Fantasy: Difference between revisions

Fantasy dates as far back as the third century B.C.<ref>Farah, Mendlesohn, and James Edward. "From Myth to Magic." A Short History of Fantasy. London: Middlesex UP, 2009. Page 9. Print.</ref> Alexander’s Romance, with its earliest versions appearing in the third century, is a Greek novel about the mythical adventures of Alexander, the Great.<ref>2. "Alexander Romance." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Sept. 2005. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_romance. 2 July 2015.</ref> The romance is fantastical in nature because he “battles with non-human opponents--the giant crabs, monstrous beasts, dragons or pygmy people of the lands beyond the world".<ref>Netton, Ian Richard, Kyle Erickson, and Richard Stoneman. The Alexander Romance In Persia And The East. Groningen: Barkhuis, 2012. Page XI. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). http://ezproxy.mga.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=795755&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_XI. 30 June 2015.</ref>

These heroes with higher powers and mythical creatures are written about even centuries later in Classical, Celtic, and Norse mythology. However, it is Greek mythology that has made the most impact on fantasy.<ref name="Fantasy Influences 2015">"Fantasy Influences: Ancient Greek Mythology – Part One." FantasyFaction RSS. Fantasy-Faction, 2015. http://fantasy-faction.com/2012/fantasy-influences-ancient-greek-mythology-part-one. 2 July 2015.</ref> The works all involve elements of other worlds, gods, dragons, and monsters.<ref name="Fantasy 100 2015">3."Fantasy 100 - Brief History of Fantasy." Fantasy 100 - Brief History of Fantasy. Peter Sykes & Fantasy 100. http://fantasy100.sffjazz.com/admin_history.html. 2 July 2015.</ref> Greek mythology introduced other elements as well, including the tortured hero, like Heracles, the prophecy, and monsters and beasts, like Cyclopes and Pegasus. Sphinx, Centaurs, and evil sorceress were prevalent in Greek mythology and fantasy borrows from these creatures as well.<ref name="Fantasy Influences 2015"/>

Gillian Polack writes “if speculative fiction includes all fiction that pushes the boundaries of the known and the experience and incorporates elements of the numinous, the magical, and the inexplicable, than a range of medieval texts are readable as science fiction or fantasy”.<ref>Reid, Robin Anne. Women In Science Fiction And Fantasy. Westport, Conn: Greenwood, 2009. Page 1. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). http://ezproxy.mga.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=280925&site=ehost-live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_Vol1_1. 30 June 2015.</ref> Some of these texts might include Beowulf (ca 700 AD) and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur (ca 1470; printed 1485), notable for the legend of King Arthur.<ref name="Fantasy 100 2015"/>

Other worlds are important in the plot of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726) and instrumental in the development of fantasy. The Brothers Grimm, published from 1812-15, with their grotesque fairy tales contributed to the genre as well.<ref name="Fantasy 100 2015"/>

It was during the 18th Century that contemporary fantasy first appeared in fictional traveler’s tales. In the late 19th Century, it gained popularity as its own distinct genre.<ref name="History 2005">"History of Fantasy." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Aug. 2005. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_fantasy. 2 July 2015.</ref> For example, it was in 1977 when Brooks’ Sword of Shannara made the bestseller list;<ref name="Fantasy 100 2015"/> a story of evil warlocks, other worlds, and a powerful sword.<ref>Brooks, Terry. The Sword of Shannara. New York: Ballantine, 1977. Print.</ref> The popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were also part of the movement into mainstream culture.<ref name="History 2005"/>