Kings and queens. Knights in shining armor. Swords and shields, staffs and spells. Epic quests and deeds of honor. These elements have been the bread and butter of many, if not most, works of fantasy for decades now. There have been plenty of variations, of course, but the general aesthetic seems to remain consistent: a vaguely medieval, vaguely European setting, often including magic, with less pleasant historical details ignored in favor of those more appealing. Wikipedia's page on "historical fantasy" seems to describe more or less what I'm getting at, but I'm not sure if that's a widely accepted term.
My question is this: why do you think this aesthetic is so appealing to so many people (at least among Western audiences)? Is it the influence of previous stories, such as Lord of the Rings and Arthurian legend? Is it some kind of collective nostalgia--Westerners in general longing for a simpler time, before the complications of technology and the (supposed) decline of chivalry and courage? Is it the cognitive simplicity of monarchy, where the government revolves around one person instead of big groups of representatives? Is it something else entirely?
And on a related note, to those of you who are also fond is this sub-genre--why do you find medieval fantasy appealing? I've been struggling to isolate my own reasons, and maybe hearing other viewpoints would help me figure it out.
My question is this: why do you think this aesthetic is so appealing to so many people (at least among Western audiences)? Is it the influence of previous stories, such as Lord of the Rings and Arthurian legend? Is it some kind of collective nostalgia--Westerners in general longing for a simpler time, before the complications of technology and the (supposed) decline of chivalry and courage? Is it the cognitive simplicity of monarchy, where the government revolves around one person instead of big groups of representatives? Is it something else entirely?
And on a related note, to those of you who are also fond is this sub-genre--why do you find medieval fantasy appealing? I've been struggling to isolate my own reasons, and maybe hearing other viewpoints would help me figure it out.