Fantasy Tropes and Clichés
(Image by Iván Tamás on Pixabay)
Following on from my post a couple of weeks ago on ‘Fairy Tale Tropes and Clichés’, I thought it would be fun to compile an equally small list for fantasy tropes.
This isn’t a case of ‘naming and shaming’ as I believe some of these tropes and clichés are essential to the genre. When reading a fantasy story, there are certain things the reader expects to come across. The trick then is to present them in a fresh way as to make them appear new.
In no specific order, here are 12 tropes and clichés that came to mind as I was thinking up the list. Obviously, there are tons more.
The chosen one.
The protagonist who’s chosen as the one to defeat the evil, usually for no other reason than they are the protagonist. The obvious choice here, even though – gasp! – I’ve only read the first 2 of the entire series, is ‘Harry Potter’.
In the interest of transparency, I have to own up to having a ‘chosen one’ in my first novel, ‘The Cursed Gift’. I hope I made the reason a good enough one, but only the reader can decide if that is the case.
The evil overlord.
Usually the antagonist, the ‘big bad’ is usually evil for the sake of being evil and usually, if not always, bent on world domination. So, I guess apart from being evil, they’re totally greedy as well.
The medieval-type European setting.
The majority of fantasy stories tend to take place in what could be medieval Europe. Again, I own up to doing that in my third book, ‘The Spellbound Spindle’, not necessarily because it’s easy but because it allowed me to indulge my love of historical research.
The looming dark castle or fortress or tower.
Usually the domain of the evil lord, always impenetrable. But the heroes always manage to get in because someone in the company will know of the secret passage that allows them to sneak in unnoticed.
(Image by Baggeb on Pixabay)
The quest.
The driving plot-point almost always turns out to be a quest to find something or someone who holds the key to save a people or the kingdom or the world.
The lucky novice.
The novice who’s either training to be a soldier or a magic-user, who’s never had any experience in either activity, is suddenly discovered to be oh-so-talented at that skill.
Another example of the ‘lucky novice’ is one who has little or no training yet manages to fight and gain victory over a hardened veteran.
The wise person who’s full of knowledge.
This invariably turns out to be an old person, be it the wise mentor, the old wizard, the witch or the healer.
(Image by Stefan Keller on Pixabay)
The ‘last-minute rescue’.
Things have come to a head; the protagonist and/or the ‘good’ team are at the edge; the evil antagonist is about to claim victory… But is stopped by the timely arrival of the cavalry.
The battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’.
This is almost a given in any fantasy story. It becomes a bad cliché when the good guys are all good and even their vices (usually very minor) are presented in an endearing manner, and the bad guys are pure evil with no redeeming factors whatsoever. But people aren’t like that. If you want the reader to find your fantasy character relatable, there needs to be a mix of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in all characters, no matter the side they’re on.
Horses treated like cars.
This is a personal annoyance, especially as there’s no shortage of information on the internet explaining what a horse is or isn’t capable of. They cannot run for hours without stopping… well, they can but then they’ll drop dead. A saddle horse that’s only been trained to carry a rider will most likely freak out if hitched to a cart without any warning; similarly, a coach horse will not automatically start moving forward if it has a rider on its back urging it forward even though chances are it won’t mind the weight because of the harness.
(Image by ArtTower on Pixabay)
People having no trouble seeing in the dark.
It’s only when I started writing did I realise the absurdity of people seemingly being able to see in the dark with no lanterns or light source of any kind; they run around in cities or forests without falling down or getting hurt.
No bathrooms anywhere.
No one ever seems to need the toilet! Why?
One of my favourite books which covers this subject – of tropes and clichés, not lack of toilets – is Diana Wynne Jones’ ‘The Tough Guide to Fantasy Land’, which fondly pokes fun at the Fantasy genre.
An example – ‘there are… Novice Priests and Priestesses and Nuns… Novice Healers and Novice Bards, and sometimes Novice Mages. This reflects the religious awe in which all these callings are held in Fantasyland. Novices are always young, frequently skinny and undernourished, and clad in Robes appropriate to the calling they are learning. Most of them behave as if they have either taken vows of chastity and silence or are very stupid…’
It’s a great book to dip into, especially if you want a laugh.
