Nicely put, @volsung . To continue in a similarly meditative stream: In the Middle Ages, the fascination was always with marvels -- wondrous beings, objects, or miraculous events of either divine, or magical origin. These marvels were calculated to awe their audiences, but also offered them matter for contemplation. The mediaeval mind was one of allegory, idealised forms, icons, and a language of symbols, which represented reality, as they understood it. The most successful tales were those that used this language carefully, and not merely to amaze by the sheer number of wonders described. I believe the same is true to-day: what do monsters, sorcerers, or -- more to our present concern -- Witchers mean? As story-tellers, we are confronted by the question of how to tell our tales. If a story is set within a mediaeval world of fantasy, hopefully, the choice should be not purely an aesthetic one. If the authors are thoughtful, a conscious decision has been made, and the chosen medium of narrative has meaning. It is true that the value of entertainment should never be underestimated, however, any tale worth hearing usually contains a bit more substance within it. Setting thus becomes a symbol itself, and speaks to some aspect of the author's intent. Why (fanciful) mediaeval? What does this time-period convey more acutely than our own, or another setting? I offer no conclusions, only considerations. The beauty of symbols -- archetypes even -- is that they can be interpreted a number of ways, opposed to blatant allegory, which usually has a religious, social, or political objective. Food for thought.
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