Completeness

[aesmael]

I agree with the substance of Alon Levy's post about progress and equal rights but it got me thinking about this idea: If your story needs to be bookended by explanation to be understood then it is incomplete. It is true that stories generally rely on the common culture of writer and readers to be understood but this forms part of the text itself as well as the general milieu in which they live. Only when times change or the work is brought to a foreign culture is it necessary to add explanations so that reader's will properly appreciate the situations and the significance of words, deeds, social positions, etc.

    A fantasy or science fiction story faces the greater challenge of (often) trying to create the impression of an alien (but usually not completely alien) setting in the reader's mind. I suppose this might account for the tendency to include extra material like glossaries of terms and cast lists. I don't think having a map should count as making a story 'incomplete' and probably nor should other such materials if the story does not actually depend upon them. In conclusion I have lost the thrust of what I was saying and should probably try again later.

    On a related note, go read this short piece. It is an example of a particular kind of writing of which I am a great fan, though you will have to the end to find out what (or ask me)