Industrialization Fantasies: The Unrealistic and Simplistic Portrayal of Technological Mastery in Fiction

[Rezcore]

One of the most frustrating tropes in stories of industrialization is the way protagonists are portrayed as effortlessly recreating the Industrial Revolution, as if it’s something anyone with a bit of knowledge and determination could do in a few years. These characters are often depicted as having an almost magical understanding of complex processes, from metallurgy to mechanics, and somehow possess the resources and technology needed to pull off feats that took real-world societies centuries to achieve. As someone who has taken gunsmithing lessons, trained in HEMA, and practiced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, I can tell you firsthand that the level of expertise required for these kinds of advancements is immense. It’s not something you can just pick up or figure out on the fly.

The first issue with these stories is the absurd assumption that the necessary materials are conveniently accessible. In reality, the raw materials required for advanced technology are often scattered across the globe, not just sitting around in easily exploitable deposits. If the protagonist is in some alternate universe or remote part of Earth, how are they getting their hands on the right quality of iron ore, the specific alloys needed for machinery, or the components for gunpowder? The Industrial Revolution was as much about resource acquisition and global trade as it was about technological innovation, but these stories gloss over that entirely, acting as if the ingredients for industrialization are always close at hand. It’s an oversimplification that disregards the logistical challenges and sheer luck involved in actually obtaining these resources.

Even if we suspend our disbelief and accept that the protagonist somehow has access to all the materials they need, we’re then expected to believe that the knowledge of these technological advancements wouldn’t spread. This is where the stories really fall apart. There’s a reason the CIA has a saying that goes something like, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action." The moment more than one person is involved in creating or using advanced technology, it’s no longer a secret. In reality, once you start producing firearms or any other significant technology, people are going to notice. Workers, merchants, rival factions—everyone has eyes and ears, and information like that doesn’t stay under wraps for long.

The idea that the protagonist could single-handedly control the spread of these innovations is not only unrealistic but utterly naive. Industrial espionage, reverse engineering, and the natural human tendency to share knowledge would quickly lead to the diffusion of these technologies. Yet, these stories often portray the protagonist as having complete control over the industrialization process, with no significant leaks or pushback. It’s a gross oversimplification that fails to recognize the complexities of technological development and the inevitability of knowledge spreading once it’s out in the open.

In sum, these stories do a disservice to the true complexity and difficulty of industrialization. They undermine the real struggles and ingenuity that went into the technological advancements that shaped our world, reducing them to little more than a series of convenient plot points. It’s not just unrealistic—it’s a shallow and ultimately disrespectful portrayal of the monumental efforts that have gone into human progress.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

You have to understand though, while you certainly have made a point I agree with, that accurately depicting the progress of industrialization in pop literature is a bore fest. Lots of aspects to consider, lots of technologies to invent before proceeding to the next level, and lots of people to educate to enable the progress. We can do it, sure, but I think it's better that we write a non-fictional book documenting the Industrial Age instead.

Not to mention, especially in isekai, we're dealing with a potentially (depending on the author) different set of cultures, which also influence the spread of technologies. What if there are no English, Italian or similar cultures in that world? What if this certain culture the author invented are so open to innovations, they just let others come up with inventions and adapt them quick? What if this certain culture or group of people have some uncanny ability to master stuff? The novel series, 'Children of Earth' did this with the neanderthals in the story. That race of prehistoric humans have the ability to memorize stuff in one demonstration, while the Cro-Magnons need several repeats of demonstrations to fully master things.

Any case, we need to consider those things.

In the end, let readers enjoy fantasies. These works are escapism; no need to be so detailed about some things.

 

[Rezcore]

You have to understand though, while you certainly have made a point I agree with, that accurately depicting the progress of industrialization in pop literature is a bore fest. Lots of aspects to consider, lots of technologies to invent before proceeding to the next level, and lots of people to educate to enable the progress. We can do it, sure, but I think it's better that we write a non-fictional book documenting the Industrial Age instead.

Not to mention, especially in isekai, we're dealing with a potentially (depending on the author) different set of cultures, which also influence the spread of technologies. What if there are no English, Italian or similar cultures in that world? What if this certain culture the author invented are so open to innovations, they just let others come up with inventions and adapt them quick? We need to consider these things.

In the end, let readers enjoy fantasies. These works are escapism; no need to be so detailed about some things.

That's a fair point. My whole argument was a simple complaint on one of my favorite genres. I want to read one that has more realism

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

That's a fair point. My whole argument was a simple complaint on one of my favorite genres. I want to read one that has more realism

No probs, my good man. I think you can still find a story that you'll like, but yes, my point stands.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I have seen two that addressed this fairly well - Leo Frantkowski's Conrad Stargard series (The Crosstime Engineer, The Flying Warlord, The Radiant Knight, Lord Conrad's Lady and a fifth one that I just found out was released after I thought the series was finished) even has the hero lamenting some of these very issues. and Hayford Pierce's "Napoleon Disentimed" where he starts by "inventing" the flush toilet and winds up completely derailing history in a mostly logical, plausible manner.
But, in general it is either done implausibly or as if "technology" was just another "cultivation technique"

 

[ElijahRyne]

One of the most frustrating tropes in stories of industrialization is the way protagonists are portrayed as effortlessly recreating the Industrial Revolution, as if it’s something anyone with a bit of knowledge and determination could do in a few years. These characters are often depicted as having an almost magical understanding of complex processes, from metallurgy to mechanics, and somehow possess the resources and technology needed to pull off feats that took real-world societies centuries to achieve. As someone who has taken gunsmithing lessons, trained in HEMA, and practiced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, I can tell you firsthand that the level of expertise required for these kinds of advancements is immense. It’s not something you can just pick up or figure out on the fly.

The first issue with these stories is the absurd assumption that the necessary materials are conveniently accessible. In reality, the raw materials required for advanced technology are often scattered across the globe, not just sitting around in easily exploitable deposits. If the protagonist is in some alternate universe or remote part of Earth, how are they getting their hands on the right quality of iron ore, the specific alloys needed for machinery, or the components for gunpowder? The Industrial Revolution was as much about resource acquisition and global trade as it was about technological innovation, but these stories gloss over that entirely, acting as if the ingredients for industrialization are always close at hand. It’s an oversimplification that disregards the logistical challenges and sheer luck involved in actually obtaining these resources.

Even if we suspend our disbelief and accept that the protagonist somehow has access to all the materials they need, we’re then expected to believe that the knowledge of these technological advancements wouldn’t spread. This is where the stories really fall apart. There’s a reason the CIA has a saying that goes something like, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action." The moment more than one person is involved in creating or using advanced technology, it’s no longer a secret. In reality, once you start producing firearms or any other significant technology, people are going to notice. Workers, merchants, rival factions—everyone has eyes and ears, and information like that doesn’t stay under wraps for long.

The idea that the protagonist could single-handedly control the spread of these innovations is not only unrealistic but utterly naive. Industrial espionage, reverse engineering, and the natural human tendency to share knowledge would quickly lead to the diffusion of these technologies. Yet, these stories often portray the protagonist as having complete control over the industrialization process, with no significant leaks or pushback. It’s a gross oversimplification that fails to recognize the complexities of technological development and the inevitability of knowledge spreading once it’s out in the open.

In sum, these stories do a disservice to the true complexity and difficulty of industrialization. They undermine the real struggles and ingenuity that went into the technological advancements that shaped our world, reducing them to little more than a series of convenient plot points. It’s not just unrealistic—it’s a shallow and ultimately disrespectful portrayal of the monumental efforts that have gone into human progress.

Yes, one of the main reasons the industrial revolution didn’t happen in Greece or Rome, despite the invention of the steam engine, was because the material conditions of that time was not enough. Yet, a bigger issue is in kingdom building stories, where the MC introduces industry. That being that Kingdoms rarely survived industrialization, and when they did they did so by ‘democratizing’ power.

The nobility typically didn’t have the will and/or recourses to take a risk by start factories in the number needed for an industrial revolution, so factories were started by wealthy merchants and the burgeoning burgher class, which grew with the increase in trade due to advancements in shipping, the Black Death, technological advancements, and the expanding of gunpowder empires. These two groups merged into a new capitalist class, a class that ran most of an industrialized nations economy but had little political sway. So, Royalty and the Nobility had two choices try to cling to their power and risk revolution or gradually give some of it up in hopes that they could still keep the majority. An example of each is the French Revolution and the establishment of the House of Commons in GB.

 

[melchi]

Like Hans said, the alternative is heavy exposition. We could write a chapter explaining the interplay between Maxwell's equations and Ohm's law. But would the average reader find it entertaining?

At some point a good chunk of the readers are wanting the story to get to the 'good part.' Yeah, making it seem too easy is not great but there is only so much word count that a story has to work with. Time skips and passive voice can be used to speed things along but that also carries its own problems. To do it right is a compromise in presenting stuff in a believable way and keeping the story not reading like a text book.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Like Hans said, the alternative is heavy exposition. We could write a chapter explaining the interplay between Maxwell's equations and Ohm's law. But would the average reader find it entertaining?

At some point a good chunk of the readers are wanting the story to get to the 'good part.' Yeah, making it seem too easy is not great but there is only so much word count that a story has to work with. Time skips and passive voice can be used to speed things along but that also carries its own problems. To do it right is a compromise in presenting stuff in a believable way and keeping the story not reading like a text book.

To add more to this point, my story's Volume 8 illustrates my example in this certain issue.

My MC founds a kingdom, and an army. As it is in a world where human and beastfolk live together, he had to consider the balance between the cultures of the two races. To build an economy of his 'kingdom' politically and independent of the rival states and entities, he established an industry based on mettalurgy. Now, in reality, this is really hard, coz they have to find sources of good iron, build foundries and kilns and teach the beastmen (who use brawns and/or primitive tools) of smelting and metal working. This is aside from balancing the act of assigning people to tend to farms and fisheries to keep up the food production to support a growing population, defending settlements (training warriors, building defenses, layouting cities) against monsters trying to eat them, and allotting spaces to people so it won't get too much squalor and attract population-decimating pandemics, which puts his plan of founding a kingdom in jeopardy.

All of those, I have to write in plausible pace within an entire volume of around 60k-80k words. I am writing a light novel, see? Not a full-blown one similar to Anna Karenina, or War and Peace. It's really fast, if you are to ask me, but I did my best not to make it as if they breezed through everything. After all, I want to have a sliver of reality in my work. And still, even with all that put into consideration, it read like I only focused on one aspect of kingdom-building.

I can expand on that, yes, but it will require me additional books (I planned 4 books for Arc 2; V8 is the 3rd), and a complete bore fest, as I'd like to cover all aspects of economy, politics behind it, and the resulting industrialization and mass education, for complex machines require written directions, aside from intensive training on operating it. Those, and I still have to consider the sentiments of the population usually resistant to change, and content with the status quo.

And again, I'm just writing a light novel.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

One of the most frustrating tropes in stories of industrialization is the way protagonists are portrayed as effortlessly recreating the Industrial Revolution, as if it’s something anyone with a bit of knowledge and determination could do in a few years. These characters are often depicted as having an almost magical understanding of complex processes, from metallurgy to mechanics, and somehow possess the resources and technology needed to pull off feats that took real-world societies centuries to achieve. As someone who has taken gunsmithing lessons, trained in HEMA, and practiced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, I can tell you firsthand that the level of expertise required for these kinds of advancements is immense. It’s not something you can just pick up or figure out on the fly.

The first issue with these stories is the absurd assumption that the necessary materials are conveniently accessible. In reality, the raw materials required for advanced technology are often scattered across the globe, not just sitting around in easily exploitable deposits. If the protagonist is in some alternate universe or remote part of Earth, how are they getting their hands on the right quality of iron ore, the specific alloys needed for machinery, or the components for gunpowder? The Industrial Revolution was as much about resource acquisition and global trade as it was about technological innovation, but these stories gloss over that entirely, acting as if the ingredients for industrialization are always close at hand. It’s an oversimplification that disregards the logistical challenges and sheer luck involved in actually obtaining these resources.

Even if we suspend our disbelief and accept that the protagonist somehow has access to all the materials they need, we’re then expected to believe that the knowledge of these technological advancements wouldn’t spread. This is where the stories really fall apart. There’s a reason the CIA has a saying that goes something like, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action." The moment more than one person is involved in creating or using advanced technology, it’s no longer a secret. In reality, once you start producing firearms or any other significant technology, people are going to notice. Workers, merchants, rival factions—everyone has eyes and ears, and information like that doesn’t stay under wraps for long.

The idea that the protagonist could single-handedly control the spread of these innovations is not only unrealistic but utterly naive. Industrial espionage, reverse engineering, and the natural human tendency to share knowledge would quickly lead to the diffusion of these technologies. Yet, these stories often portray the protagonist as having complete control over the industrialization process, with no significant leaks or pushback. It’s a gross oversimplification that fails to recognize the complexities of technological development and the inevitability of knowledge spreading once it’s out in the open.

In sum, these stories do a disservice to the true complexity and difficulty of industrialization. They undermine the real struggles and ingenuity that went into the technological advancements that shaped our world, reducing them to little more than a series of convenient plot points. It’s not just unrealistic—it’s a shallow and ultimately disrespectful portrayal of the monumental efforts that have gone into human progress.

Yes, one of the main reasons the industrial revolution didn’t happen in Greece or Rome, despite the invention of the steam engine, was because the material conditions of that time was not enough. Yet, a bigger issue is in kingdom building stories, where the MC introduces industry. That being that Kingdoms rarely survived industrialization, and when they did they did so by ‘democratizing’ power.

The nobility typically didn’t have the will and/or recourses to take a risk by start factories in the number needed for an industrial revolution, so factories were started by wealthy merchants and the burgeoning burgher class, which grew with the increase in trade due to advancements in shipping, the Black Death, technological advancements, and the expanding of gunpowder empires. These two groups merged into a new capitalist class, a class that ran most of an industrialized nations economy but had little political sway. So, Royalty and the Nobility had two choices try to cling to their power and risk revolution or gradually give some of it up in hopes that they could still keep the majority. An example of each is the French Revolution and the establishment of the House of Commons in GB.

Calling them "steam engines" is, for all intents and purposes, quite the overstatement.

 

[QuercusMalus]

There is a story here on scribblehub that actually does a pretty good job with this: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/117113/isekaid-shoggoth/

She does have a few advantages though:
1). Magic is one hell of a booster.
2). She isn't human, so has, well not infinite, drastically more magical power with fewer limitations.
3). She has been placed there by the gods to accomplish this.
4). She had an internal superfast internet connection to the modern world so can subconscious pull plans and diagrams to build items.

 

[2wordsperminute]

You've probably already watched/read it but Dr Stone does put an emphasis on acquiring all of the resources.

 

[Sergeandgreen]

If i remember correctly, "Release that Witch" is also going in the direction you want.

 

[Rezcore]

If i remember correctly, "Release that Witch" is also going in the direction you want.

I've read that, but kept getting annoyed by how often the CCP was praised.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

I feel like this needs a poll.

Also the average person doesn't know how to change a tire, to think they'd be able to industrialize on their own is hilarious.

 

[melchi]

I feel like this needs a poll.

Also the average person doesn't know how to change a tire, to think they'd be able to industrialize on their own is hilarious.

What they don't have in tire changing abilities they can make up for with good intentions.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

What they don't have in tire changing abilities they can make up for with good intentions.

However, they're not going to industrialize in 10 years.

 

[Sergeandgreen]

Even with the best conditions, industrializing anything in ten years is ridiculous. I mean, lets take Electricity as an example. How long did it take for it to spread over the world? Years. And that was after there was already a lot of infrastructure and a society competing for progress. And even within a country, it took aloot of time to make it available for everyone. Refroming a complete society within ten years is close to impossible without magic, or the infrastructure we have today. Building a factory or two might be possible, though. Maybe even enough to have a copycat. But just building anything substantial without the necessary tools already there, is a big task. And that is not considering that acquiring the necessary materials (assuming you can affort them) might take months or even years.

So yeah, i guess to make it in ten years you need confidence, good intentions and a hella lot of plot armor (not sure if one could call that plot armor but you know what i mean).

 

[Pixytokisaki14]

One of the most frustrating tropes in stories of industrialization is the way protagonists are portrayed as effortlessly recreating the Industrial Revolution, as if it’s something anyone with a bit of knowledge and determination could do in a few years. These characters are often depicted as having an almost magical understanding of complex processes, from metallurgy to mechanics, and somehow possess the resources and technology needed to pull off feats that took real-world societies centuries to achieve. As someone who has taken gunsmithing lessons, trained in HEMA, and practiced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, I can tell you firsthand that the level of expertise required for these kinds of advancements is immense. It’s not something you can just pick up or figure out on the fly.

The first issue with these stories is the absurd assumption that the necessary materials are conveniently accessible. In reality, the raw materials required for advanced technology are often scattered across the globe, not just sitting around in easily exploitable deposits. If the protagonist is in some alternate universe or remote part of Earth, how are they getting their hands on the right quality of iron ore, the specific alloys needed for machinery, or the components for gunpowder? The Industrial Revolution was as much about resource acquisition and global trade as it was about technological innovation, but these stories gloss over that entirely, acting as if the ingredients for industrialization are always close at hand. It’s an oversimplification that disregards the logistical challenges and sheer luck involved in actually obtaining these resources.

Even if we suspend our disbelief and accept that the protagonist somehow has access to all the materials they need, we’re then expected to believe that the knowledge of these technological advancements wouldn’t spread. This is where the stories really fall apart. There’s a reason the CIA has a saying that goes something like, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action." The moment more than one person is involved in creating or using advanced technology, it’s no longer a secret. In reality, once you start producing firearms or any other significant technology, people are going to notice. Workers, merchants, rival factions—everyone has eyes and ears, and information like that doesn’t stay under wraps for long.

The idea that the protagonist could single-handedly control the spread of these innovations is not only unrealistic but utterly naive. Industrial espionage, reverse engineering, and the natural human tendency to share knowledge would quickly lead to the diffusion of these technologies. Yet, these stories often portray the protagonist as having complete control over the industrialization process, with no significant leaks or pushback. It’s a gross oversimplification that fails to recognize the complexities of technological development and the inevitability of knowledge spreading once it’s out in the open.

In sum, these stories do a disservice to the true complexity and difficulty of industrialization. They undermine the real struggles and ingenuity that went into the technological advancements that shaped our world, reducing them to little more than a series of convenient plot points. It’s not just unrealistic—it’s a shallow and ultimately disrespectful portrayal of the monumental efforts that have gone into human progress.

Yeah, while I do agree.... I am kinda guilty cuz I did write a story focusing around that idea. (With guns of course). But I do think that portraying the evolution of industry and technology would be a borefest since if you follow it one to one, you'd take, at least, 100 chapters or more just to invent things like a basic 4 stroke 4 piston combustion engine with mideval tech and metallurgy fantasy novels usually have. That's why some, like me, introduce fantasy metals and materials to speed it up, but realy? who wants to read 100+ chapters of the main character figuring out how to build a combustion engine?

 

[melchi]

Yeah, while I do agree.... I am kinda guilty cuz I did write a story focusing around that idea. (With guns of course). But I do think that portraying the evolution of industry and technology would be a borefest since if you follow it one to one, you'd take, at least, 100 chapters or more just to invent things like a basic 4 stroke 4 piston combustion engine with mideval tech and metallurgy fantasy novels usually have. That's why some, like me, introduce fantasy metals and materials to speed it up, but realy? who wants to read 100+ chapters of the main character figuring out how to build a combustion engine?

This is what time skips are for.

This is what time skips are for.

You start off with a Sterling engine. Then when the plot points are met for that, skip to the steam engine, put the plot points for that on paper then skip to the 2 cycle engine, repeat with 4 cycle engine.

 

[Goodmann]

This is what time skips are for.


You start off with a Sterling engine. Then when the plot points are met for that, skip to the steam engine, put the plot points for that on paper then skip to the 2 cycle engine, repeat with 4 cycle engine.

In general the three steps of development are dog, pig, horse. The first is a three-legged dog: Just barely functioning, but the prototype shows potential. The pig works, but is horribly inefficient. The third stage is the workhorse, which is what you put into production. The Sterling engine is very difficult to get out of the pig stage.