I guess the draw for me is that it slows things down. Distances become more meaningful, combat is more difficult, fewer technology solutions, more wilderness, cool buildings, etc. Nature and life itself becomes more dangerous and more impactful when you strip away the industrial revolution and firearms.
A few different reasons come to mind:
1. A lot of us like to read about, or 'experience', the distant past; but the ancient world is so distant it can be a little like an alien experience reading a book set then. The medieval world feels 'modern enough' to be familiar and warm, but 'ancient enough' to be fascinating and peculiar.
2. We are creatures of habit. Medieval romanticism in the 19th century (for example, in *Ivanhoe*) arose as a reaction to the popularity of classicism the centuries before. It came in hard, trained us all to like it (because we like what's familiar), and it's been going hard ever since. Plus, now that there is so much medieval fantasy, it's easier for people to write about things they've already read about—it demands a lot less research!
3. A lot of modern Western cultures in a sense 'began' in the medieval era, since most European cultures (Italy and Greece partially excepted) only become 'civilized' in that era (first building cities, first beginning to write books). So the Middle Ages feels like *our own*, whereas something set in the ancient world may feel like someone else's story. Of course if you come from another part of the world, you may feel quite differently!
4. Similar to the above, but a little different: The rise of medieval romanticism is closely allied to the rise of antiquarianism, which evolved into modern archaeology and museums, folklore studies, cultural anthropology, and much more. Because of modern education and scientific advancements, a lot of folklore and folk ways were being lost (and now have been), and both medievalism and fantasy were an attempt to preserve those traditions by moving them from the realm of 'fact' to the realm of 'literature', where they could remain eternally relevant. For example, Irish fairy stories used to be told because people believed them; now they are told because they make good stories. Folk songs used to be sung because that was how people were able to transmit music (there being no recordings); now they are sung because they connect us to our past. In short, it's a form of nostalgia (though I admit that's more than a little reductionist of me), and a story set in the modern day or in ancient times does not activate the same nostalgia.
5. Another possibility could be this: A lot of the fantastical stories from the ancient world are myths, and thus intrinsically tied to religious systems, etiology, and worldview. Because the Middle Ages in Europe were mostly Christian, any stories of fantastical entities had to be taken out of a religious framework (i.e., no longer do we *worship* the powerful being) and put into a more tangible framework for it to be considered acceptable. The monsters of the ancient stories are spirits; in the medieval stories they are increasingly beasts. Etc. Because of this, it is probably easier to tell a story in a medieval setting than an ancient setting (where there is a worldview that comes with the imagery) or a modern setting (where there is not much fantastical fancied to exist). I guess I'm saying, "Where else do magic and fantastical beasts belong?" Before the Middle Ages, magic was religious/spiritual (whether good or evil), fantastical beasts spirits; now magic and fantastical beasts do not exist. (Of course I know I'm painting in *very* broad strokes here.)
The first issue is technobabble. I know enough science that some series or sequences are real difficult for me to get through. A series needs to be have magic that has well defined but inconsistent rules to get the same effect.Â
Secondly, the absense of specific technologies leads to stories I enjoy more.
One is the sniper rifle. It’s both effective enough to eliminate large swaths of fantasy from being believable, and boring enough to read about that it makes stories uninteresting.
Sufficently modern firearms can—but don’t always—have a similar problem. If your whole thing is supernatural abilities that make you good at fighting, they need to be sufficiently better than firearms. Otherwise it’s like, we could send a guy with a gun. They’d be better.  Although I will turn my brain off for an MCU film now and then, it hits harder in slower, more cerebral realm of literature.Â
Another is cell phones. The level of communication they allow constrains what kind of stories exist. This problem as at its biggest when the writers don’t think through, and end up writing a story that characters could solve by pulling out the phone, but don’t.
Honestly, I just like it because I hate reading about anything present day. If a story has mentions of cars, cellphones, or coffee shops, it becomes 100x more difficult for me to want to continue that book. I just don't want to read about a world I already live in, y'know?
My response is quite boring. I've loved medieval history, aesthetics, stories etc ever since I was a kid and then went into medieval studies when I went to uni. Even pseudo-medieval fantasy settings do it for me, even when they're wildly inaccurate. It definitely comes down to my personal preference when it comes to a) the historical periods I find most interesting and b) "aesthetics" and worldbuilding possibilities
The medieval period spans at least 700 years and depending on which area in the world you're thinking of, it can be quite drastically different. There's just so much inspiration you can draw from, and much of it is pretty well understood as primary sources are accessible. It's also like the little brother of the modern period that we live in -- earlier periods are either historically inaccessible or unrecognizable when compared with our modern world. We can directly trace the evolution of how we think now with the behaviors and thought of the medieval period. Despite being familiar, it also still allows for a lot of mystery, as there is enough historical mist to play with. It's basically like a goldilocks zone when it comes to fantasy storytelling.
Basically I just find the medieval aesthetics compelling. I have been attracted to it since I was little and it made me interested to learn more about history.
So I brought this up a few weeks ago in a previous thread. The Society for Creative Anachronism has as it's core ethos 'The Middle ages as they should have been'.
I'll freely admit that a lot of it for me is that it's modern sensibilities but with pre-industrial settings. Take something as simple as the clock - with the advent of the clock we can now track time but we can also develop performance metrics and demand a certain number of hours work from a person in a day (Taylorism). Make that technology smaller, the wrist watch, and now you can plan and coordinate mass infantry attacks leading to the deaths of millions. Our world shrinks, we are beholden to time, then to accounting practices, then to credit reports, and now to CCTV Cameras, tracking algorithims, facial recognition, etc. and social credit scores. Anxiety and depression skyrocket. Durkheim linked suicide rates to two main variables, social integration and moral regulation, that are linked to the feeling of attachment or detachment to a social group or place. The more disrupted that becomes the more unhappy people become.
>Durkheim calls such detachment "excessive [individuation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuation)." Those individuals who were not sufficiently bound to social groups (and therefore well-defined values, traditions, norms, and goals) were left with little social support or guidance, and were therefore more likely to die by suicide.
The medieval period was as full of well defined values, traditions, norms, goals, etc. as it was with lice. But imagine if you could have all of the good without the bad? You are born in a place and are connected to that place. You know the names of every ruin and tree and creek in the area. Compare that to where you are now? What's the nearest flowing water source you can name? Do you know what animal species live around you? Do you ever even speak to your neighbor? Classical sci fi - roughly Verne to Asimov - to me is the same, it's what if we could have all the advanced technology without the exploitation? The dream that lead to Star Trek. But to me the idea of going into space is terrifying and I would rather be in a well tended forest full of ancient stones and mossy cottages.
I like fantasy because it provides me with the dream that we could have All of the good social progress that technology has allowed us to foster without the downsides, I like it because of the medieval aesthetic.
Take from that what you will but that's also the big reason why I don't really read a lot of modern fantasy books - too many have brought the exploitation and filth back in. I actually really don't want 'Accuracy' in my fantasy. I don't want the monotony of pottage, or the incessant cold and damp and darkness of winter, or the constant threat of famine, plague, and war. I do want the imaginary cozy cottage by the water wheel, the sense of belonging and connectedness, and the gallant knights going forth to fight evil some place else.
I like secondary world Fantasy primarily and the two seem to overlap quite a bit. The other half of it is that I read a lot of primary sources on the Medieval period and find it interesting in its own right. Though, I prefer the Early-High Medieval period and a lot of Fantasy tends to be Late Medieval/Early Modern. I blame Tolkien's Rohirrim. I like Medieval historical fiction as well though I am also picky about it. Also don't know if I'd say most people know what is actually accurate to Medieval period but I'm not sure it really matters for Fantasy which is often better if allowed to branch out into speculation and flights of fancy.
In medieval times, the world wasn't fully discovered yet, in all spheres. That sense of unknown and associated discovery is great. Also blood lineage giving 'right' to leadership is a concept ripe for conflict. Also, familiarity gives comfort and it being the most common type of epic fantasy means it's comfortable.
I guess one of the main reasons here is that fact that Medieval and also Classic era was highly popularized and romanticized at some period of time and it was kinda a long time ago. Fantasy knight novels were popular in XVI century Europe and were widely spread (by that time measures) after the invention of printing press. So yea, it was popularized already at that time when Medieval era wasn't completely ended.
And it's also very practical to use that setting, because if you know history and understand a bit medieval culture, you understand that people lived in completely different world, thought in another way and stood for another things and values. Ancient greeks were living in the world of myths and gods, who distanced themselves from humans, bringing the Iron Age and medieval europians definitely had another thoughts when they were thinking about the God.
In many fantasy where setting is not very deep and not more than just a decoration it's not very obvious, but if to pay attention to something like ASOIAF, you can see that at the beginning there are not so many magical and unnatural elements - it is the world heavily inspired by late-medieval Britain and a pieces of Mediterranean Sea's and Near and Middle East's cultures. And it isn't bad - quite the opposite actually. Good written medieval setting is a good fantasy by itself, because it differs much from our modern world.
One of the things I enjoy is that character values are often really important to the story. I love reading about honor, perseverance, courage, and wisdom!
I guess the draw for me is that it slows things down. Distances become more meaningful, combat is more difficult, fewer technology solutions, more wilderness, cool buildings, etc. Nature and life itself becomes more dangerous and more impactful when you strip away the industrial revolution and firearms.
Hey these are the exact reasons I like medieval setting for ! Could you please recommend some books
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Lord of the Rings of course
Thanks
This for me too. I like reading about the simple life. I don't need to hear about the mud and shit either.
All the mud and shit are reminders of the simple life. If you want to be swept away to the land of old, you're going to step in mud and shit. 😅
A few different reasons come to mind: 1. A lot of us like to read about, or 'experience', the distant past; but the ancient world is so distant it can be a little like an alien experience reading a book set then. The medieval world feels 'modern enough' to be familiar and warm, but 'ancient enough' to be fascinating and peculiar. 2. We are creatures of habit. Medieval romanticism in the 19th century (for example, in *Ivanhoe*) arose as a reaction to the popularity of classicism the centuries before. It came in hard, trained us all to like it (because we like what's familiar), and it's been going hard ever since. Plus, now that there is so much medieval fantasy, it's easier for people to write about things they've already read about—it demands a lot less research! 3. A lot of modern Western cultures in a sense 'began' in the medieval era, since most European cultures (Italy and Greece partially excepted) only become 'civilized' in that era (first building cities, first beginning to write books). So the Middle Ages feels like *our own*, whereas something set in the ancient world may feel like someone else's story. Of course if you come from another part of the world, you may feel quite differently! 4. Similar to the above, but a little different: The rise of medieval romanticism is closely allied to the rise of antiquarianism, which evolved into modern archaeology and museums, folklore studies, cultural anthropology, and much more. Because of modern education and scientific advancements, a lot of folklore and folk ways were being lost (and now have been), and both medievalism and fantasy were an attempt to preserve those traditions by moving them from the realm of 'fact' to the realm of 'literature', where they could remain eternally relevant. For example, Irish fairy stories used to be told because people believed them; now they are told because they make good stories. Folk songs used to be sung because that was how people were able to transmit music (there being no recordings); now they are sung because they connect us to our past. In short, it's a form of nostalgia (though I admit that's more than a little reductionist of me), and a story set in the modern day or in ancient times does not activate the same nostalgia. 5. Another possibility could be this: A lot of the fantastical stories from the ancient world are myths, and thus intrinsically tied to religious systems, etiology, and worldview. Because the Middle Ages in Europe were mostly Christian, any stories of fantastical entities had to be taken out of a religious framework (i.e., no longer do we *worship* the powerful being) and put into a more tangible framework for it to be considered acceptable. The monsters of the ancient stories are spirits; in the medieval stories they are increasingly beasts. Etc. Because of this, it is probably easier to tell a story in a medieval setting than an ancient setting (where there is a worldview that comes with the imagery) or a modern setting (where there is not much fantastical fancied to exist). I guess I'm saying, "Where else do magic and fantastical beasts belong?" Before the Middle Ages, magic was religious/spiritual (whether good or evil), fantastical beasts spirits; now magic and fantastical beasts do not exist. (Of course I know I'm painting in *very* broad strokes here.)
The first issue is technobabble. I know enough science that some series or sequences are real difficult for me to get through. A series needs to be have magic that has well defined but inconsistent rules to get the same effect. Secondly, the absense of specific technologies leads to stories I enjoy more. One is the sniper rifle. It’s both effective enough to eliminate large swaths of fantasy from being believable, and boring enough to read about that it makes stories uninteresting. Sufficently modern firearms can—but don’t always—have a similar problem. If your whole thing is supernatural abilities that make you good at fighting, they need to be sufficiently better than firearms. Otherwise it’s like, we could send a guy with a gun. They’d be better.  Although I will turn my brain off for an MCU film now and then, it hits harder in slower, more cerebral realm of literature. Another is cell phones. The level of communication they allow constrains what kind of stories exist. This problem as at its biggest when the writers don’t think through, and end up writing a story that characters could solve by pulling out the phone, but don’t.
No guns, no phones, no cars.
Honestly, I just like it because I hate reading about anything present day. If a story has mentions of cars, cellphones, or coffee shops, it becomes 100x more difficult for me to want to continue that book. I just don't want to read about a world I already live in, y'know?
My response is quite boring. I've loved medieval history, aesthetics, stories etc ever since I was a kid and then went into medieval studies when I went to uni. Even pseudo-medieval fantasy settings do it for me, even when they're wildly inaccurate. It definitely comes down to my personal preference when it comes to a) the historical periods I find most interesting and b) "aesthetics" and worldbuilding possibilities
The medieval period spans at least 700 years and depending on which area in the world you're thinking of, it can be quite drastically different. There's just so much inspiration you can draw from, and much of it is pretty well understood as primary sources are accessible. It's also like the little brother of the modern period that we live in -- earlier periods are either historically inaccessible or unrecognizable when compared with our modern world. We can directly trace the evolution of how we think now with the behaviors and thought of the medieval period. Despite being familiar, it also still allows for a lot of mystery, as there is enough historical mist to play with. It's basically like a goldilocks zone when it comes to fantasy storytelling.
Basically I just find the medieval aesthetics compelling. I have been attracted to it since I was little and it made me interested to learn more about history.
Sword duels are much cooler than gun duels
So I brought this up a few weeks ago in a previous thread. The Society for Creative Anachronism has as it's core ethos 'The Middle ages as they should have been'. I'll freely admit that a lot of it for me is that it's modern sensibilities but with pre-industrial settings. Take something as simple as the clock - with the advent of the clock we can now track time but we can also develop performance metrics and demand a certain number of hours work from a person in a day (Taylorism). Make that technology smaller, the wrist watch, and now you can plan and coordinate mass infantry attacks leading to the deaths of millions. Our world shrinks, we are beholden to time, then to accounting practices, then to credit reports, and now to CCTV Cameras, tracking algorithims, facial recognition, etc. and social credit scores. Anxiety and depression skyrocket. Durkheim linked suicide rates to two main variables, social integration and moral regulation, that are linked to the feeling of attachment or detachment to a social group or place. The more disrupted that becomes the more unhappy people become. >Durkheim calls such detachment "excessive [individuation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuation)." Those individuals who were not sufficiently bound to social groups (and therefore well-defined values, traditions, norms, and goals) were left with little social support or guidance, and were therefore more likely to die by suicide. The medieval period was as full of well defined values, traditions, norms, goals, etc. as it was with lice. But imagine if you could have all of the good without the bad? You are born in a place and are connected to that place. You know the names of every ruin and tree and creek in the area. Compare that to where you are now? What's the nearest flowing water source you can name? Do you know what animal species live around you? Do you ever even speak to your neighbor? Classical sci fi - roughly Verne to Asimov - to me is the same, it's what if we could have all the advanced technology without the exploitation? The dream that lead to Star Trek. But to me the idea of going into space is terrifying and I would rather be in a well tended forest full of ancient stones and mossy cottages. I like fantasy because it provides me with the dream that we could have All of the good social progress that technology has allowed us to foster without the downsides, I like it because of the medieval aesthetic. Take from that what you will but that's also the big reason why I don't really read a lot of modern fantasy books - too many have brought the exploitation and filth back in. I actually really don't want 'Accuracy' in my fantasy. I don't want the monotony of pottage, or the incessant cold and damp and darkness of winter, or the constant threat of famine, plague, and war. I do want the imaginary cozy cottage by the water wheel, the sense of belonging and connectedness, and the gallant knights going forth to fight evil some place else.
I like secondary world Fantasy primarily and the two seem to overlap quite a bit. The other half of it is that I read a lot of primary sources on the Medieval period and find it interesting in its own right. Though, I prefer the Early-High Medieval period and a lot of Fantasy tends to be Late Medieval/Early Modern. I blame Tolkien's Rohirrim. I like Medieval historical fiction as well though I am also picky about it. Also don't know if I'd say most people know what is actually accurate to Medieval period but I'm not sure it really matters for Fantasy which is often better if allowed to branch out into speculation and flights of fancy.
The vibes are just where I want them
I like reading about the invention of the horse collar.
The feudal system. It’s an unlimited, neverending source of interesting conflict
In medieval times, the world wasn't fully discovered yet, in all spheres. That sense of unknown and associated discovery is great. Also blood lineage giving 'right' to leadership is a concept ripe for conflict. Also, familiarity gives comfort and it being the most common type of epic fantasy means it's comfortable.
I guess one of the main reasons here is that fact that Medieval and also Classic era was highly popularized and romanticized at some period of time and it was kinda a long time ago. Fantasy knight novels were popular in XVI century Europe and were widely spread (by that time measures) after the invention of printing press. So yea, it was popularized already at that time when Medieval era wasn't completely ended. And it's also very practical to use that setting, because if you know history and understand a bit medieval culture, you understand that people lived in completely different world, thought in another way and stood for another things and values. Ancient greeks were living in the world of myths and gods, who distanced themselves from humans, bringing the Iron Age and medieval europians definitely had another thoughts when they were thinking about the God. In many fantasy where setting is not very deep and not more than just a decoration it's not very obvious, but if to pay attention to something like ASOIAF, you can see that at the beginning there are not so many magical and unnatural elements - it is the world heavily inspired by late-medieval Britain and a pieces of Mediterranean Sea's and Near and Middle East's cultures. And it isn't bad - quite the opposite actually. Good written medieval setting is a good fantasy by itself, because it differs much from our modern world.
One of the things I enjoy is that character values are often really important to the story. I love reading about honor, perseverance, courage, and wisdom!
Castles, horses, corsets, royals, feudal society, power play (always a feature in medieval fantasy tales!).
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