Dorothy had originally thought Shade had prepared in advance for how to handle this conversation, but as he continued speaking, she realized that he genuinely seemed to understand the subject.
"The predecessor of knight novels was the heroic epic. But unlike traditional heroic legends, the protagonists of knight novels mostly fought alone for their personal ambitions, sometimes purely for adventure, and those adventures usually unfolded in imagined settings. As knight novels developed into the modern era, however, the decline of the knightly class steadily weakened the adventurous elements in such stories, while love and carnal desire became more prominent, giving rise to certain filthy schools of writing."
Shade shook his head slightly.
"In my view, compared to the ancient knight novels of centuries ago, modern knight novels are gradually abandoning the spirit of chivalry, as well as the knight-errant spirit shown in defending love, honor, or religion. But that is understandable. After all, the true knightly class has disappeared. Once the root of creation vanishes, literary works become like duckweed without roots beneath the water's surface. No matter how good they look, the moment you touch them, you realize there is nothing underneath."
"Very well said!"
Professor Muld Gode said, raising his wineglass.
This bearded middle-aged man truly possessed something of a literary master's bearing. Not only had he made distinctive achievements in prose, but he was also quite accomplished in popular literature.
The others voiced their agreement with Shade in low murmurs. It was not that Shade had spoken exceptionally well, but that in this era, it had become normal for upper-class writers to criticize knight novels. Though not all knight novels were declining into vulgarity, literature that was gradually using pornography and crude language as its selling point was indeed no longer suited to the times.
Shade had