Tangentially, some fantasy pays at least lip service to the notion that magic takes lots of preparation effort, and that once you've shot your bolt you have to figure something else out if it didn't work. A story about a magician spending hours prepping and practicing would be pretty boring, though. (Did it trace to Jack Vance?)
And while these stages of life are singular and essential, magic is equally disastrous at other formative moments. A friend of mine found himself seated on an airplane departing Los Angeles next to a couple en route to their honeymoon in Hawaii. He observed with growing horror as the newly-married young woman opened up TikTok on her phone, began scrolling and swiping through videos, and did not stop, even for a bathroom break let alone a word to her husband, until the plane landed five hours later. One can only wonder how the rest of the honeymoon unfolded. Even and especially when we face the defining seasons of our lives, the temptation to use magic to evade their demands as well as their gifts can be—as every one of us knows one way or another—overwhelming.
UPDATE:
Grim has a couple of essays about magic and alchemy (the essay I linked uses the word "magic", which isn't quite right), and about magic and chivalry and virtue.
3 comments:
"I don't know, maybe part of it's the fact that you're in a hurry. You've grown up on instant orange juice. Flip a dial - instant entertainment. Dial seven digits - instant communication. Turn a key - push a pedal - instant transportation. Flash a card - instant money. Shove in a problem - push a few buttons - instant answers. But some problems you can't get quick answers for, no matter how much you want them." -- Joe Friday, The Big Departure
Even magic in "Harry Potter" isn't without its limits. No magic can produce love or raise the death---love potions only produce powerful obsessions and necromancy only produces ghastly puppets or imitations.
As I recall, in Jack Vance's magical fantasies spells were created with a lot of mental calculation and experimentation. The more complex the spell, the more valuable it was; so magicians were very protective of their spells. When going on a journey magicians would memorize certain spells rather than take records with them since those could be lost or stolen, their homes having certain protections against thieves. The magicians could only memorize a limited number of spells, since the most powerful spells were long and complex. Making a mistake with a spell could have unintended consequences ranging from mere ineffectiveness to disaster. Some simpler spells could be materialized into a convenient carryable object, but could normally only be used once.
Post a Comment