It does seem to be a bit of a tendency. Maybe fantasy writing isn't as detached from the world as we imagined. Most fantasy is still about humanoid shaped beings, for example. Does this mean that fantasy is a, be it transformed by imagination, reflection of the real world? Does reading about murder, death and destruction in newspapers guide our writers' and editors' minds to believe that what is violent, is believable?
I don't know, to be honest. But I do know that the power of fantasy lies more in the twists and richness of imagination, than in the power of very good vs. very evil. It is true that up to a point, you (as a reader) will feel more sorry for someone who's parents got murdered, rather than for someone who's sandwich got stolen. But I feel like it's something that rises exponentially. One death will spice up your story, but if you kill six, it won't matter that much if you add another one. But it's in the human mind to deplete every source until it's really drained. I believe that most stories do seem to be special because of various reasons and the difference is just that we lay stress on different aspects.
I guess the fantasy genre will shift. Now it's more violence and evil, maybe in a decade it's more love and chivalry.
In general what do people find interesting about the middle ages (regardless of whether it really happened that way or not)?
The answer to this question changes in time and that is why the success of novels set in the middle ages will have more, or less readers changing over the years.
Just my 2c of course. But consider it more like painting. Periods of (hyper)realism and of more expressionism have always alternated. From what I imagine, after the violence period (in which we are now) you'll have a period of viewpoint shifts (I can feel the roots now
). Like a lot of adult novels and movies, who're seen from a kid's point of view. Not focusing on the main hero, but on his sidekick and that kind of stuff.
But that's just a personal impression.
