Fantasy

For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation)

Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. The genre is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by overall look, feel, and theme of the individual work, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction). In its broadest sense, fantasy covers works by many writers, artists, and musicians, from ancient myths and legends, to many recent works embraced by a wide audience today.

As with other forms of speculative fiction, actions and events in fantasy very often differ from those possible in consensus reality. In many cases, especially in older works of fantasy but in many modern works as well, this is explained by means of divine intervention, magic, or other supernatural forces. In other cases, most frequently in works of modern fantasy in the high fantasy subgenre, the story might take place in a fantasy world that is wholly different from our own, complete with distinct laws of nature that permit magic.

Definition

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 features 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.

History

For more details on this topic, see History of fantasy.

Though the genre in its modern sense is less than two centuries old, its antecedents have a long and distinguished history.

Beginning perhaps with the Epic of Gilgamesh and the earliest written documents known to humankind, elements that would eventually come to define fantasy and its various subgenres have been a part of some of the grandest and most celebrated works in all of history. From The Odyssey to Beowulf, from Arthurian Legend and medieval romance to the epic Divine Comedy, in every known culture the world over, fantastical adventures featuring brave heroes and heroines, deadly monsters, and secret arcane realms have stirred the mind and inspired the soul for as long as we've had the ability to tell of them. In this way, fantasy has been so intimate a part of the history of our species, one might say that it's part of what makes us human.

The history of modern imaginary-world fantasy begins with William Morris, who pioneered the genre in the late 19th century with The Well at the World's End and other novels, and Lord Dunsany, who continued the tradition into the 20th.

In the early to mid 20th century, much fantasy was published in the same magazines as science fiction (and often written by the same authors).

In the mid-1900's, two subgenres of fantasy became very popular and influential: high fantasy and sword and sorcery. J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are milestones; other important works include 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.

Media

For more details on this topic, see fantasy art, fantasy film, fantasy literature

Fantasy is a popular genre, having found a home for itself in almost every medium. While fantasy art and fantasy films have been hugely successful, it is fantasy literature which has always been the most expansive and diverse.

Fantasy role-playing games cross several different media. The 'pen & paper' role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons was the first and is arguably the most successful and influential, though the science fantasy role-playing game series Final Fantasy has been an icon of the video-role-playing game genre. Role-playing games have in turn spawned much new art, literature, and even music in the genre. Game companies have published fantasy novels set in their own fictional game universes; the Forgotten Realms, and Dragonlance series are some of the more popular.

Similarly, series of novels based on fantasy films and TV series have found their own niche.

Subgenres

For more details on this topic, see Fantasy subgenres.

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. Fantasy subgenres are numerous and diverse, frequently overlapping with other forms of speculative fiction in almost every medium in which they're produced. Noteworthy in this regard are the science fantasy and dark fantasy subgenres, which the fantasy genre shares with science fiction and horror, respectively.

Subculture

Fans of fantasy get together yearly at the World Fantasy Convention. The first was held in 1975 and it has occurred every year since. The convention is held at a different city each year.

See also

Look up fantasy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Anime
• List of fantasy authors
• List of fantasy worlds
• List of high fantasy fiction
• Fairy tales
• Horror fiction
• Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase
• Science fiction
• Speculative fiction
• Supernatural fiction
• Themes in Fantasy

External links

• The Distant Star: Amateur Sci-Fi and Fantasy Literature Community
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website: http://www.sfwa.org/
• Internet Dictionary of Fantastic Places
• Most Honored Fantasy Books at the Book Award Annals
• Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works speculative fiction considered as literature