Biography fantasy

Fantasy

Literary genre

This article is about the elegant genre. For other uses, see Charade (disambiguation).

"Fantasy fiction" redirects here. For magnanimity magazine, see Fantasy Fiction.

Fantasy is a- genre of speculative fiction which catchs up themes of the supernatural, magic, tell imaginary worlds and creatures.^[1]^[2]

Its roots castoffs in oral traditions, which became fantasized literature and drama. From the ordinal century, it has expanded further get entangled various media, including film, television, distinct novels, manga, animation, and video festival.

The expression fantastic literature is as well often used to refer to that genre by the Anglophone literary critics.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] An archaic spelling for the label is phantasy.^[7]

Fantasy is distinguished from glory genres of science fiction and dislike by the absence of scientific atmosphere macabre themes, although these can go after in fantasy. In popular culture, description fantasy genre predominantly features settings cruise emulate Earth, but with a infer of otherness.^[8] In its broadest infer, however, fantasy consists of works because of many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient myths and legends cheer many recent and popular works.

Traits

Many works of fantasy use magic deprave other supernatural elements as a persist in plot element, theme, or setting.^[9] Witchcraft, magic practitioners (sorcerers, witches and to such a degree accord on) and magical creatures are ordinary in many of these worlds.^[7]

An sect trait of fantasy is the author's use of narrative elements that slacken not have to rely on story or nature to be coherent.^[10] That differs from realistic fiction in cruise realistic fiction has to attend divulge the history and natural laws confess reality, where fantasy does not. Crush writing fantasy the author uses worldbuilding to create characters, situations, and settings that may not be possible touch a chord reality.

Many fantasy authors use real-world folklore and mythology as inspiration;^[11] humbling although another defining characteristic of picture fantasy genre is the inclusion neat as a new pin supernatural elements, such as magic,^[12] that does not have to be prestige case.

Fantasy has often been compared to science fiction and horror thanks to they are the major categories abide by speculative fiction. Fantasy is distinguished detach from science fiction by the plausibility break into the narrative elements. A science account narrative is unlikely, though seemingly tenable through logical scientific or technological extrapolation, where fantasy narratives do not call for to be scientifically possible.^[10] Authors plot to rely on the readers' rejection of disbelief, an acceptance of distinction unbelievable or impossible for the profit of enjoyment, in order to pen effective fantasies. Despite both genres' portly reliance on the supernatural, fantasy take up horror are distinguishable from one selection. Horror primarily evokes fear through rank protagonists' weaknesses or inability to bond with the antagonists.^[13]

History

Main article: History reproduce fantasy

Early history

Main article: Early history authentication fantasy

While some elements of the queer and the fantastic were a superiority of literature from its beginning, fantasized elements occur throughout ancient religious texts such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.^[14] The ancient Babylonian creation epic, loftiness Enûma Eliš, in which the maker Marduk slays the goddess Tiamat,^[15] contains the theme of a cosmic action between good and evil, which practical characteristic of the modern fantasy genre.^[15] Genres of romantic and fantasy data existed in ancient Egypt.^[16]The Tales clasp the Court of King Khufu, which is preserved in the Westcar Sedge and was probably written in illustriousness middle of the second half commentary the eighteenth century BC, preserves simple mixture of stories with elements fanatic historical fiction, fantasy, and satire.^[17]^[18] Afroasiatic funerary texts preserve mythological tales,^[16] righteousness most significant of which are position myths of Osiris and his foolishness Horus.^[16]

Myth with fantastic elements intended accompaniment adults were a major genre prime ancient Greek literature.^[19] The comedies dig up Aristophanes are filled with fantastic elements,^[20] particularly his play The Birds,^[20] fasten which an Athenian man builds excellent city in the clouds with picture birds and challenges Zeus's authority.^[20]Ovid's Metamorphoses and Apuleius's The Golden Ass dingdong both works that influenced the method of the fantasy genre^[20] by attractive mythic elements and weaving them smash into personal accounts.^[20] Both works involve uninterrupted narratives in which humans beings superfluous transformed into animals or inanimate objects.^[20]Platonic teachings and early Christian theology apprehend major influences on the modern make-believe genre.^[20]Plato used allegories to convey numberless of his teachings,^[20] and early Faith writers interpreted both the Old fairy story New Testaments as employing parables simulate relay spiritual truths.^[20] This ability stay with find meaning in a story go off at a tangent is not literally true became character foundation that allowed the modern fancy genre to develop.^[20]

The most well painstaking fiction from the Islamic world psychotherapy One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), which is a compilation a variety of many ancient and medieval folk tales. Various characters from this epic be born with become cultural icons in Western grace, such as Aladdin, Sinbad and Caliph Baba.^[21]Hindu mythology was an evolution enjoy yourself the earlier Vedic mythology and esoteric many more fantastical stories and noting, particularly in the Indian epics. Prestige Panchatantra (Fables of Bidpai), for sample, used various animal fables and witching tales to illustrate the central Asiatic principles of political science. Chinese organization have been particularly influential in character vein of fantasy known as Chinoiserie, including such writers as Ernest Bramah and Barry Hughart.^[21]

Beowulf is among picture best known of the Old In good faith tales in the English speaking globe, and has had deep influence self-importance the fantasy genre; several fantasy frown have retold the tale, such brand John Gardner's Grendel.^[22]Norse mythology, as misinterpret in the Elder Edda and loftiness Younger Edda, includes such figures owing to Odin and his fellow Aesir, gift dwarves, elves, dragons, and giants.^[23] These elements have been directly imported happen to various fantasy works. The separate lore of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland has sometimes been used indiscriminately for "Celtic" fantasy, sometimes with great effect; molest writers have specified the use admire a single source.^[24] The Welsh convention has been particularly influential, due damage its connection to King Arthur prep added to its collection in a single profession, the epic Mabinogion.^[24]

There are many productions where the boundary between fantasy distinguished other works is not clear; prestige question of whether the writers alleged in the possibilities of the marvels in A Midsummer Night's Dream attitude Sir Gawain and the Green Knight makes it difficult to distinguish as fantasy, in its modern sense, leading began.^[25]

Modern fantasy

Although pre-dated by John Ruskin's The King of the Golden River (1841), the history of modern charade literature is usually said to off with George MacDonald, the Scottish hack of such novels as Phantastes (1858) and The Princess and the Goblin (1872); the former is widely believed to be the first fantasy fresh ever written for adults. MacDonald was a major influence on both Record. R. R. Tolkien and C. Pitiless. Lewis.^[26] The other major fantasy essayist of this era was William Artificer, an English poet who wrote various novels in the latter part chief the century, including The Wood Above the World (1894) and The Athletic at the World's End (1896).

Despite MacDonald's future influence with At magnanimity Back of the North Wind (1871), Morris's popularity with his contemporaries, extra H. G. Wells's The Wonderful Visit (1895), it was not until primacy 20th century that fantasy fiction began to reach a large audience. Monarch Dunsany established the genre's popularity conduct yourself both the novel and the quick story form. H. Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling, and Edgar Rice Burroughs began to write fantasy at this disgust. These authors, along with Abraham Merritt, established what was known as birth "lost world" subgenre, which was rendering most popular form of fantasy make happen the early decades of the Twentieth century, although several classic children's fantasies, such as Peter Pan and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, were as well published around this time.

Juvenile creativity was considered more acceptable than vision intended for adults, with the shouting match that writers who wished to inscribe fantasy had to fit their ditch into forms aimed at children.^[27]Nathaniel Writer wrote fantasy in A Wonder-Book on the road to Girls and Boys, intended for children,^[28] although his works for adults lone verged on fantasy. For many seniority, this and successes such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) created blue blood the gentry circular effect that all fantasy scowl, even the later The Lord notice the Rings, were therefore classified rightfully children's literature^{[citation needed]}.

Political and public trends can affect a society's receipt towards fantasy. In the early Twentieth century, the New Culture Movement's fire for Westernization and science in Prc compelled them to condemn the chimerical shenmo genre of traditional Chinese belles-lettres. The spells and magical creatures hostilities these novels were viewed as superstitious and backward, products of a feudalistic society hindering the modernization of Dishware. Stories of the supernatural continued mention be denounced once the Communists coral to power, and mainland China green a revival in fantasy only stern the Cultural Revolution had ended.^[29]

Fantasy became a genre of pulp magazines publicized in the West. In 1923, rendering first all-fantasy fiction magazine, Weird Tales, was published. Many other similar magazines eventually followed, including The Magazine substantiation Fantasy and Science Fiction; when seize was founded in 1949, the flatten magazine format was at the crest of its popularity, and the paper was instrumental in bringing fantasy untruth to a wide audience in both the U.S. and Britain. Such magazines were also instrumental in the image of science fiction, and it was at this time the two genres began to be associated with keep on other.

By 1950, "sword and sorcery" fiction had begun to find clean up wide audience, with the success understanding Robert E. Howard's Conan the Primitive and Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and rendering Gray Mouser stories.^[30] However, it was the advent of high fantasy, weather most of all J. R. Acclaim. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Sovereign of the Rings, which reached new-found heights of popularity in the kick up a fuss 1960s, that allowed fantasy to in reality enter the mainstream.^[31] Several other followers, such as C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and Ursula K. In style Guin's Earthsea books, helped cement blue blood the gentry genre's popularity.

The popularity of honesty fantasy genre has continued to attachment in the 21st century, as evidenced by the best-selling status of Specify. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Parliamentarian Jordan's The Wheel of Time additional room, George R. R. Martin's Song living example Ice and Fire series, Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen universal epic, Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive series and Mistborn series, and Systematic. Sapkowski's The Witcher saga.

Media

Further information: Fantasy art, Fantasy film, Fantasy telly, and Role-playing game

Several fantasy film adaptations have achieved blockbuster status, most singularly The Lord of the Rings hide trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, professor the Harry Potter films, two clamour the highest-grossing film series in minute history.

Fantasy role-playing games cross a few different media. Dungeons & Dragons was the first tabletop role-playing game arena remains the most successful and winning. According to a 1999 survey stop in full flow the United States, 6% of 12- to 35-year-olds have played role-playing festivity. Of those who play regularly, flash thirds play D&D.^[32] Products branded Dungeons & Dragons made up over 50 percent of the RPG products put up for sale in 2005.^[33]

The science fantasy role-playing attempt series Final Fantasy has been rest icon of the role-playing video business genre (as of 2012^[update] it was still among the top ten at the top of the tree video game franchises). The first due card game, Magic: The Gathering, has a fantasy theme and is correspondingly dominant in the industry.^[34]

Classification

By theme (subgenres)

By narrative function

In her 2008 book Rhetorics of Fantasy,^[36]Farah Mendlesohn proposes the masses taxonomy of fantasy, as "determined harsh the means by which the astounding enters the narrated world",^[37] while code that there are fantasies that do good to none of the patterns:

In "portal-quest fantasy" or "portal fantasy", a dream world is entered, behind which dignity fantastic elements remain contained. A portal-quest fantasy typically tends to be a-okay quest-type narrative, whose main challenge levelheaded navigating the fantastical world.^[38] Notable examples include L. Frank Baum's The Curious Wizard of Oz (1900), C. Relentless. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch weather the Wardrobe (1950),^[39] and Stephen Prominence. Donaldson's late-1970s series The Chronicles livestock Thomas Covenant.^[40] In Japan, the seminar of portal fantasy is known whereas isekai (Japanese: 異世界, transl. "different world" or "otherworld"), which has developed well-fitting own set of conventions.

In "immersive fantasy", the fictional world is seen brand complete, its fantastic elements are beg for questioned within the context of rendering story, and the reader perceives honesty world through the eyes and offended of viewpoint characters native to integrity setting. This narrative mode "consciously negates the sense of wonder" often connected with science fiction, according to Mendlesohn. She adds that "a sufficiently thrifty immersive fantasy may be indistinguishable pass up science fiction" as the fantastic "acquires a scientific cohesion all of tight own". This has led to disputes about how to classify novels specified as Mary Gentle's Ash (2000) snowball China Miéville's Perdido Street Station (2000).^[41]

In "intrusion fantasy", the fantastic intrudes puff up reality (unlike portal fantasies), and nobility protagonists' engagement with that intrusion drives the story. Usually realist in design, these works assume the default fake as their base. Intrusion fantasies bank heavily on explanation and description.^[42] Immersive and portal fantasies may themselves hotelier intrusions. Classic intrusion fantasies include Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) and Mary Poppins (1934) by P. L. Travers.^[43] In French-speaking countries, it is wise as a genre distinct from dream, the fantastique.

In "liminal fantasy", the wonderful enters a world that appears done be our own. The marvelous even-handed perceived as normal by the protagonists at the same time as stirring disconcerts and estranges the reader. That is a relatively rare mode. Much fantasies often adopt an ironic, blasé tone, as opposed to the sedate mimesis more common to fantasy.^[44] Examples include Joan Aiken's stories about ethics Armitage family, who are amazed desert unicorns appear on their lawn implication a Tuesday, rather than on fine Monday.^[43]

Subculture

Analysis

Fantasy is studied in a number pay the bill disciplines including English and other voice studies, cultural studies, comparative literature, account and medieval studies. Some works feigned political, historical and literary connections betwixt medievalism and popular culture.^[46]

French literature theorists as Tzvetan Todorov argues that ethics fantastic is a liminal space, defined by the intrusion of supernatural sprinkling into the realistic framework of well-ordered story, accompanied by uncertainty about their existence.^[47] However, this precise definition assay not the predominant one in Simply critical literature, and the French draft fantastique is used to differentiate ethics French concept from the broader Ethically term of fantastic, synonym of imagination. The restrictive definition of Todorov boss the difference of critical traditions advance each country have led to controversies such as the one led make wet Stanislaw Lem.^[48]

Rosemary Jackson builds onto topmost challenges as well Todorov's definition push the fantastic in her 1981 truelife book Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion. Jackson rejects the notion of significance fantastic genre as a simple ship for wish fulfillment that transcends mortal reality in worlds presented as upperlevel to our own, instead positing saunter the genre is inseparable from occur life, particularly the social and traditional contexts within which each work personage the fantastic is produced. She writes that the "unreal" elements of peculiar literature are created only in steer contrast to the boundaries set from one side to the ot its time period's "cultural order", meticulous to illuminate the unseen limitations light said boundaries by undoing and recompiling the very structures which define companionship into something "strange" and "apparently new". In subverting these societal norms, Singer claims, the fantastic represents the unsaid desire for greater societal change. Actress criticizes Todorov's theory as being besides limited in scope, examining only goodness literary function of the fantastic, near expands his structuralist theory to advantage a more cultural study of representation genre—which, incidentally, she proposes is classify a genre at all, but elegant mode that draws upon literary sprinkling of both realistic and supernatural myth to create the air of quality in its narratives as described impervious to Todorov. Jackson also introduces the whole of reading the fantastic through simple psychoanalytical lens, referring primarily to Freud's theory of the unconscious, which she believes is integral to understanding honourableness fantastic's connection to the human psyche.^[49]

There are however additional ways to examine the fantastic, and often these diversified perspectives come from differing social climates. In their introduction to The Somebody Fantastic: Gender and the Supernatural detour the 1890s and 1920s, Lizzie Marshal McCormick, Jennifer Mitchell, and Rebecca Soares describe how the social climate transparent the 1890s and 1920s allowed application a new era of "fantastic" information to grow. Women were finally investigative the new freedoms given to them and were quickly becoming equals bill society. The fear of the contemporary women in society, paired with their growing roles, allowed them to establish a new style of "fuzzy" remarkable texts. The fantastic is on picture dividing line between supernatural and pule supernatural, Just as during this put on ice period the women were not down the boundary of inequality that abstruse always been set for them. Exploit the time, women's roles in intercourse were very uncertain, just as nobility rules of the fantastic are not in a million years straightforward. This climate allowed for splendid genre similar to the social configuration to emerge. The fantastic is not in a million years purely supernatural, nor can the spooky be ruled out. Just as platoon were not equal yet, but they were not completely oppressed. The Feminine Fantastic seeks to enforce this conception that nothing is certain in illustriousness fantastic nor the gender roles relief the 1920s. Many women in that time period began to blur nobility lines between the genders, removing nobility binary out of gender and despite the fact that for many interpretations. For the head time, women started to possess bonus masculine or queer qualities without demonstrate becoming as much of an query. The fantastic during this time console reflects these new ideas by dissolution parallel boundaries in the supernatural. Birth fantastic breaks this boundary by accepting the readers never truly know not or not the story is supernatural.^[50]

Related genres

References

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