Romanticism. 
My novel does the opposite, most nobility in Centris are pieces of shit who abuse their power. I hate them all and can't wait to write karmic retribution.
Another note on nobility is also that it's part of the escapism. There are wayyyy too many works that legitimately idolize monarchy and nobles but I'm not talking about those - sometimes it's nice to think the rulers are actually doing their jobs after training their whole lives for it. You don't have to shove political intrigue that's inherent in the system, you can just have singular people or factions that are corrupt.
It's like having every church in a story turn out to be evil - yeah that follows real life sometimes, but it ends up being a surprise when they aren't and you can just pay attention to other story elements.
Because being poor SUUUUUCKS lmao. Also I think it'd make sense if nobility is the root of all these types of stories based in Europe since... kings and queens and all that. That's been the people's world for generations.
Maybe I missed something, but I feel like pretty much everyone is overlooking the fact that fantasy is...not real???? ^^;;;
Like, I can see why people tend to carry around the ingrained notion that nobles and royalty are inherently more important and have lives that are more worth writing about, it's probably been carved into our brains for millennia at this point.
But we're not talking about historical fiction, we're talking about fantasy fiction. Stories where miracles and magic are real...stories where maybe being born into the ruling class doesn't have to be the only way to escape a life of drudgery and poverty.
Stories that don't even have to be set in societies based on the feudal system! Fantasy =/= Medieval Europe!
With that in mind, I'd chalk it up to a lack of imagination, simple as that. :T In real life, the elites have all the power, so even in worlds with fictional powers that could potentially go to anyone, authors continue to hand them over to the elites, and even to posit that they belong there.
Half of 'underdog' fantasy stories have the MC discover that they're the secret long-lost prince/princess of a powerful kingdom, because of course that's the only sensible reason for them to be special and talented...and another large portion have the underdog earn royal authority through power. Like, even if they really do start out as just a nobody from nowhere, the natural endgame for them should be to become a king or queen. Because that's apparently what power is for...
Personally I have two major fantasy stories in the works where the main characters are nobles, but their status isn't idolized by any means. In one of them, the unending attention that comes with being the 'Little Princess' only contributes to the MC's anxiety issues, and although she's relatively young she already feels that people see her only for what she is, and not for who she is. She shares the spotlight with three other nobles who have been literally banished from their families, their lands, or the universe as a whole for some degree of nonconformity, and their aim isn't to restore what they've lost, but to tear the whole system apart and start over.
In the other one (which is much more difficult to write...) the MC develops similar anxieties about her position of power through seeing it actively used as a weapon to destroy and subjugate others. She's supposed to be the legacy of martyrs and the poster child of the 'master race', but at heart she doesn't want to hurt anyone and is desperate for a way out. And although I haven't worked that much with her, I think her character arc will probably revolve around developing a backbone, taking back her authority for herself, and using it to redefine her role in society as she grows to understand it.
...Basically, even if you insist on writing about nobles, and even if it's more realistic in the world of your story, that still doesn't necessitate glorifying the position, or otherwise crafting a story where only the opinions/experiences of the ruling class are worth consideration.
I think it has to do with the fact that this high-society lifestyle seems far more interesting to consumers than of the average poor farmer. And I don't mean "the poor farmer finding his greater purpose in life" kind of story, more like "the average farmer living his day to day life at the farm."
And when you think about it, it is still something in today's society as well. Would you rather watch what the average joe does or what your favorite celebrity does all day?
I agree there is an inherent fascination with royalty and nobility in fantasy as a genre, and I think it’s something that until recently, was shared in real life by many. Maybe not so much in the U.S. but trust me, in South American and Europe, many had a reverence towards the royal families of England and Spain. I think this had shifted with the newer generations as the outlook on that had changed, as we become more aware what their “empires” did and how they got the power they did, and the behavior of some of their members, etc. It breaks the illusions that they are more important or special in some way, or even deserving of that.
I think of Lord Of The Rings, and I can’t speak to Tolkien’s view, but it feels like he’s writing how nobility SHOULD be, and that’s part of the fantasy. We do the see the old and greedy and corrupt leaders in his story, too, through Denethor and Saruman, but also the redemption of that responsibility as both Theoden and Aragorn rise to their duties as king, and truly put the people and the future of middle earth first. That’s how I’ve always seen it, and many have fallen in love with the idea of people in those position being like that, instead of the grim reality we often have. I don’t fault people who want to write about that fantasy, but I do think it’s going to change as those newer more self aware generations start writing their stories.
On that note, I think you’d like my new novel (Santa Fae) 
. The main character is from the nobility, but the black sheep of them, casted out and grudgingly readmitted within their circles, which she rejects more and more as the story goes, and she see the disparity of power between the Highborns and the rest of the city they rule. So, already we might be seeing some of those changes new stories coming out ^^
Everyone likes "nobility" that is actually noble. What's not to like? A combination of good morals & the power to act on them. And the worst villains in our childhood fairy tales were the royalty that was corrupt - sometimes to be replaced by a poor or peasant child who behaved more nobly than the "noble". So, there was a sense, I think, of meritocracy at play in those tales - no matter if it was inheritance or daring deeds that bestowed a royal title, it had to be earned by living with honor.
As others have mentioned, there are practical reasons for why the story is often focused on nobility; but yeah, imo the 'idolization' part comes in the form of the MCs being the 'good' nobility and just somehow having progressive values despite being raised in that environment and being surrounded by the jerk variety of nobility, but also being okay with keeping the system as long as we make sure 'the good guys' are the ones in charge 
A few people have talked about main characters who reject the system, and while I don't think it's uncommon for noble MCs to be 'black sheep' within the noble circles and be hurt by their status and hate their position, it is uncommon for them to reject the system altogether and want to tear it down instead of just being 'we should be nicer to the commoners and less corrupt'.
Still, I feel like it takes someone incredibly exceptional to come to that conclusion given the entire culture they grew up in, and it's going to take a lot of psychological exploration and dang good writing for me to buy into such a character ...
What I'd like to see is 'good' nobles that are good in your usual ways of being nice to servants/opposing their corrupt peers/etc, but also have some obviously problematic ways of thinking that one would expect from someone in that culture, which the narrative doesn't idolize and brush under the carpet but also doesn't use to paint them as irredeemably bad people. The casual condonement of slavery (by the characters) in The Purple Ribbon by @migxmeg comes to mind as an approach I liked
I think for the reasons people have already mentioned: money and escapism. People are starving and struggling to afford medical care and other basic necessities. "Nobility" is any context whether it be actual royalty/nobility or the favorite family of your local community - they get their needs met first.
Aside from characters getting their basic needs met and providing escapism, nobility drives the story forward. Luke would not have been taken seriously if Princess Leia wasn't there to vouch for him. Aragorn wouldn't have played such a huge role in the story if he WASN'T the rightful king of Gondor. Arranged marriage stories work great between nobles. Pretty much all of the stories that feature a "strong female character", her presence in the story literally does nothing for the plot if she's not either nobility or is romantically linked with some kind of nobility in that world.
Doesn't that kind of depend on what 'black sheep' means in context, though...? I mean, there's a large difference between being shunned by other royals because you're anti-social and being shunned because, for instance, you attempted a coup that failed. In the latter case I could easily see said person being willing to tear the old system down purely out of spite ("if I can't have the kind of power I want, no one can").
There's also the assumption that rejecting a societal system is a large risk that most nobles wouldn't want to take, even if they have reservations about their place in it...like I said before, we're talking about fantasy stories here. ^^; If you're an immortal demigod with literally nothing to lose by upending the social order (like the nobles in my example), it's not a hard choice to make. Maybe you won't be able to throw tea parties or buy cute clothes for a few hundred years, but if you're angry enough and powerful enough that probably won't matter to you...
I do agree that it's more realistic to write privileged people who cling to the notion of their own supremacy-- when that's the world you grow up in and how you're raised to think, it makes sense-- but for the purposes of a story, I think it's more interesting to write about someone who learns about other perspectives and changes their mind. ^^; Who maybe starts out wanting change for purely selfish reasons, but later realizes that an act of rebellion can benefit other people in ways they weren't aware of. Or someone who's just too young or too ignorant to understand what it means to tear down the systems that support them, and has to reckon with their own destruction afterwards.
All that is to say, something like this:
...Doesn't have to be a smart, completely class-conscious and self-aware decision based on deep philosophy and moral justification. In fact, I think someone born into nobility would be more willing to come to those conclusions purely on impulse, like a little kid deciding that teachers suck and school would be more fun if there were no rules. And it's an interesting thing to write about~
I've always loved petty drama among wealthy folk. I feel there is way more restrictions and less freedoms which leads to creative ideas on how people can go about it's setting! Not only that I love the elegance and beauty of high fashion clothing.
I also feel it's more common place to find more attractive people as they would have the wealth to maintain appearances. Plus the forbidden romances are exciting! It's almost as exciting as watching them either get caught or them running away. 
I'm not particularly bothered by stories about nobilities, I actually more prefer it over high school drama. The faker the better. Is it overrated? Probably. But it sure doesn't look overrated if people are still seeking these stories, indie or not.
The if the aswer to, "can nobles ever question the nature of their society and learn to conclude that the system is bad?" question seems like it ought to be a strong "No", it's probably worth reading some history. Because... it's a bit more complicated.
Here in England, we still have nobility. We have a House of Lords who play a part in legislation, we have a King, we have a knightly order (The Order of the Garter), barons etc. Now.... You know England is a democratic country, and that our society is a bit more socialist-leaning than the US (a lot of people describe it in terms that our Conservative party are similar to the Democrats, and then the largest opposition are further left of that, and the closest analogues we have to Republicans in policy are considered far-right fringe parties). So... how does that work?
Well... because historically, we've had nobles and wealthy people who get educated, spend a bunch of time thinking (because they can, because they're not toiling in the fields all day), and then decide, based on that education, that progressive values are appropriate, better for society or more efficient. They can do this precisely because they don't need to earn money, and so their decisions can often be made without being swayed by lobbyists or a personal vested interest in specific industries. There's also a lot of social pressure on nobles to assume positions of leadership, such as being officers in the army, going into politics or becoming athletes, artists or at least patrons of the arts. (The late Queen's sister is an olympic medalist, and most of our royal family have served in the Armed Forces).
So, for example, it was a group of barons all getting together who forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, the document announcing that everyone has rights and that the King no longer has absolute power. This one was largely in their own favour; they were sick of the King having absolute authority to demand whatever money and resources he wanted of them without needing a reason or anything. So they made a document that basically says "All English people are free and follow these laws. Anyone accused of breaking a law has right to a fair trial"
But then it was also a Noble, Earl Grey, supported by many other Lords, who proposed the act to abolish slavery in the British Empire. There were financial reasons of course, (slavery becomes less profitable over time because people can have babies so you don't need to buy more, and yes, that's horrible, the whole concept of owning people is horrible) BUT there was also a legal and moral component that many of these nobles brought up, like "slavery is horrible", mixed with "wait a minute... our Magna Carta...the one that says Queen Victoria can't take all our stuff for no reason....says ALL English people are free, right? So... if you brought a slave to England, and they lived here, they legally would become an English citizen and therefore free the second they were living in England.... and like... if our laws are meant to apply to our colonies too... surely that means....huh."
See, the thing about Nobles that people from countries without nobility maybe aren't aware of, is that in some ways they're sometimes better than capitalist billionaires, because their status and power is established and assured, and their responsibility is simply to maintain it. If the only way to get political power or agency in your society is to get rich by exploiting others, coming up with ways to squeeze more work and profits out of people, then you end up with the people in power being those who have exploited people, and must continue to have money to have that kind of power, leading to a vested interest in their own profits, but the advantage of having people inherit their lands, title and right to speak in court or government is that they don't need to have any stake in any businesses; they can hypothetically be above lobbying.
Of course, it's not always the case, and really it's not an ideal solution, because as I mentioned before, it leans heavily on some of the nobility being good people who get educated and then use their power to do good things, or at least just generally being motivated for the country itself overall doing well and being a good place to live rather than motivated by their own businesses doing well. Nobility can still be really terrible and hog resources, or get tied up in business, or neglect their responsibilities, so it's kind of all the luck of the draw. It's still not as good as a perfectly meritocratic society where lobbying is outlawed, obviously! Knives Out, while not a movie about nobility, is about inherited wealth, and perfectly shows how the Thromby family are sort of charitable towards their "servant" (but also dismissive and clearly think they're above her) and think they're good people for it, only to immediately turn into savage back-stabbers when their wealth is under threat. Nobles exist comfortably at the top of the pyramid of needs, and have the power to philosophise and so could do good... they could, and sometimes they do.
But the Romantic dream remains, because some of the nobility have historically been poets like Lord Byron, or great scientists like Sir Isaac Newton, been patrons of the arts, or been part of great social reforms, so naturally writers are drawn to that idea of the beautiful kind-hearted noble who can both enjoy the luxurious aesthetics and lifestyle for the escapism, while also being a morally good protagonist who participates in high-stakes adventures and does good things supported by servants who feel blessed to have such a benevolent master and proud to serve them.
I sort of assume that it is just a general wish humans have to be higher in the hierarchy. It has its comforts, luxury, but also 'adventure' because of court schemes and plots. Personally I'm not a fan of such things, i prefer more mundane characters who deal with problems more...on the ground....but to each their own.
I would consider my approach to character creation as anti-nobility. Add magic or something to get a peasant out of their situation, but god I don't care about your rich prince with first world problems saving the world story.
I mean its hard for you to get me to root for someone who's head I want in a guillotine
Oh yeah, I was kind of assuming that XD I guess I was thinking even though it's fantasy and there doesn't have to be a bound on absolute power, what really matters is relative power; if you're an immortal demigod but the others in your circles are also immortal demigods, they can absolutely still make your life hell if you got on their wrong side. Sure you can't lose your life ... but it seems you can lose more than literally nothing :'D
Unless the social order actually mostly comprised of ordinary mortals, and there aren't that many other immortal demigods opposing you to be a threat, in which case my first instinct is it feels more like gods toying with mortals situation where the immortal demigod is 'above' the nobles anyway, which feels totally different than if it's coming from someone on the same 'level' ... I guess maybe it could be kind of like those stories with superpowered teenagers who still go to school and stuff, where they are definitely more powerful than the ordinary students but also kind of still on their level?
The 'wanting to overthrow the social order out of spite' motivation makes sense though I guess I was overestimating how difficult it would be to write convincing motivations for that ('cos I did totally forget it doesn't have to be a well-thought-out think on the character's part :P) I guess I feel that if it does become a moral choice made with awareness of other people's perspectives, there has to be a convincing explanation or journey to get there, which I guess applies for all character motivations; but for this case in particular, it's easy to make such a character feel more like an isekai'd modern day person than a natural product of the story world if it's not handled quite right
Yeah, I guess I kind of conflated a few things back there I'd like to amend that to:
It wouldn't be unusual for them to philosophise and push social progress forwards, but I'd like to feel like their values extend somewhat coherently from their culture; that they take their culture as a starting point and question it and come to some of the same conclusions we have in our modern society, but also come to different conclusions in other areas, and also have different reasons for supporting their conclusions (e.g. maybe they're against slavery because all people actually belong to God and to own a person is to steal from God, or something :'D)
Sometimes, I feel like fantasy/historical fiction characters had their values artificially transplanted into their head, or is actually an undercover isekaier from the modern world :'DHowever, it does seem pretty exceptional for someone to support values that actually threaten their position in the world - and I'm not just talking emotionally. The Self-Serving Bias is a thing; it's not about being manipulative or consciously twisting the truth in your favour, it's an actual cognitive bias that our brains do whether we like it or not. And I don't say this in a cynical, 'pshhh, people suck amirite?' kind of way; I've felt the pull myself, and I think it's something we can work around by being really careful and attentive.
But even if someone gets over that cognitive hurdle through very careful thinking and comes to logically believe the system they benefit from is not good for the world as a whole, it can be terrifying to actually act on that when you have so much to lose ...
Earlier literature was aimed at higher classes that had access to enough education to read, so appealing to them was a solid marketing strategy.
Due to force of habit, this turns into a literary convention. But as conventions become commonplace, they get explored by some authors. For example, someone who wasn't born a noble but earned the spot, or corrupt nobles who use the position to serve themselves.
Stories about nobility also have the possibility of high stakes intrigue plots, where many factions are fighting for power. (the same can happen in modern settings but replace royalty with politicians)
The main reason i think this happens nowadays is a mix of aesthetics and the fact that a knight, prince, and a priestess sounds more interesting than a blacksmith, a farmer or a shopkeeper, but with a creative take on these it can become a solid and entertaining story.
For my novel, my MC was a royal, but then got reincarnated as a commoner. However, the nobility titles and status doesn't play a large role in the story. I get why people would put nobles as their main character, because it's common for nobles to have less or no financial problems and that they have privileges that are fun to read/write about.
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closed Feb 9, '23