Fantastic article, I'll definitely have to bookmark it for future reference. I can remember thinking about these principles over a decade ago when, in close proximity, I read "American Gods" and also watched the movie, "Brotherhood of the Wolf."
The protagonist Shadow in "American Gods" at one point describes the difference between real and fake fights in prison. The latter are flashy and for show, the former are brutal and over in seconds.
"Brotherhood of the Wolf" introduced the Iroquois warrior Mani in a non lethal fight scene filled with amazingly choreographed and acrobatic martial arts. Thankfully when the real conflict of the story occurred, it was all quick debilitating and lethal, nothing fancy or pretty about it.
It just happened that reading a passage in "American Gods" jogged me into thinking more about the differing violence I was seeing in other stories. Your article gives a lot more articulation and reference for further research. Thanks!