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Frontier Settings in Fiction

 The frontier is a rather frequent location in quite a few sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction stories. When talking about a frontier I do not necessarily mean the wild west, just the far edge of any civilization, be it magical kingdom, galactic empire, or a boomtown in the Yukon. These settings are generally characterized by scarcities of food or water, problematic weather (magic poison fog, deserts, extreme cold), rampant crime, a mean populace, and limited public services (with the general exception of the mail).   

    Using the frontier as a setting for a story allows the author lots of latitude in what the characters can legally get away with without requiring a massive suspension of disbelief. The lack of law enforcement makes the frontier an ideal setting for stories that involve conflict between different criminal elements without having to expect the interference of the law.

    In addition to the criminal element that a frontier setting provides, there is also the potential for stories that focus on hardship, struggle, and isolation that these environments provide. These stories can be either of a serious and dramatic nature that places lots of emphasis on the actual hardship, or they can be comedic stories that use the harsh nature of the environment as a backdrop to the humor of the story.

The third big use of the frontier as a setting is the use as the initial home of the protagonist. The protagonist is then transplanted from this setting into a more populous area where the main part of the story takes place. The frontier can play roles of varying sizes in this type of story by providing anything from a simple setting that provides a jumping off point for the story, or the setting of a tragic backstory that has drastically shaped the character. 

 If you are interested in reading or watching a story that features an element of the frontier I would suggest reading any of the books by Jack London that are set in Alaska, but most notably the book White Fang. If you are more interested in watching a movie with elements of the frontier than I would suggest either the Dollar Trilogy, a series of spaghetti westerns starring Clint Eastwood, or the first films of either of the three Star Wars trilogies, which all involve parts of the story occurring on the frontier worlds of either Tatooine or Jakku.

Comments

  1. Marco L.May 17, 2021 at 2:52 PM

    This was a great post. Frontier settings are one of my personal favorites; they're a great setting for a bunch of interesting conflict and also have a fun aesthetic (applying "fun" to your dog dying of dysentary is a bit suspect, but I like the word). Your point on legal freedom is a good one that I haven't thought about before, and I think it makes a lot of sense.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KnoxMay 18, 2021 at 12:01 PM

    I really enjoyed reading this post! Books involving frontier settings such as the Yukon Territory really interest me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fallon McFarlandMay 21, 2021 at 6:02 PM

    Your post was really interesting! It has me considering more what roles settings play in stories-- they aren't really just passive facts. They actually participate in the narrative to a degree. Or, they do in a good story. I suppose to a degree I already realized that but you did a good job elevating that realization in your analysis of frontier settings in general.

    Great job!

    ReplyDelete

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