What is fantasy? classroom.jc-schools.net/samst/new/Genres2.ppt Tuck Everlasting What is fantasy? classroom.jc-schools.net/samst/new/Genres2.ppt

What is Fantasy? In genre, the author has created a magical world where anything is possible. It may include magical beings, talking animals or other impossibilities Fantasy literature (and film, TV, etc.) presents the audience with a world, characters, events or circumstances that are either ‘impossible’ or so unlikely that any reasonable person would not believe that they either had previously happened or are likely to happen in the ‘historical world’

What makes a story a fantasy? A fantasy story can have realistic characters and settings that have or can change into: Supernatural powers (magic, time travel, knowing the future, etc.) Imaginary places (Narnia, Alice’s Wonderland)

Common Features Magic/mysticism Monsters Non-human characters Often taken from Nordic mythology Classic sexist stereotyping Recent moves toward less stereotyped portrayals Human heroes Knights, kings, common men pressed into service Stereotypic character roles Hero, helper, princess, witch, evil knight, etc. Quests The Holy Grail, the Golden Fleece, Destruction of the Ring, Recovery of the Lost Ark, The getting of wisdom, Destruction of the Minotaur Cataclysmic confrontation between good and evil Battle for Middle Earth, War for Narnia, etc.

Influences Fairy stories are sources of much of the content found in contemporary fantasy Elves, dwarves, dragons, witches, etc. Classic myths have often inspired the plotlines as well as contributing characters to the fantasy genre Heroes, quests, fairy stories, Greek myths, conflicts between good and evil

Beginnings The folk (fairy) stories of Germany, etc. were handed down through the ages The Brothers Grimm Hans Christian Anderson Children’s fantasy stories Developed and became popular during the 1800s A few fantasy stories aimed at adults, but the genre considered to be lower quality than traditional drama writing Alice in Wonderland Science fiction became a significant subgenre in late 1800s with H.G. Wells and Jules Verne At the beginning of the 20th Century, “lost world” fantasies were developed and became popular, making adult fantasy a recognized genre Horror films became popular in the 1930s and beyond The ‘high fantasy’ works of C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien raised fantasy to a high literary standard and increased its popularity

Beginnings cont. 1950s science fiction films and TV shows enhanced the popularity of fantasy with wide audiences Continuing but rather cult-status interest in fantasy until Star Trek franchise and then Star Wars film series Expanded interest in fantasy, especially with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series Fantasy video games among the most popular, especially in the role-playing genre Dungeons and Dragons Final Fantasy

Subgenres Dark fantasy--------Horror Science fantasy--------Science fiction Superhero fantasy

Why are Fantasy stories popular? One argument is that we enjoy pure escapism Simply being immersed in a fantasy land with mystical or nonhuman characters is said to be enjoyable in and of itself By taking control over the environment the author can simplify the conflicts, provide clear characterization that is not muddied by experience, etc. Basic, primal themes and characters They invoke in us a sense of wonder The sense that has declined in the face of secularization, science The same need for a sense of wonder that sparked the religious revival of the 1970s and 1980s A These timeless stories are that way because they touch something basic and primal in the human psyche Freud’s views on the conflicts involved in maturation, the id, the ego, the superego Jung’s archetypes as collective unconscious

Tuck Everlasting and Fantasy While reading chapter two, there are some clues as to what type of fantasy element is going to be introduced in the book. After reading chapter two, you will have to discuss these clues with the class.