Nerd Pride Radio

I didn't know what else to call the subject, so I called it this. It occurred to me, today, that I couldn't think of a fantasy fiction book that didn't involve a teaching scene of some kind or another. Though, I think I just answered my own question. A Wizard of Earthsea, Harry Potter, The Wheel of Time, The Belgariad, even some of the first Discworld books, Doctor Strange. They all have moments where there is an apprentice learning 'how magic works.' Lord of the Rings might be an exception, but I'm not so sure.

I understand that there is a learning curve. You have to teach your readers how the world works, but why do you have to do it through the eyes of a student. Is it possible to demonstrate the rules of your universe without it being an academic situation? Or a stranger thrust into a strange land? Science Fiction doesn't seem to have this problem, at least not to the same extent that Fantasy Fiction does. Now, I haven't read all the books, so I'm sure there are some out there that do a good job of educating their readers without resorting to schooling (of some kind or another) in the book, but today, right now, no good examples jump to mind.

I think that it's a common Joseph Campbell trope that when you have someone that has to respond to "the call" that they realize their power through the eyes of some variant of the student.

It's been a while since I tried reading them, but the Malazan Book of the Fallen series might not have started with learning scenes. The first book also didn't seem interested in the reader understaning what the hell was going on, either. So there's that.

It's very common to a class of fantasy, especially if they're intended for a juvenile audience. Kids/teens instantly grasp the student paradigm. Fantasy that comes from the sword and sorcery or pulp traditions rarely have this, though I think the first Elric book does. The Prydain chronicles have a bunch of this.

And if there is no school, then the fantasy stories are usually rooted in well-known stories such as Greek Myth, King Arthur, amongst some of the examples.

Now, I think there is a good example of breaking away from all of those would be Runelords. They gradually introduce what the runes do, and the consequences.