Become a Genre Guru

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Become a Genre Guru

• Fantasy

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What is Fantasy Fiction?

• Fantasy fiction can vary widely in style,
  setting, characters and plot.

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What is Fantasy Fiction?

• Alternate or parallel worlds
• The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
• Changelings and talking animals
• The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne
  McCaffrey
• Time Travel
• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
• Magical swords
• The Book of Taltos by Steven Brust
• Goblins, Elves and Faerie
• The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
• Myths and Sagas
• The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

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What is Fantasy Fiction?

• How then do we know if a book is fantasy?

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Defining Fantasy
You can find many varying definitions of fantasy,
but the key to fantasy seems to be the existence
of the unexplained, impossible, non-rational, or
to simplify it, the presence of magic.
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The Speculative Fiction Umbrella

• There is a great deal of overlap within fantasy,
  science fiction, and horror novels.
• These genres are often collectively known as
  Speculative Fiction.

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Fantasy vs. Science Fiction

• Fantasy novels appeal more to our emotions. While
  science fiction appeals more to our intellect.
• Fantasy and science fiction both create realms
  not of this world, but science fiction presents
  technical explanations for the worlds existence.
  While fantasy is more ethereal and loses that
  essence when described in scientific terms.
• One definition I found online describes science
  fiction as What if we did... and fantasy as
  What if there existed...--the difference
  between acting on one's environment and acting
  within it.

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Fantasy vs. Horror

• Horror fiction can rely on magical or scientific
  elements for its stories but uses them
  differently than fantasy or science fiction. It
  uses these elements to create fear or dread.
• In fantasy, impossible things exist. In science
  fiction, impossible things exist and can be
  understood by humans. In horror, impossible
  things exist and cannot live in peace with
  humans.
• Will Shetterly

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Characteristics of Fantasy
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Characteristic Envisioning Other Worlds

• Envisioning is at the core of fantasy. In fact,
  the word itself comes from the Greek word
  phantasoa, meaning to make visible.
• Fantasy authors are skilled at creating vast and
  detailed worlds that are as believable as our own
  even in the presence of the impossible.

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Characteristic Characters

• Another important element of the fantasy novel is
  the character or more specifically the
  protagonist.
• In fantasy novels protagonists are often innocent
  or have been sheltered from the outside world.
  These unlikely underdogs face the challenge of
  overcoming phenomenal obstacles and somehow
  manage to triumph over them.

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Characteristic Worlds with Rules

• A compelling feature of fantasy is the vast world
  an author creates. These worlds have their own
  history, rules, and ways of life.
• Many people mistakenly think that if there is
  magic involved then anything and everything can
  happen. The magic in fantasy worlds has rules and
  consequences just like our world does.
• Fantasy worlds must remain internally consistent
  in order for that world to be believable.

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Characteristic Good vs. Evil

• Although you can certainly find exceptions to
  this characteristic, in fantasy there is a strong
  element of the struggle between good and evil.
• More importantly, the confrontation with evil is
  worth the risk, the pain and suffering, for the
  struggle will always come to a resolution usually
  with good triumphing over evil.

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The Origins of Fantasy through Myth

• The roots of fantasy go far back, to the very
  origins of primitive humans.
• The world that confronted these early people was
  confusing and frightening, and their tales were
  attempts to explain an inexplicable world.
• Humans seem to need stories. Almost every culture
  has a storytelling tradition.

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Origins of the Modern Fantasy Novel

• Early fantasy authors like J.R.R. Tolkien were
  themselves influenced by folktales of fairies and
  goblins, and stories of gods and titans.
• Just like legends and myth of old that sought to
  explain or reveal truths about the world they
  lived in so do many of the fantasy novels today.
  The only difference is that the sought after
  truths have changed to more emotional or
  spiritual ones.

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Origins of the Modern Fantasy Novel

• In the late 1960s fantasy began being marketed as
  its own genre when publishers first started
  labeling some of their books Fantasy.
• In the 1970s works like Tolkiens The Lord of the
  Rings became very popular.
• The first World Fantasy Convention and the first
  World Fantasy Awards were created in 1975.
• In 1992 the Science Fiction Writers of America
  added Fantasy to the title of their
  organization, recognizing the importance of the
  genre and the close relationship of the two
  speculative fiction genres.

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Why has Fantasy grown in popularity?

• With so many other choices in our lives, why does
  a genre that has been around since storytelling
  was invented still appeal to us?
• As humans we need stories and fantasy more than
  other genres creates stories that we thrive on.
  They are stories of ordinary people doing
  extraordinary things and making enormous changes
  in the world. Fantasy more than any other genre
  is a literature of empowerment (and discovering
  ones potential).

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Why has Fantasy grown in popularity?

• Also appealing in fantasy is the escape such
  fantasies offer from the routine of the
  contemporary world and the often mind-numbing
  details of our everyday lives. And lately, with
  some of the terrible events in our world the need
  for escape has increased. In fantasy there is an
  expectation of ultimate victory over the dark
  side, and that is very satisfying for fans.

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The Appeal of Fantasy

• Some people describe fantasy as a flight of
  fancy. They dont understand why you would read
  fantasy for any other reason than for fun.
• Although fantasy can be read for escape, there is
  so much more to it than this.

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The Appeal of Fantasy

• Fantasy can give us a whole new perspective on
  ourselves, through creating an altered mirror
  that reveals our world afresh. But such a mirror
  must be more than merely distorted it must also
  be true. Then, as we look into it, we discover
  things about ourselves.
• By recasting our assumptions, fantasy can lead us
  beyond what is known and comfortable. It can help
  us redraw or eliminate the boundaries.

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The Appeal of Fantasy

• Fantasy is a literature of possibilities. It
  opens the door to the realm of What If,
  challenging readers to see beyond the concrete
  universe and to envision other ways of living and
  alternative mindsets. Readers young and old can
  come to relate the questions raised in these
  books to their own lives.

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Who Reads Fantasy?

• Fantasy has a wider appeal than many other
  genres.
• Fantasy readers often start at a younger age than
  other genres readers and they will often
  continue to read fantasy the rest of their lives.
• Fantasy books appeal to a wide range of readers.
  For example, The Harry Potter series is read and
  enjoyed by young and old.

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When would you recommend a Fantasy Novel?

• Although fantasy most frequently overlaps with
  science fiction and horror, there are significant
  links to romance, mystery and adventure.
• By breaking down fantasy into a variety of
  sub-genres you can more accurately find a book
  that will appeal to any patron.

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Fantasy Sub-genres
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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Epic or High Fantasy
• Epic Fantasy has three essential components.
  First, the work must form at least a trilogy, if
  not a series. Second, the trilogy or series must
  take place over a span of time, preferably years.
  Third, the trilogy or series must impart to the
  reader the impression that the books barely
  scratch the surface of the history of the world
  they create.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Quest Fantasy
• Quest fantasy comes in three flavors locate
  and/or rescue a person, locate and/or retrieve an
  item, or journey to destroy an item.
• Quest fantasy can, on rare occasions, involve a
  solitary character, but most frequently it
  involves a party of disparate adventurers armed
  with both sword and spell. The adventurers
  frequently have distinct talents that when
  pooled, enable the party to achieve its goals.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Heroic Sword and Sorcery
• These heroes rely on strength of arms and
  superior swordplay to carry the day, disdaining
  to use sorcery and often arrayed against those
  who do use it. Often these heroes carry swords of
  arcane power that augment their skills at
  swordplay.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Saga, Myth and Legend
• Humanity has always believed in and told stories
  of heroes and gods. The books in this subgenre
  fall into two categories stories about gods from
  ancient pantheons, such as those of Greece and
  India and stories about heroes from ancient
  folklore, such as Finn MacCool and King Arthur.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Fractured Fairy Tales
• Fairy tales may have been some of the first
  fantasy stories ever written. Fairy tales do not
  just involve fairies or other elfish creatures,
  but frequently include evil and good magic users
  as well. Some of the following stories will be
  familiar, while others will seem to be new but
  with an underlying feeling that they have been
  told before.
• Retelling of fairy tales and old folktales, often
  with a new twist, is a growing trend.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Talking Animals and Mythological Beasts
• Fantasy with an emphasis on animals ranges from
  animal fables in which humans play no role and
  the characters are sentient beasts, to books
  where the emphasis is on the relationship between
  humans and animals. The preponderance of magic
  workers in fantasy brings with it animal
  familiars, who may facilitate the magic of humans
  or even work magic of their own.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Magic of Music
• Music has long held a position of importance for
  humanity. Most people have heard a song or piece
  of music so beautiful that it speaks to us,
  practically transporting us to another world.
• These books feature characters that are either
  musicians, such as bards, or are able to make
  magic through music.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Urban Fantasy
• The cornerstone of urban fantasy is a setting
  that is readily recognizable to us. Urban fantasy
  usually takes place in an indeterminable
  present and in cities like London or New York,
  but it can also take place in the suburbs.
  Sometimes magic has always existed and been used
  by humankind other times magic is a recent
  addition to the world. The important point is
  that the magic exists in the here and now of our
  world, not the historical past, an alternate
  world, or another universe.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Parallel Worlds
• Other fully developed worlds, whether our own
  transformed by a difference in history or one
  that can be traveled to from our world, are
  featured in this subgenre.
• Sometimes the alternate world is a fully
  fleshed-out one that has no relation to our own
  but rather has its own fully developed history
  and rules.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Literary and Historical Characters
• Real and imaginary people are alive and well in
  the pages of fantasy literature. Historical
  characters, the characters of fiction and other
  forms of literature take on historical reality in
  a fantasy world rich in literary allusion. Some
  creators join their characters.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Magical Powers
• Telepathy, telekinesis, precognition,
  shapeshifting, and immortality are just some of
  the paranormal abilities that crop up in fantasy.
  These powers are significantly different from the
  types of magic found in sword-and-sorcery books.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Time Travel
• The how of time travel dictates whether a title
  is fantasy or science fiction. Inexplicable
  travel to another time is usually fantasy,
  whereas time travel using a machine or other
  scientific premise falls into science fiction.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Humorous Fantasy
• Humor plays a major role in fantasy. Often full
  of topical in jokes, such books present more
  humor to the well-read.

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Fantasy Sub-genres

• Media Tie-ins
• Though not specifically a subgenre, a major
  portion of the fantasy books sold today are
  published in this category. They include
  novelizations of role-playing games, video games,
  movies, comics/graphic novels and so on.

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Credits

• Fichtelberg, Susan. Encountering Enchantment A
  Guide to Speculative Fiction for Teens.
• Herald, Diana Tixier. Genreflecting A Guide to
  Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. 5th ed.
• Herald, Diana Tixier. Teen Genreflecting.
• Kunzel, Bonnie. First Contact A Readers
  Selection of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
• Saricks, Joyce G. The Readers Advisory Guide to
  Genre Fiction.
• http//www.scifan.com