Fantasy: Difference between revisions

===Low Fantasies===

[[File:American-gods-cover-600.jpg|thumb|American Gods]]

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 is in opposition to high fantasy literature with irrational events occurring in a rational setting.  It does not consist of magical creatures or secondary worlds. Low fantasy stories focus on the protagonist's daily life. ''Harry Potter'' is one example. The series showcases the adventures of a young wizard. Harry’s quest is to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort. American Gods is another novel that displays low fantasy elements.<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 main point of the novel is 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.

===High Fantasy===

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 alongside 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, Frodo struggles with the decision to keep the ring for himself or have it destroyed.

===Epic Fantasy===

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 a 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===

Sword and sorcery fantasy is characterized by heroes engaging in action and violence in fast paced stories. <ref> "Sword and Sorcery." ''Wikipedia''. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 July 2015. Web. 7 July 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_and_sorcery</ref> Tales of sword and sorcery are narrowly focused unlike high fantasy stories which focus more on personal stakes and are self-contained. These stories pull from mythology and classic epics such as Homer's ''Odyssey''. A popular defining work of the genre is ''Conan The Barbarian'', a series by Robert E. Howard. The term "sword and sorcery" originated from the British author Michael Moorcock when he wanted a term for Robert E. Howard's fantasy series.

===Folklore===

Popular authors of the New Weird include China Mieville, Richard Calder, Jonathan Carroll, James Morrow, John Crowley, and many more.<ref>Davies, Alice."Science Fiction Research Association." New Weird 101. 2010. Web. 2 July 2015. <http://www.sfra.org/sf101newweird>.</ref>

===Romantic Fantasy===

Urban, or modern, fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is characterized by setting or place. The location is often a city on Earth. 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>"Urban Fantasy." ''Wikipedia''. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 1 July 2015. Web. 3 July 2015. <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>"Urban Fantasy." ''TV Tropes''. Web. 3 July 2015. <http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UrbanFantasy></ref>

===Gothic Fantasy (Dark Fantasy)===

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 bleak and brutal life is at the moment or was in the past. The narratives do not re-image history or past events, but instead express 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>Witvliet, Philip. "Grimdark Defined." ''Grimdark Reader''. Web. 3 July 2015. <http://grimdark-fantasy-reader.blogspot.com/p/grimdark-defined_4656.html></ref>

=Fantasy in Media=