| IcaroRibeiro said: Brandon Sanderson’s characters often see their own worlds and time spans through the lens of modern perspectives. Shallan is a good example of this, and Jasnah Kholin as well. HoloDust’s point is disingenuous: every piece of fiction is written through the historical perspective of its creator. You can't entirely remove your historical perceptions and sensibilities when writing. For instance, Frodo and Sam’s relationship differs between the books and movies, as they were created in different time periods. In the books, there's a clear master-servant relationship between the two, while in the movies their relationship is more equal in terms of social standing. Similarly, the way stories depict women and social minorities will always mirror how contemporary society views those groups. One of the biggest indicators of this is how sex is portrayed in media. When society was predominantly Christian and opposed to nudity, stories tended to be less graphic. Over time, as people became less bothered by nudity, media simply adapted. There are few historically accurate books and movies, and they tend to be niche. The Northman comes to mind, an excellent movie inspired by Norse legends, showcasing various Northern European cultures that are often (wrongly) clustered as vikings. Interestingly, many viking fans disliked the movie because deep down people don’t necessarily want historical accuracy: they want fiction and scapist fun. |
You're right, but I didn't mention Stomrlight Archive specifically because under the fantasy surface it's clearly a world that has already developed the scientific method, so it makes sense at least some people would have post-French Revolution perspectives.
Of course, nothing is barring someone from writing a world that is politically but not technologically advanced. We've seen countless examples of the opposite in the media. I wish there were more low-tech anarchist or egalitarian fiction.
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