Editing Sword and sorcery (section)

==Style and themes==
Sword and sorcery stories take place in a fictional world where magic exists. The setting can be an Earth in the mythical past or distant future, an imaginary other world or an alien planet.<ref name=Stableford2>{{cite encyclopedia | last = Stableford | first = Brian | author-link = Brian Stableford | encyclopedia = The A to Z of Fantasy Literature | title = Sword and Sorcery| year = 2009 | publisher = Scarecrow Press | isbn = 9780810863453}}</ref> Sometimes sword and sorcery stories are influenced by [[Horror literature|horror]], [[dark fantasy]] or [[science fiction]]. Sword and sorcery, however, does not seek to give a scientific explanation for miraculous events, unlike actual science fiction. The technological level of most sword and sorcery settings is similar to that of the [[Ancient history|ancient]] or [[Middle Ages|medieval]] periods, with an absence of [[Firearm]]s and an emphasis on swordplay.<ref name=Stableford2 /><ref name=js> {{cite book |last=Shanks |first=Jeffrey |date=2013 |editor-last=Hoppenstand |editor-first=Gary |title=Pulp Fiction of the 1920s and 1930s |publisher=Salem Press |pages=6–18 |chapter=History, Horror, and Heroic Fantasy: Robert E. Howard and the Creation of the Sword-and-Sorcery Subgenre |isbn=9781429838436}}</ref>

The [[Protagonist|main character]] in sword and sorcery stories is usually a powerful warrior who fights against supernatural evil.<ref name=SFESandS/> The typical protagonist is a violent, self-respecting and emotional barbarian who values freedom. The main character often has the characteristics of an antihero.<ref>{{cite book |last=Westfahl |first=Gary |title=The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Themes, Works and Wonders |pages=73–75 |location=Westport, Connecticut |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-313-32950-0}}</ref> Although the main character mostly behaves heroically, he may ally with an enemy or sacrifice an ally in order to survive.<ref name=FantasyEnc>{{cite book |last1=Clute |first1=John |last2=Grant|first2=John |last3=Ashley |first3=Mike |last4=Hartwell |first4=David G. |last5=Westfahl |first5=Gary |title=The Encyclopedia of Fantasy |date=1999 |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |location=New York |isbn=0-312-19869-8 |page=464 |edition=1st St. Martin's Griffin}}</ref><ref name=Stableford2 /> A hero's main weapons are cunning and physical strength. Magic, on the other hand, is usually only used by the villains of the story,<ref name=BestFantasy>{{cite web |url=http://bestfantasybooks.com/sword-and-sorcery.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922100051/bestfantasybooks.com/sword-and-sorcery.html |title=Sword and Sorcery |website=Best Fantasy Books |archive-date=September 22, 2013 |access-date=July 29, 2023 |url-status=dead}}</ref> who are usually [[Magician (fantasy)|wizards]], [[Witch (word)|witches]], or supernatural [[monster]]s.<ref name=FantasyEnc/> Most sword and sorcery heroes are masculine male characters, while female characters are usually underdeveloped. A recurring theme in the genre is a [[damsel in distress]].<ref name=BestFantasy/> However, some sword and sorcery stories have a female protagonist, and the genre's traditional emphasis on male protagonists has declined since the last decades of the 20th century.<ref name=Stableford2 /><ref name=FantasyEnc/>

In his introduction to the 1967 [[Ace Books|Ace]] edition of ''Conan the Barbarian'', L. Sprague de Camp described the typical sword and sorcery story as:
<blockquote>
[A] story of action and adventure laid in a more or less imaginary world, where magic works and where modern science and technology have not yet been discovered. The setting may (as in the Conan stories) be this Earth as it is conceived to have been long ago, or as it will be in the remote future, or it may be another planet or another dimension.

Such a story combines the color and dash of the historical costume romance with the atavistic supernatural thrills of the weird, occult, or [[ghost story]]. When well done, it provides the purest ''fun'' of fiction of any kind. It is escape fiction wherein one escapes clear out of the real world into one where all men are strong, all women beautiful, all life adventurous, and all problems simple, and nobody even mentions the income tax or the dropout problem or socialized medicine.<ref name="deCamp"/>
</blockquote>

The circular structure is common in sword and sorcery series: the hero stays forever young and every day is like the first for him. The main character's victory over his enemies is not final, but in the next short story a new threat arises, against which the hero has to fight once again. The world has a wide variety of exciting and exotic locations designed to act as a stage for the main character's exploits.<ref name=FantasyEnc/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Strahan|first1=Jonathan|last2=Anders|first2=Lou|title=Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery|date=2010|publisher=Eos|location=New York|isbn=978-0-06-172381-0|page=xi|edition=1st|url=https://archive.org/details/swordsdarkmagict00stra|url-access=registration}}</ref> Many sword and sorcery tales have turned into lengthy series of adventures. Their lower stakes and less-than world-threatening dangers make this more plausible than a repetition of the perils of [[high fantasy]]. So too does the nature of the heroes; most sword and sorcery protagonists, travellers by nature, find peace after adventure deathly dull.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Philip|title=The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest: how to Write Fantasy Stories of Lasting Value|date=2002|publisher=Writer Books|location=Waukesha, WI|isbn=0-87116-195-8|page=37|edition=1st}}</ref>

Sword and sorcery resembles high fantasy, but is darker and more jagged, at times overlapping with [[dark fantasy]]. The scale of the struggles depicted is smaller, and the main character usually pursues personal gain, such as wealth or love.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Philip|title=The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest: how to Write Fantasy Stories of Lasting Value|date=2002|publisher=Writer Books|location=Waukesha, WI|isbn=0-87116-195-8|page=35|edition=1st}}</ref> The opposition between good and evil characteristic of fantasy also exists in sword and sorcery literature, but it is less absolute and the events often take place in a morally gray area. These features are especially emphasized in newer works of the genre. The stories are fast-paced and action-oriented, with lots of violent fight scenes. Sword and sorcery is by nature a light and [[Escapism|escapist]] genre whose main purpose is to entertain the reader. There is often no deep message or social statements in the works of this genre.<ref name=BestFantasy/> However, writers like [[Michael Moorcock]] and [[Samuel R. Delany]]  have used the sword and sorcery genre to address serious themes, such as the decline of empires.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stevens |first=Jen |date=2008 |title=Fantasy Authors: A Research Guide | entry=Moorcock, Michael | location=Westport, CT |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |pages=129-131 |isbn=978-1-59158-497-1}} </ref><ref>{{cite book |last=McAuley |first=Paul J. |date=1996 |editor-last=Pringle |editor-first=David |title=St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers|entry=Delany, Samuel R(ay) |location=London |publisher=St. James Press |pages=151-154 |isbn=1-55862-205-5}}</ref>

It is typical for the topics that sword and sorcery deals with to be relatively limited. The genre has sometimes been criticized for excessive violence, misogyny and even [[Fascism|fascist]] attitudes.<ref name=SFESandS/><ref name=tueof>{{cite book|last1=Pringle|first1=David|last2=Pratchett|first2=Terry|title=The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy|date=2007|publisher=Random House Australia|location=North Sydney, N.S.W.|isbn=9781741665826|pages=33-5}}</ref>