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Fantasy
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In literature, '''fantasy''' is a form of speculative
fiction in which physical laws differ from our own through a reason for which no scientific explanation is offered, or which take place a world wholly different from our own. In the context of
speculative fiction, if science
fiction is considered a genre of what could be, and alternative history (fiction) a genre of what might have been, fantasy is the genre of what is (or was) not. In its broadest sense, fantasy covers works by many authors, from ancient
mythology and legends to some recent works embraced by mainstream literary audiences.
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Characteristics of ''fantasy fiction'' and its many overlapping sub-genres are the subjects of debate among some fans and writers.
A critical characteristic is that the world feature some difference from Earth that is not a result of
science or technology, but rather the result of magic or other anomalous
phenomena. But, again, definitions and opinions on the proper classification differ.
As a genre, fantasy is both associated and contrasted with
science fiction and horror
fiction. All three genres feature elements of the fantastic, of making radical departures from reality or radical speculations about what reality might be like, or might have been like. Some writers and critics prefer the term
''speculative fiction'' due to the frequent crossover from one genre to another.
Further blurring the definition, some suggest there is a distinction between the fantasy genre and "the fantastic", the latter being a fantasy-like element in other fiction.
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Though the genre in its modern sense is less than two centuries old, its antecedents have a long and distinguished history. The following lists include works which contain significant elements that might be considered "fantasy" by today's standards, or which modern fantasy authors have drawn upon extensively for inspiration in their own works. The categorization of many of these earlier works as "fantasy" is typically only used within the context of the fantasy genre itself and discussions of its origins; only a small minority would consider them "fantasy" outside of this context.
This relatively obscure custom of placing mythology in the context of the fantasy genre is especially useful to those that scrutinize the fantasy genre as others would mainstream fiction. This gives fantasy a rich history of inspirations for critics to
dissect and apply to the modern genre. The fantasy genre is often examined as the modern counterpart to mythology. Whether one of these practices inspired the other, and which inspired which, is hotly debated.
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The roots of many of today's fantasy subgenres were laid during this time, including those of
Bangsian fantasy.
Many have suggested that Egyptian mythology was regarded as mainly allegorical during at least part of its history. The reason for this is that the gods and goddesses of Egyptian mythology were not seen as fixed figures, but as manifestations of a single divinity. Tales of origins and other myths were therefore subject to change for the purposes of relating moral messages or discussing various aspects of the world's nature. At times gods and goddesses could even be deconstructed or combined with other deities toward such ends. Thus, some might argue that Egyptian mythology differs from modern fantasy fiction only in that its primary function was philosophical and religious in nature, rather than simple entertainment.
The Book of Genesis might be regarded by adherents of the Abrahamic
religions as an early example of historical
fantasy, in that many of the stories contain fantastical elements such as talking snakes and world-wide floods, yet concerned what were or are believed to be actual past events in the real world. To what extent the stories factually portrayed these historical events are the subject of heated debate, even among believers. (There are many believers who consider some or all of these stories to be spiritually truthful allegory rather than literal fact, much the same as believers in Egyptian mythology.)
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Classical mythology is replete with fantastical stories and characters, the best known (and perhaps the most relevant to modern fantasy) being the works of
Homer.
At least some ancient Greek authors were known to express open disbelief in the existence of many of the creatures that featured in Greek mythology, while some of the Greek philosophers apparently doubted the literal truthfulness of ancient Greek religion. While it is probable that the majority of the ancient Greeks held a belief in the actuality of the fantastic, there existed amongst the ancient Greek
literati people who viewed the factual accuracy of the mythology to be either secondary to or at least separate from the value and meaning of the myths themselves; thus, there was a sense of willing
suspension of disbelief (as opposed to actual belief) in the fantastic. Such suspension of disbelief was also necessary for appreciating many known original works, particularly dramatic presentations, in classical antiquity (see
fourth wall).
While the degree to which Classical fiction resembles modern fantasy is debatable, it is significant that it is from this tradition that most of the conventions in the arts of western civilization ultimately derive. Depending on one's interpretation, it could therefore be said that something resembling fantasy fiction, as we now know it, was fundamental to the development of western thinking and modern fantasy by extension. This would seem to place the fantasy genre firmly within a long and distinguished tradition of story-telling, as many fans as well as a growing number of academics have suggested.
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The story of Beowulf is of particular interest, as the events of the story take place roughly four hundred years before the writing of the text. The characters in the story are unalloyed
Paganism|Pagans, whereas the author(s) is clearly Christian. A story about a past society in which a brave hero vanquishes dangerous monsters, placed within the framework of (what was then) contemporary society's beliefs and ideals, is a formula that has become an instant indicator of fantasy fiction in the years since. Though the story of Beowulf was by no means the first to do this, many of its presumably more original elements have also had huge impacts on the fantasy genre.
Grendel's attacks on the Heorot, for example, established the formula of later
horror stories, and this portion of the tale can be seen as precursory to
dark fantasy. Grendel was also the prototypical
orc, inspiring Orc (Middle-earth)|J. R. R. Tolkien's race of the same name and the majority of subsequent incarnations.
The tale of Don Quixote, while not containing especially "fantastic" elements, in addition to being one of the earliest
novels in modern European language, is important in that the protagonist suffers from
true-believer syndrome (sometimes called ''the fantasy-driven mind''). As such, the story directly addresses medieval fantasy, legends, and fairytales in much the same way that
''Mazes and Monsters'' ([[1982]]) addressed fantasy role-playing games -- albeit in not nearly so negative a light.
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Following somewhat in the footsteps of ''Don Quixote'', ''Gulliver's
Travels'' (1726) by Jonathan Swift used satire in the form of fantasy to parody many of the political and social conventions of its time, and can be considered the earliest work of modern-style fantasy. The story was likely a major influence on what would later become the fantasy genre.
In the late nineteenth century|1800s and early twentieth century|1900s, the modern fantasy genre first truly began to take shape. Many of the more prominent features of the genre, such as
world building] were developed during this time; beginning with fictional country|fictional
countries and other lands in the works of Jonathan Swift, Lewis Carroll, and
L. Frank Baum, this tradition evolved into the creation of entire fictional time periods
(''The Lord of the Rings''), realms (''The Chronicles of Narnia''), and even whole, distinct worlds
(''Earthsea''). Although fantastic lands, time periods, and realms all have their counterparts in mythology and folklore, such as
Jotunheim, the "Worlds" of Mesoamerican mythology, and the fairy realm of
English folklore, respectively, these similarities are often regarded as largely coincidental in the case of early modern fantasy. (Later works would come to draw inspiration for their fictional lands, time periods, and realms directly from such ancient sources, however.)
In the 19th century and early 20th century, much fantasy was published in the same magazines as
science fiction (and often written by the same authors). After the great popularity, in the mid-20th century, of
J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'', as well as of
C. S. Lewis's ''Chronicles of Narnia'' and Ursula K. Le Guin's ''Earthsea'' series, fantasy writing saw renewed popularity, often influenced by these seminal works and, like them, borrowing from myth, epic, and medieval romance.
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Modern fantasy, including early modern fantasy, has also spawned many new subgenres with no clear counterpart in mythology or folklore, although inspiration from mythology and folklore remains a consistent theme. Since the rise of popular fantasy fiction in the twentieth century, the fantasy genre has subdivided into a number of branches. Whereas works of "early modern" fantasy were often lumped together, later works are typically divided into
subgenres. These subgenres are usually extended to include works of early modern fantasy.
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| Main article:
Bangsian fantasy |
Bangsian fantasy is named for John Kendrick Bangs, whose late 19th- and early 20th-century
Associated Shades series of novels deals with the afterlives of various famous people. Frequently used are the
Underworld/Limbo/Purgatory ("neutral"), Elysium/Nirvana/Heaven ("good"), and
Erebus/Gehenna/Hell ("bad").
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"Inferno (novel)", Larry Niven (1976)
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"Heroes in Hell", C.J. Cherryh and Janet Morris (1986)
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"Eric (Discworld)", Terry Pratchett (1990).
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"God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian", Kurt Vonnegut (1999)
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This sub-genre parodies the above ideas as well as ideas outside the genre, in a
postmodern manner. A peculiarly early example of this genre is the aforementioned ''Gulliver's Travels''. It might also include the so-called "worst science fiction story ever published"
The Eye of Argon.
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"Bored of the Rings", Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney
(1969)
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"The Eye of Argon", Jim Theis (1970)
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"Piers Anthony|A Spell for Chameleon", Piers Anthony
(1977)
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"Hordes of the Things", Andrew and John Lloyd (1980)
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"The Colour of Magic", Terry Pratchett (1983)
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| Main article:
Contemporary fantasy |
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This fantasy comprises stories set in the putative real world or consensus
reality in contemporary times, in which, the story reveals, magic or magical creatures exist, such as
vampires or, as in the ''Highlander'' films and television series,
immortality|immortals.
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"Buffy the Vampire Slayer", Joss Whedon (original 1992, re-invented
1997)
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"Neverwhere", Neil Gaiman (1996)
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"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", J. K. Rowling (1997)
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Main article: Dark
fantasy |
Dark fantasy in this context refers to stories that focus on elements usually found in the horror genre but which take place in a setting more alike
sword and sorcery or high
fantasy. Dark fantasy includes "grittier" fantasy, conducted in settings which represent the brutality of the medieval period more truly than the traditionally
idealized representations of conventional fantasy, generally with a dash of supernatural horror. It may or may not take place in its own
fantasy world.
More generally, ''dark fantasy'' may be used as a synonym for supernatural
horror, to distinguish horror stories that contain elements of the supernatural from those that do not. For example, a story about a
mummy or vampire rising from the grave would be most likely described as ''dark fantasy'', ''supernatural horror'', or ''horror fantasy'', while a story about a serial killer is simply ''horror''. In this sense, there is a considerable overlap between ''dark fantasy'' and ''contemporary fantasy''.
- "Berserk", Kentaro Miura (1989)
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High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. These stories are serious in tone, often epic in scope, dealing with themes of grand struggle against supernatural evil forces.
Other typical characteristics of high fantasy include fantastical races (such as elves and dwarves), magic, wizards, invented languages, coming-of-age themes, and multi-volume narratives.
The term can also have another meaning. This definiton of the term separates between high fantasy and low fantasy. In this case, high fantasy and low fantasy simply describes the amount of supernatural forces in the world, and does not describe anything else.
In some high fantasy, a contemporary, "real-world" character is placed in the invented world. Purists might not consider this to be "true" high fantasy.
Perhaps more than any other subgenre, ''high fantasy'' is criticized for borrowing too many of its themes and ideas from previous works, most notably those of J. R. R. Tolkien (often regarded as the father of high fantasy). Others defend this, citing that most of Tolkien's themes and ideas were taken from mythology and folklore with only superficial modifications. Nevertheless, the fact that most authors in this subgenre tend to limit themselves to those aspects of mythology and folklore that Tolkien used, and often combine them in similar ways, is one that cannot be ignored. As a result, many fans of the fantasy genre have grown exceedingly weary of the repetitious manner in which this subgenre's once most beloved characteristics reoccur.
However, it appears that the use of such particular themes and ideas is the very thing that distinguishes ''high fantasy'' from its fellow subgenres, and that a sufficiently unique example of high fantasy would be more likely to be placed in a different subgenre altogether, thus rendering accusations of unoriginality somewhat circular. (Similar arguments have been made for the
Western, an entire genre perceivably based around a narrow set of themes and concepts.)
- "The Lord of the Rings", J. R. R. Tolkien (1954)
- "The Sword of Shannara", Terry Brooks (1977)
- "The Eye of the World", Robert Jordan (1990)
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Historical fantasy takes two distinct forms. One encompasses stories set in the historical past but with fantasy elements introduced, much as contemporary fantasy is set in the present. The other is set in a created fantasy world that closely parallels our own, with
recognizable analogs for countries, historical events or historical personages.
- "Eagle in the Snow", Wallace Breem (1970)
- "The Sarantine Mosaic", Guy Gavriel Kay (1998–2000)
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Mannerpunk is a subgenre of fantasy literature. The term was coined by Greg Cox, after the example of
cyberpunk. Science fiction critic Donald G. Keller wrote an influential article called The Manner of Fantasy discussing a related genre, "fantasy of manners", in the April, 1991 issue of The New York Review of Science Fiction. Other subgenres such as
steampunk were also "in the air" at that time; this subgenre is about as far removed from the noirish atmosphere of the other -punk genres as it can possibly be.
In gist, "mannerpunk" is fantasy literature that owes as much to the comedy of manners as it does to the traditional heroic fantasy of J. R. R. Tolkien and other authors of high fantasy. Mannerpunk requires a populated, urban setting and a fairly elaborate, and almost always hierarchical social structure. The protagonists are not pitted against fierce monsters or marauding armies, but against their neighbours and peers; the action takes place within a society, rather than being directed against an external foe. The social novels of Jane Austen influenced some authors who have written books within the genre. More commonly, traditional romances of swashbuckling adventure such as The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, or the works of Rafael Sabatini are important influences. The Graustarkian romances typified by The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope, or George Barr McCutcheon's Graustark itself, are also of some consequence as literary precedents, as are the historical novels of Dorothy Dunnett.
A typical mannerpunk tale will involve a romantic adventure that turns on some point of social punctilio or intrigue. Magic, fantastic races, and legendary creatures are downplayed within the genre, or dismissed entirely. Indeed, but for the fact that the settings are usually entirely fictional, many of the books considered "mannerpunk" fantasy could be considered as historical fiction. Ellen Kushner is perhaps the definitive writer of "mannerpunk" tales; almost all of her novels have some of the traits of the genre, and Swordspoint (1987) is considered as the epitome of the genre. Other writers who have written books considered to fall under the label "mannerpunk" include:
Mannerpunk is the fantasy genre's arena for the comedy of manners. Its worlds involve elaborately complex social hierarchies, and its plots revolve around its characters' interactions within those hierarchies in the traditions of
Jane Austen or Anthony Hope. A class of fantasies set in contemporary times and blending some characteristics of mannerpunk with the subgenre urban fantasy has been dubbed, tongue-even-further-in-cheek, elfpunk.
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Often ''very'' loosely based in traditional mythology, using familiar mythological personages or deities. This is in contrast to many other forms of fantasy (with the usual exception of fairytale fantasy), such as the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, which generally invent their own mythologies and volunteer entirely new pantheons, or attempt to disguise traditional mythology with made-up names.
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The plots of romantic fantasies centre upon a romantic relationship between the protagonists, and the plots or settings include fantastical elements. Romantic fantasy has been published both as fantasy and as romance.
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Fantasy and science fiction jointly share the subgenre called science fantasy, which has many of the trappings of science fiction, such as space travel and laser guns, but also contains significant elements that bear more resemblance to magic than science or in some other way draw more from fantasy than from science fiction. The best known example of science fantasy is the
Star Wars series of films and its spin-offs, set aboard spaceships and on alien planets but featuring swashbuckling knights, princesses in distress, a dark
sorcerer who has enslaved the galaxy, a mystical source of magical power called the Force, and even an opening line that is a variant of "Once upon a time": ''A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.''
Most of the books forming the Dying Earth genre can be classified here.
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Superhero fantasy began in American comic books, evolving into a combination of science fantasy and contemporary fantasy. That is, it is a genre that is typically set in the contemporary world in where all fantastic concepts from extra-terrestrials and futuristic technology to magic and classic mythological beings potentially co-exist. The feature characters, however, are costumed heroes often endowed with fantastic abilities, skills or equipment.
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Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a fantasy sub-genre featuring swashbuckling heroes in violent conflict with a variety of villains, chiefly wizards, witches, evil spirits, and other supernatural creatures. The term was suggested by Fritz Leiber to Michael Moorcock in 1961.
But the subgenre has much older roots. Ultimately—like much fantasy—it has its roots in mythology and Classical epics such as Homer's Odyssey, but its immediate progenitors are the swashbuckling tales of Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers (1844), etc.) and Rafael Sabatini (e.g., Scaramouche (1921), itself rooted in the Italian commedia dell'arte) - although these all lack the supernatural element - and early fantasy fiction such as E. R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros (1922) and Lord Dunsany's The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth (1910). But S&S proper really began in the pulp fantasy magazines.
Inspired primarily by the works of Robert E. Howard, especially Conan the
Barbarian, and by popular role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Sword and sorcery is more concerned with immediate physical threats and action than high fantasy, distinguishing the two genres.
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Main article: Wuxia |
Wǔxiá (also Wu Xia) (pronounced "woo-shyah") literally meaning "martial arts chivalry", is a distinct genre in Chinese literature and cinema. Wuxia figures prominently in the popular culture of all Chinese-speaking areas, and the most important writers have devoted followings.
The wuxia genre is confined and peculiar to Chinese culture, because it is a unique blend of the martial arts philosophy of xia (俠, "chivalry", "a chivalrous man or woman") developed down the centuries, as well as the country's long history in wushu. Samurai bushido traditions share some aspects with Chinese martial xia philosophy, but there is nothing exactly equivalent to the Chinese concept of xia within even East Asian cultures like Japan and Korea. Although the xia or "chivalry" concept is often translated as "knights", "chivalrous warriors" or "knight-errants", most xia aspects are so rooted in socio- and cultural milieu of ancient China that it is impossible to find an exact translation in the Western world.
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This article is licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the
Wikipedia articles
"Fantasy" | "High
Fantasy" | "Mannerpunk"
| "Sword
and Sorcery" | "Wuxia"
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