Fantasy: Difference between revisions

Fantasy is divided into several different sub genres, each with its own identifying characteristics.  

[[File:J. K. Rowling 2010.jpg|thumb|J. K. Rowling, Author of Harry Potter series]]Portal Fantasy begins with a magical doorway connecting two worlds separated by space and time. The hero either passes through it willingly or is summoned to the other world. The hero usually spends the whole story trying to get home.<ref>http://bestfantasybooks.com/fantasy-genre.php#portal-fantasy</ref> This isn't always the case. In the ''Harry Potter'' series, the main characters would prefer to be in the magical world versus the Muggle world. In portal fantasy, not only can you travel to different places you can travel to different times. In Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs, one of the main characters uses time travel to go back to 1940. Portal fantasies are often about ensuring that the worlds stay divided. <ref>http://bestfantasybooks.com/portal-fantasy.html</ref> In the Harry Potter series, the magical folk make it a priority that the Muggles have no idea that their world exists. Ultimately, aside from moving from the real world into another more magical world, portal fantasy is a versatile and open-ended sub-genre where anything is possible. <ref>http://bestfantasybooks.com/portal-fantasy.html</ref>

   

Secondary World fiction is different fictional scenarios. These scenarios mirror the author's thoughts rather than what actually happens in the world.<ref>Walter, Damien G. "Secondary World Problems." SECONDARY WORLD PROBLEMS. N.p., 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 July 2015. <http://damiengwalter.com/2012/04/15/secondary-world-problems/></ref>  In the author's fictional world things get very intense, by having several dimensions, locations, characters, languages, and timeline all being inter-dependent. The author attempts to make the reader feel as if they are in this secondary world. It seems unreal, but it explores and unveils the rules and nature of that world. Dark, Low, Heroic, and High fantasies are different types of fantasy literature that use secondary world with in the narratives.

High Fantasies include characters such as dragons, elves, wizards and dwarfs that can be found in a secondary wold. Many times the plots are serious with the main hero fighting evil forces. Contemporary high fantasies either exclude the primary world, parallel the primary world with the secondary world, or have the hero enter the secondary world from the primary world through a portal.<ref>"High Fantasy." <i>Wikipedia</i>. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 July 2015. &lt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fantasy&gt;.</ref> "The Lord of the Rings" is a high fantasy novel.<ref>"The Lord of the Rings." <i>Wikipedia</i>. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 July 2015. &lt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings&gt;.</ref> The ring symbolizes power and evil(only if held by the wrong forces); it was created by the The Dark Lord Sauron to rule over middle-earth.<ref>"Sauron." <i>The One Wiki to Rule Them All</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2015. &lt;http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Sauron&gt;.</ref> It is more powerful than other power rings within the secondary world. The "Eye or Sauron" is a representation of darkness. The "Eye" is used to protect Mordor and give Lord Sauron the ability to see all.

Heroic fantasies follow the hero's story within the secondary world. Most heroes are humble and reluctant to go on the journey. They learn, grow, and become self-aware along their trials and tribulations. Problems presented in the plot are those of the hero not of the secondary or primary world.<ref>"Heroic Fantasy." <i>Heroic Fantasy</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2015. &lt;http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicFantasy&gt;.</ref> Frodo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings battles with wizards, dwarfs, and other creatures along the quest to destroy the "ring" in the fire of Mount Doom.<ref>"Frodo Baggins." <i>The One Wiki to Rule Them All</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2015. &lt;http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Frodo_Baggins&gt;.</ref> The Journey Frodo embarks on is a test of survival; he travels thousands of miles, on foot escaping the black riders, and fighting off Sauron's men holding the only ring that controls middle earth. Throughout his journey he struggles with keeping the ring for himself or having it destroyed.

Low Fantasies are set in the real world with magical components.<ref>"Low Fantasy." <i>Low Fantasy</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2015. http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/low-fantasy.html </ref> Low Fantasy can be described as an opposition to High Fantasy with non rational events occurring in a rational setting.  It does not consist of magical creatures or land. Low Fantasy stories mainly focus on the individual’s daily life.Harry Potter is an example of a very popular Low Fantasy novel. The series showcases the adventures of a young wizard. Harry’s quest is to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort wants to become immortal and conquer the wizard world. His plan is to destroy all of the people in his way. American Gods is another novel that displays Low Fantasy.<ref>"Neil's Work." "Neil's Work  |  Books  |  American Gods." Neil Gaiman  |  Neil's Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2015. http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/American+Gods/in/180/</ref> The point of this story was that gods and mythical creatures existed simply because people believed in them. Immigrants brought spirits and gods with them to the United States.The conflict is the war between the new gods and the old ones.

Dark fantasies are stories that use elements of horror. The focus of a Dark Fantasy is not to scare the reader, it is to expose the reader to different creatures.<ref>Anderson, Colleen."Writing: What Is Dark Fantasy?" N.p., 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 03 July 2015. https://colleenanderson.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/writing-what-is-dark-fantasy/</ref> This makes it very different from actual horror. The Hunger Games is a great example, taking place in a nation called Panem. Panem was the result of destruction of their continent’s civilization due to a tragic event.This novel is written in the voice of a 16 year old named Katniss Everdeen.<ref>"The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen: The Heroine the World Needs Right Now." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 03 July 2015. http://www.wired.com/2012/03/katniss-everdeen-hollywood-heroines/</ref> The hunger games is an event that is held between a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18. This is a televised battle between the two. They battle until the death.  

Epic fantasy, often mistaken for high fantasy, takes its name from the tradition of epic poetry. Like epic poetry, epic fantasy novels have many characters and long, complex plots which help shape the nature of the world.<ref>Smith, Chloe. "What Makes 'Epic Fantasy' Epic." Fantasy Faction. 23 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 June 2015. http://fantasy-fiction.com/2013/what-makes-epic-fantasy-epic</ref> Epic fantasy tales have a high level of magic and violence. Although epic fantasy can be traced back to the epic of ''Beowulf'' and ''Gilgamesh'', epic fantasy is still the most popular sub-genre of fantasy. Modern versions of epic fantasy tend to be more complicated and realistic. The difference between right and wrong is not as easily separated. The most popular epic fantasy novels of today are J.R.R. Tolkien’s ''The Lord of the Rings'' and George R.R. Martin’s ''A Game of Thrones''.<ref>"Epic Fantasy." Best Fantasy Books. Web. 26 June 2015. http://bestfantasybooks.com/epic-fantasy.html</ref>

Sword and sorcery is characterized by heroes engaging in action and violence in fast paced stories. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_and_sorcery</ref> Tales of sword and sorcery are narrowly focused unlike [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fantasy High Fantasy] stories which focus more on personal stakes and are self-contained. A popular defining work of the genre is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_the_Barbarian ''Conan The Barbarian''] series by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Howard Robert E. Howard].

Folklore comes from tales passed down by word of mouth. It’s made up of informal expressions passed around long enough to have become recurrent in form and content, but changeable in performance.<ref>Grey, Elspeth. "Folklore: An Appeal to Fantasy Authors to Get It Right." That Character Dies. 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 2 July 2015. <https://thatcharacterdies.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/folklore-an-appeal-to-fantasy-authors-to-get-it-right/>.</ref> This sub-genre consist of myths, legends, fables, and fairy tales. Myth is that which occurs in time-out-of-time. A myth is concerned with why the world is the way it is, and so unfolds in a setting that is distinct from time or place as it is currently recognized.<ref>Grey, 2013</ref> It is stories from every culture, that, for centuries have explained natural phenomena and answered questions people have about the human condition: origin and creation stories, stories about life, death and life after death.<ref>http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-fable-folktale-myth-legend-differences-and-examples.html</ref> Legend occurs in “historical time” although it typically mixes fact with fiction. Usually with legends there is doubt about its credibility. They are unexplained tales warped by the human imagination. A legend can be either about a person or a place. For example, King Arthur, Robin Hood, Atlantis are all types of legends. Fables are described as a didactic lesson given through some sort of animal story.<ref>http://literarydevices.net/fable/</ref> In Western society, the most common fables are by Aesop, consisting of short stories like The Tortoise and the Hare, and The Ant and the Grasshopper. Fairytales are short stories, typically with no author, but it still can be recognized despite many variations of the story. A fairytale is similar to myths, legends and fables. It can be either told orally or in text, the content of the story can come from historical content, and usually have a moral at the end of the story. Fairytales typically feature European folkloric fantasy characters, such as dwarfs, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, mermaids, trolls, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale</ref> These type of stories withstand long periods of time because they are an embodiment of a culture, contain fundamental human truths by which people have lived for centuries, or they are simply entertaining.<ref>http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/CLit/Folk_lit.htm</ref>

Magical Realism is a subgenre of fantasy that fuses realistic fiction with magical elements that creates a mythical perception of the real world.  Alejo Carpentier refers to magical realism as “unexpected alteration of reality … and unaccustomed insight that is singularly favored by the unexpected richness or an amplification of the scales categories of reality”.<ref>"Magical Realism." Magical Realism. Web. 3 July 2015. <http://www3.dbu.edu/mitchell/magical.htm></ref> Unlike most science fiction or fantasy genres, magical realism is not speculative.<ref>"Magical Realism." Magical Realism. Web. 3 July 2015. <http://www3.dbu.edu/mitchell/magical.htm></ref>  Magical realists tell stories from a real world perspective, but the reader is to experience a different reality rather than the objective. <ref>

Ann and Jeff Vandermeer state  in ''The New Weird'', New Weird is "a type of urban, secondary-world fiction that subverts the romanticized ideas about place found in traditional fantasy, largely by choosing realistic, complex real-world models as the jumping off point for creation of settings that may combine elements of both science fiction and fantasy. <ref name="The New Weird">"The New Weird: "It's Alive?"" The New Weird. Ed. Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer. San Francisco: Tachyon Publications, 2008. Page XVI. Print.</ref> The New Weird originates from The New Wave of the 1960s. A genre that was experimental and very political in its point of view. Characteristics include the grotesque of 1980’s literature. The genre is the mix of science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror.<ref name="The New Weird"/>

Romantic fantasy stories share the same basic story line. The heroine has lost her place in society and must form new relationships, including social, political, and romantic relationships, in order to gain acceptance elsewhere.  The heroine usually possesses magical powers and falls in love with a man who is also capable of performing magic. However, the magic in romance fantasy is much gentler. The heroine and the hero discover together how their powers can be used in order to restore good. Unlike realistic novels, romantic fantasy novels can end unhappily. Although there is little to no violence, non-graphic sex is common.<ref>"Romantic Fantasy." Best Fantasy Books. Web. 26 June 2015. http://bestfantasybooks.com/romantic-fantasy.html</ref>

Urban, or modern, fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is characterized by setting or place. The location is almost always somewhere on Earth, in the city. Urban fantasy is the opposite of high fantasy- which is established in a fabricated world. Urban fantasy consists of contemporary settings featuring supernatural elements. These stories can exist in a historical, modern, or futuristic period, but the majority of the story must be mostly based in a city. Urban fantasy can include aliens, issues of human and non-human beings coexisting peacefully or otherwise, and/or the involvement of paranormal or mythological creatures <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fantasy</ref>. Urban fantasy depicts the influence of modern society on the fantasy elements included in the story, such as an alien driving a truck or a wizard using a telephone booth. Magic is an aspect that is out of the ordinary for the vast majority of the people in the story, and the majority will live normal lives that are ignorant to the fantastical elements around them. Urban fantasy often crosses paths with gothic punk, horror, magical realism, or paranormal romance <ref>http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UrbanFantasy</ref>.

Gothic fantasy can also be referred to as “dark fantasy”, and combines fantasy elements with horror. This combination is typically a fantastical world mixed with a disconsolate, shadowy atmosphere and/or feelings of trepidation, anxiety, and horror. Gothic fantasy allows the stories to be told from the monster or creature’s point of view or can be used to lend a sympathetic view towards supernatural beings. The gothic subgenre branches off from romantic fiction and can contain similar elements. Gothic works can possess feelings of excess that border on melodrama, a mystery to be solved, or twists and turns that convolute the plot making it nonrealistic <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_fantasy</ref>. The settings provide the reader or viewer with images of darkness and decay. There is implied violence or gore, but it is never blatantly shown so as the give the impression of that which is frightening; there is nothing concrete. This aspect lends to the uncertainty and building of suspense common in gothic fantasy. Elements of the supernatural are a must: curses, haunted houses, ghosts, witches, vampires, and beasts. The gothic typically features repressed fears, memories, or desires to make the story more gripping to the characters. Secret passages and rooms, creepy, startling sounds, and screams heard off in the distance make for works that keep the viewer or reader on the edge of their seat <ref>http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=8327</ref>.

The grim and dark tone of these stories gives this genre its name. Grimdark stories are often set in dystopian or amoral societies with a violent, realistic setting. These fantastic works move away from the uplifting and idealized. Grimdark illustrates how dark and brutal life is or was. The narratives do not re-image history or past events, but instead expresses pessimism or disillusionment. Grimdark features some similar characteristics of dark realism texts and the agency of the protagonist is that they are characters that must choose between good and evil, but they are just as lost as the average person- they have no special insight to how the world works. These texts are based on human nature; elements of jealously, murder, adultery, pride, revenge, and tragedy are all extremely common in Grimdark. While set in fantasy worlds, there is more focus on the psychology of the character than the surroundings <ref>http://grimdark-fantasy-reader.blogspot.com/p/grimdark-defined_4656.html</ref>.