Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" discussion

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy is on-line for free and here's a few sentences from the Sword & Sorcery entry:

"The true father of S&S may be an author no longer widely known for his stories of supernatural adventures: Alexandre Dumas.[...]It is possible, therefore, to see Howard's Conan as a figure combining characteristics of two characters[...]"

"The geography of S&S is designed as an arena for heroes and heroines who awake each morning at the beginning of their lives; it is designed for more to happen."

"In developed S&S, protagonists may often act heroically, but are generally happy to do a deal [...] Where epic fantasy celebrates heroic virtue, S&S prefers moderate virtue allied with good sense and a capacity to compromise."

"...moderate virtue allied with good sense and a capacity to compromise." ~ I like it!