Culture, Politics, and Religion

World building in Fantasy

Christine Norris

What is World Building?

The process of constructing an imaginary world, sometimes associated

with a fictional universe.

It can be simple:

Or it can be complex:

What kinds of Worlds exist in fantasy and SF?

Whole new world, created by the author.› LOTR

Adding on to a world that already exists/ Parallel to our own.› Harry Potter

Prediction on a future of the current world› Hunger Games› 1984

Other Kinds of worlds Historical event/time period where

something fantastic happens.

› Involves lots of research in building the world!

› “Historical Fantasy”› “Steampunk”

Examples

Still more worlds…

Alternative History : Combination of real world and created.

The main components of World Building

Geography History Economics Politics Religion and Culture

Geography

Or: where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?

Four main aspects:

TopographyBoundariesClimateCrops/Livestock

Topography

Mountain ranges Rivers, Oceans, Lakes Deserts Terrain impacts the story

› Long journeys over different terrains and through different climates

› Even single city stories must be thought about – is the city old or new? Is it on a hill? How does it get its water?

› How does it affect the characters?

Boundaries

Depends on the scope of the story› A single city?› A single country? (Zandria novels/ Harry

Potter)› Multiple Countries? (LOTR)› A Continent? (Hunger Games)› An island?

Climate

Directly related to Physical Appearance, Crops, and Livestock

Does the world have seasons? What season does the story take place? What kinds of weather would they have?

Does the weather impact the choices of the characters?

Crops What kind of society is this and what

kinds of things to they need? Is there good trade- what do they

export? Import?› The Hunger Games

Agrarian – what crops do they grow› Depends heavily on the climate› Can we grow it during the rainy season?

Non-agrarian/combination – where does their food come from?

Livestock and Animals What kinds of creatures live in this world?

› LOTR Are they realistic? Mythological? Made up?

› LOTR› Percy Jackson/Library of Athena› Harry Potter› Leviathan & the Hunger Games

What is their purpose in the story? › Are they for farming? › Transportation? › Food?› Another purpose?

History

Or: Asking ourselves: How did we get here? My god, what have I done?

History of the World, Part 3

History can be sketchy or detailed, depending on the needs of the story.

Sometimes writers write much more history than ever sees the page

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Hunger G

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Developed extensive history going back thousands of years

Included histories of various races and their languages.

Wars, geneologies, and folktales Has the potential to add flavor and be

interesting or bore you to death.

Something happened in America to turn it into the structure we see in the books, but it is never identified

History of the current America (13 Districts) is only given to lay the foundation for the story

Our modern world becomes their mythology

Harry Potter

Bits of historical information are scattered throughout the story, and may or may not have direct bearing on the plot.

Does include genealogy, some language (Goblin, Parseltongue), but history is limited to wizard history.

History in general includes Political, Cultural, and Religious information› Myths and Monarchy

Economics

Or: Who’s picking up the check?

Economic Systems

Barter vs. Monetary› What do we use to barter? Depends on

what they grow and raise – tied to climate and trade.

› What kind of money do we have? Galleons/Sickles/Knuts/Credits/ Other kind of money? What does the money look like? Why?

How does it relate to the story? Can it tell us

something about the class system in this world – who uses money vs. bartering?

Directly related to the scope of the story : is trade done with other countries, or internally?

Trade itself – where does it take place? Are there trade routes? A great agora/marketplace, or stores and shops with merchants?

Culture and Religion

Or: Why do we sacrifice jelly beans at Bobmas?

Religion

Like anything else, can be background or a driving force of the plot, or not mentioned at all.

Examples:› Driving force: His Dark Materials› Background: Trickster novels/Glasswright’s

Apprentice› Not mentioned at all: Harry

Potter/Zandria/Hunger Games

What kind of religion? Monotheism vs. Polytheism

› What is the Pantheon of gods and goddesses and what do they stand for?

› Mythology based (one man’s mythology is another man’s religion)

› Author created: Trickster’s Queen/ Glasswright’s Apprentice

Religion and Politics› How much power does the church/temples

have over the people?

Politics

Or: who’s in charge around here?

Types of government

Usually modeled on familiar governments› Monarchy

Titled lords/hierarchy/class/caste/feudal system› Constitutional Monarchy

Modeled on the British government, utilizing a Parliamentary System.

Example: Harry Potter: British government model (ie: Prime Minister and various Ministries), but without monarch.

Other gov’ts

Dictatorship Democracy and democratic-like system

› Example: Hunger Games – although there is a President, does he act as we expect? Do other branches of government still exist, and if not, can we still call President Snow a President?

Who are the Politicians?

How do they get into office? Elected? Appointed? An auction/pay for a seat? What does this say about this society?› Relates back to all the other worldbuilding

topics: geography (country vs. city-state), and history

› Is this government corrupt or benevolent?

Odds and Ends

Or: Don’t bring a sword to a magic fight.

Technology

Swords vs. Pistols vs. Laser Blasters› What kinds of technology do the people in the

story use? Modern (to us), ancient, or made up?

Is there a mixture of technologies? › Steampunk – ‘modern’ machines powered by

older methods. Medical technology – how to people heal

and get well when they are hurt or injured? WHO is responsible for taking care of the people in this world?

Magic systems

What kind of magic is being used? › Who can use it? Everyone? Certain people?

Are they born with it or is it learned? Is Magic common or a rare gift?

› Muggles/Wizards vs. Gandalf the Grey Can

non-wizards/magicians/mages/circus freaks use magical artifacts – pendants, rings, talismans, magic pencil sharpeners

Conclusion

Or: Why did I just sit through this long and ridiculous lecture?

Uses of World Building in Curriculum

As a tool to deeper understanding of fantasy literature› How does the world contribute to the

story?› How does this world compare to ours?› Using Fiction to compare to the modern

world and/or historical events. Harry Potter and WWII Leviathan (or any alternate history) and WWI

Cross-curricular uses› Real-world mythologies for World Studies

Example: Library of Athena, Percy Jackson› Map-making to follow the journey of the

story to sharpen Geography skills Read LOTR and follow along on the map Draw a map of a described world

Use the world building to further explore the story› Make a vacation brochure for the world› Plan a trip: where would you like to go and

what do you want to see?› Writing prompts: Fan fiction

What else can you think of?

Using the world to understand elements of the story allows you to go beyond symbolism, prose, and characterization, but also complements those studies.

The End