like the sort to swear and to use coarse language, then I have no problem if that character drops the F-bomb. If the use is gratuitous – meaning if it’s used constantly, or by characters who seem unlikely to use coarse language – then it’s a problem. Context would be my main guideline for using such language.
The fantasy novel I’m currently developing will probably have its fair share of explicit sex, language, and gory violence, much like George R.R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones”. I think, however, it’s all appropriate to the story. If it was merely gratuitous, I wouldn’t include it.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:10 am
I can’t think of any examples myself, but I’m pretty well aligned with your thoughts on the subject, Kam. I don’t swear in real life, so why should I in writing? But what’s strange is…I definitely find myself wanting to add it.
But I think it should be used only sparingly, to give those words power.
Still, in fantasy, it’s best to create new swears, right? Problem is, they just won’t resonate with the reader the way real world curses do. We have a natural association with these words, and in writing they have power.
It’s an interesting discussion point, for sure. But as Mike says, it’s all about context. There should be no blanket “yes” or “no” when it comes to their use.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Mike, I discovered how old some of those words were when researching this post. It’s interesting to note that while they were considered vulgar back then, they were used to describe specific things (intercourse, bowel movements, etc.) rather than being general expletives. And, they weren’t used in writing, hence the difficulty of tracking their exact origins. Not to mention that today’s writers use the modern spellings rather than those contemporary to the historical use.
Furthermore, it’s only been in the last 20 years that I’ve seen them creep into fantasy fiction. I’ll admit my reading of the genre isn’t exhaustive, but I get the feeling their use is more an influence of modern culture than an attempt to recreate that medieval atmosphere.
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September 30th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I had to laugh while reading this post, Kameron. I wrote a comedic fantasy story that takes place in a world that is shifting from our reality to a fantasy world. Amid all the strangeness, there’s plenty of profanity to go around. That said, I agreed with your general point about striking that sort of stuff from true fantasy, not experimental works like mine.
Of course, the paradox between both positions is what made me laugh.
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October 1st, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Interesting post. I agree to a certain extent. Often times it seems the words are used for shock value, and instead of contributing to the flow of the scene, they jar the mind into the current reality and out of the story. I have read some authors who have so skillfully fashioned a character that every word sounded authentic… but I can’t recall a specific fantasy author who used swearing in an accomplished fashion:)
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:49 am
I’m not too fond of swear words myself, though that’s mainly because I follow an old Flanders and Swann quote: “If we use these words all the time, we won’t have anything left for special occasions!” Besides, if you’ve got a culture with different taboos, they just aren’t going to work as well.
One thing I tend to do is try to draw my curses from the culture around me–like your example of the blasphemies. I haven’t done much novel-strength worldbuilding recently, just gaming in someone else’s, but I have a tendency to slip things that seem to make sense into the idiom (describing someone flying into a temper using the adjectival form of a demon variety, for instance, or making references to a known family with a bit of a Reputation). It seems to get the world across pretty well.
(Speaking of common anachronisms, ok is more recent than most people think it is, and don’t get me started on celebrating birthdays The Way We’re Used To. The Hall family still owns the copyright on that song!)
….now I want to crack my mother’s old linguistics books and go at this properly. Thanks for the inspiration!
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October 3rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I feel there are times when harsh words are appropriate in dialog, but I find myself using terms that relate to my world and are not generally considered foul in our world. It can be a challenge to achieve this effect in a natural and believable fashion, but I think it broadens the appeal and is worth the effort.
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November 25th, 2009 at 8:03 am
Talk about jumping in after the pool is drained…
I have the same thoughts, Kameron. Two examples that jump into my head are Wen Spencer’s use of vulgarity (a few f*bombs and s**ts) in her “Pittsburgh in another realm” fantasy concept. Here, the “Pittsburghers” use profanity while the elves do not. The other is George R. R. Martin’s overuse of f*bombs between two of his characters in a fantasy world setting.
Martin’s use in the fourth book in his Game of Thrones series really bugged me (but not in a puritan sense), while Wen’s in her Tinker duology seemed to fit right into her world.