The first part of my paper will deal with how science fiction/fantasy is THE awe genre. How will I do this? I will start with defining awe, and attempting to pin-point things which awe is.
I. Definitions of Awe
(a) This paragraph will consist of talking about what awe is. See this blog post here for some definitions: literatureofawe.blogspot.com/the-terms-of-awe I have found that it was necessary, through talking with my peers about my paper, that this beginning paragraph is necessary to set up the rest of my paper. Without it, the rest of my paper is just floundering in the dark.
II. Science Fiction/Fantasy as THE genre of awe
(a) So now that we've got that laid down, I can begin to talk about what I started my first paper with. Here I talk about how basic intrinsic elements of the fantasy genre inspire awe, showing that fantasy is the literature of awe, which will further prove that Sanderson's works produce awe. I will talk about how the setting makes fantasy awe-inspiring.
(b) Then, how the magic makes them awe-inspiring. (I will write here about how we try to apply the magic to our own lives and thus fantasy also expands the imagination--which ties into awe.)
(c) How fantasy characters inspire awe. This ties back to part II.b, about using the imagination to think of how to apply the magic.
(d) Finally, how creatures in fantasy works create awe. This is not just limited to dragons, it applies to all creatures. I will later show how Sanderson is able to produce the max effect of awe by creating non-cliched creatures that fit in with his magic system and world. Note that each four of these will be linked back into what was discussed in part I, showing how each element in fantasy has its basic roots in what produces and evokes awe.
III. The differences between hard fantasy and soft fantasy. Which is more awe-inspiring? I argue the first, hard fantasy. Which, oddly enough, is what Sanderson writes in. This is when I start to really focus in and hone in on Sanderson as an author specifically.
(a) Soft fantasy. What inspires awe in this genre? I argue that it's everything mentioned above, but that's about it. There's not another layer to that awe. And don't worry, I'm going to define hard and soft fantasy for you guys.
(b) Hard fantasy. What inspires awe in this genre? Everything mentioned above, plus some. When writing in hard fantasy, there is a new set of rules that the author must follow, but in these rules new set-ups for awe emerge. Sanderson does this by
i. Creating a system and then showing it to us in a new light near the end of the novel, evoking epiphany.
ii. Making the weaknesses of his magic systems greater than the strengths. These two ideas are known as Sanderson's Laws, and he uses them in every book he writes. I will show how each links back into the definitions of awe we discussed earlier.
IV. Sanderson. BAM! In this part of the paper I'll pull out all the stops and just focus on Sanderson as a writer, and show how his specific writing takes things up a notch when it comes to evoking awe. So far we have discussed two layers of awe found in fantasy: The general all-fantasy awe, and then the hard fantasy level. Well, Sanderson takes things to a third level, which produces even greater awe.
(a) His use of suspense, which involves a lot of giving half-information, of having characters talk about something which they understand but the reader doesn't, which makes the reader more curious as to what's going to happen next.
(b) Pacing. Lets face it, some fantasy novels take forever for anything to happen. Not so with Sanderson's books, where the action and reveals and continuous.
(c) The Cosmere. Every one of Sanderson's fantasy novels takes place in the same Universe, called the Cosmere. If you're unaware of this, you can still enjoy all of his books as is, but if you are aware, you can see things in his books that tie them all together, and you start to see a grand epic story of universal proportions. Anyone who knows about the Cosmere will find this epic other layer of awe just below the surface in his books. Bam! The third layer of awe. Showing that Sanderson is the master when it comes to producing awe.
V. Conclusion. In this part I will conclude my paper, and sum up how Sanderson produces awe, and how his works have (at least) three levels of awe in them.
My Project
I've decided that for my project, I will be inventing a card game. It's already in the works. Be excited. It involves four separate decks, one per player, each featuring a different magic system for one of Sanderson's books. You vie for control over locations that give you points depending on how much strength you have there. Each magic system works differently, and thus each player needs to use a different strategy to win. The awe comes from correctly manipulating your deck's specific strategy to the max, and by big reveals during your turn when you make some crazy awesome move that leaves your opponents stunned by its brilliance and majesty.
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