Spiritual Education

One of the most captivating parts of a fantasy novel is the world it takes place in. Each has its unique system of rules that it follows; fantasy novels have many of the same tropes, but that does not always mean they behave the same way. For example, in Dracula, a vampire sleeps in a coffin and dresses in extravagant victorian clothing, while in Twilight vampires dress like cool teenagers and sparkle in the sunlight. Vampires are always undead beings that feed on human blood, but the other mechanics vary from story to story.

That being said, one of the best ways to teach an audience how these rules work is to take them to school! If you put the reader in the position of a character who is young and learning about the way this magical world works, you allow them to learn about this world directly from the source. It may be too on the nose for some, but if you have a lot of information to cover it can be very interesting.

The most obvious success story to come from this would be J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series. It takes place in a school for wizards and follows Harry over his full seven-year education there. The audience gets to learn all the spells and what they do, all the potions and their effects, every magical beast they encounter. Outside of the classroom they get to see how these skills and practices are used out in the wizarding world. The education that the readers receive in the story makes the external plot more fun and accessible. It also makes everything marketable!