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uthor-link=Ryan Dancey |title=Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) |version=V1.0 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=February 7, 2000 |url =http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/wotcdemo.html |access-date=23 February 2007}}</ref> Products branded ''Dungeons & Dragons'' made up over fifty percent of the RPG products sold in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hite |first=Kenneth |title=State of the Industry 2005: Another Such Victory Will Destroy Us |publisher=GamingReport.com |date=March 30, 2006 |url=http://gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=186 |access-date=21 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070420214829/http://gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=186 |archive-date=April 20, 2007 }}</ref>
{{Short description|Artistic genre}}
{{About|the artistic genre|the mental activity|Fantasy (psychology)|other uses|Fantasy (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Fantasy fiction|the 1950 magazine|Fantasy Fiction|the 1953 magazine known as Fantasy Fiction for part of its run|Fantasy Magazine (1953)}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
[[File:The violet fairy book (1906) (14730388126).jpg|thumb|300px|"[[The Fairy Aurora|The Fairy of the Dawn]]" in ''[[Andrew Lang's Fairy Books#The Violet Fairy Book (1901)|The Violet Fairy Book]]'' (1906)]]
{{Fantasy}}
{{Speculative fiction sidebar|cTopic=Fantasy fiction}}

'''Fantasy''' is a [[genre]] of [[speculative fiction]] involving [[Magic (supernatural)|magical elements]], typically set in a [[fictional universe]] and sometimes inspired by [[myth]]ology and [[folklore]]. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became [[fantasy literature]] and drama. From the twentieth century, it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, [[manga]], animations and video games.

Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of [[science fiction]] and [[horror fiction|horror]] by the respective absence of scientific or macabre themes, although these genres overlap. In [[popular culture]], the fantasy genre predominantly features settings that emulate Earth, but with a sense of otherness.<ref>{{Cite book |last=G. |first=Saricks, Joyce |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/46769544 |title=The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction |date=2001 |publisher=American Library Association |isbn=0-8389-0803-9 |pages=36–60 |oclc=46769544}}</ref> In its broadest sense, however, fantasy consists of works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient [[mythology|myths]] and [[legend]]s to many recent and popular works.

==Traits==
[[Image:Li Song-Skeleton Fantasy Show.jpg|thumb|250px|''Skeleton Fantasy Show'' (骷髏幻戲圖) by [[Li Song (painter)|Li Song]] (1190–1264)]]

Most fantasy uses [[magic (paranormal)|magic]] or other [[supernatural]] elements as a main [[Plot (narrative)|plot]] element, [[Theme (literature)|theme]], or [[Setting (fiction)|setting]]. Magic, magic practitioners ([[Sorcerer (fantasy)|sorcerer]]s, [[witch]]es and so on) and [[Legendary creature|magical creatures]] are common in many of these worlds.

An identifying trait of fantasy is the author's use of narrative elements that do not have to rely on history or nature to be coherent.<ref name="auto">ed. Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn, ''Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature'', {{ISBN|0-521-72873-8}}</ref> This differs from realistic fiction in that realistic fiction has to attend to the history and natural laws of reality, where fantasy does not. In writing fantasy the author uses [[worldbuilding]] to create characters, situations, and settings that may not be possible in reality.

Many fantasy authors use real-world folklore and mythology as inspiration;<ref>[[John Grant (science fiction writer)|John Grant]] and [[John Clute]], ''[[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy]]'', "Fantasy", p 338 {{ISBN|0-312-19869-8}}</ref> and although another defining characteristic of the fantasy genre is the inclusion of supernatural elements, such as [[Magic (paranormal)|magic]],<ref>Diana Waggoner, ''The Hills of Faraway: A Guide to Fantasy'', p 10, 0-689-10846-X</ref> this does not have to be the case.

Fantasy has often been compared to [[science fiction]] and [[Horror fiction|horror]] because they are the major categories of [[speculative fiction]]. Fantasy is distinguished from science fiction by the plausibility of the narrative elements. A science fiction narrative is unlikely, though seemingly possible through logical scientific or technological extrapolation, where fantasy narratives do not need to be scientifically possible.<ref name="auto"/> Authors have to rely on the readers' [[suspension of disbelief]], an acceptance of the unbelievable or impossible for the sake of enjoyment, in order to write effective fantasies. Despite both genres' heavy reliance on the supernatural, fantasy and horror are distinguishable from one another. Horror primarily evokes fear through the protagonists' weaknesses or inability to deal with the antagonists.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-key-difference-between-urban-fantasy-and-horror-1749628499 |title= The Key Difference Between Urban Fantasy and Horror|author=Charlie Jane Anders |date= 24 December 2015|publisher=io9 |access-date= 11 February 2017}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:The violet fairy book (1906) (14730393436).jpg|thumb|Another illustration from ''The Violet Fairy Book'' (1906)]]
{{main|History of fantasy}}

===Early history===
{{main|Early history of fantasy}}
Elements of the [[supernatural]] and the fantastic were a part of literature from its beginning. Fantasy elements occur throughout the ancient [[Akkadian Empire|Akkadian]] ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author1-last=Grant|author1-first=John|author2-last=Clute|author2-first=John|date=1997|title=The Encyclopedia of Fantasy|article=Gilgamesh|location=London, England|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|page=410|isbn=0-312-19869-8}}</ref> The ancient Babylonian creation epic, the ''[[Enûma Eliš]]'', in which the god [[Marduk]] slays the goddess [[Tiamat]],<ref name="Keefer2008">{{cite book |last1=Keefer |first1=Kyle |title=The New Testament as Literature: A Very Short Introduction |series=Very Short Introductions|volume=168|date=24 October 2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, England |isbn=978-0195300208 |pages=109–113 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2WloCyb9VkC&q=fantasy+literature+in+ancient+Mesopotamia&pg=PT109 }}</ref> contains the theme of a cosmic battle between good and evil, which is characteristic of the modern fantasy genre.<ref name="Keefer2008"/> Genres of romantic and fantasy literature existed in ancient Egypt.<ref name="Moscati">{{cite book |last1=Moscati |first1=Sabatino |title=The Face of the Ancient Orient: Near Eastern Civilization in Pre-Classical Times |date=9 August 2001 |publisher=Dover Publications, Inc. |location=Mineola, New York |isbn=978-0486419527 |pages=124–127 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jL_CAgAAQBAJ&q=fantasy+elements+in+ancient+Mesopotamian+literature&pg=PA124 }}</ref> ''The Tales of the Court of King Khufu'', which is preserved in the [[Westcar Papyrus]] and was probably written in the middle of the second half of the eighteenth century BC, preserves a mixture of stories with elements of historical fiction, fantasy, and satire.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Toby |title=Writings from Ancient Egypt |date=3 January 2017 |publisher=Penguin Classics |location=London, England |isbn=978-0141395951 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zJioCwAAQBAJ&q=fantasy }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hart |first1=George|chapter=Tales of fantasy|title=Egyptian Myths |series=World of Myths|volume=1|date=2003|editor-last=Warner|editor-first=Marina|publisher=British Museum Press and University of Texas Press, Austin |location=London, England and Austin, Texas |isbn=0-292-70204-3 |pages=301–309 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-iqkWDTzA4C&q=fantasy&pg=PA303 }}</ref> Egyptian funerary texts preserve mythological tales,<ref name="Moscati"/> the most significant of which are the [[Osiris myth|myths of Osiris]] and his son [[Horus]].<ref name="Moscati"/>

[[Myth]] with fantastic elements intended for adults were a major genre of [[ancient Greek literature]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hansen|first1=William F.|title=Anthology of Ancient Greek Popular Literature|date=1998|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington, Indiana|isbn=0-253-21157-3|page=260|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHHNZYgzV9IC&q=fantasy&pg=PA76}}</ref> The comedies of [[Aristophanes]] are filled with fantastic elements,<ref name="Mathews2002">{{cite book|last1=Mathews|first1=Richard|title=Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination|date=2002|orig-year=1997|publisher=Routledge|location=New York City, New York and London, England|isbn=0-415-93890-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vSpceyhof4IC&q=Lucius%2C+or+The+Ass+fantasy+elements&pg=PA12|pages=11–14}}</ref> particularly his play ''[[The Birds (play)|The Birds]]'',<ref name="Mathews2002"/> in which an Athenian man builds [[Cloudcuckooland|a city in the clouds]] with the birds and challenges [[Zeus]]'s authority.<ref name="Mathews2002"/> [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' and [[Apuleius]]'s ''[[The Golden Ass]]'' are both works that influenced the development of the fantasy genre<ref name="Mathews2002"/> by taking mythic elements and weaving them into personal accounts.<ref name="Mathews2002"/> Both works involve complex narratives in which humans beings are transformed into animals or inanimate objects.<ref name="Mathews2002"/> [[Platonism|Platonic]] teachings and [[History of Christian theology#Early Christian theology|early Christian theology]] are major influences on the modern fantasy genre.<ref name="Mathews2002"/> [[Plato]] used [[allegories]] to convey many of his teachings,<ref name="Mathews2002"/> and early Christian writers interpreted both the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s as employing [[parable]]s to relay spiritual truths.<ref name="Mathews2002"/> This ability to find meaning in a story that is not literally true became the foundation that allowed the modern fantasy genre to develop.<ref name="Mathews2002"/>

The most well known fiction from the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]] is ''[[One Thousand and One Nights]] (Arabian Nights)'', which is a compilation of many ancient and medieval folk tales. Various characters from this epic have become cultural icons in Western culture, such as [[Aladdin]], [[Sinbad]] and [[Ali Baba]].<ref name="Chinoiserie"/> [[Hindu mythology]] was an evolution of the earlier [[Vedic mythology]] and had many more fantastical stories and characters, particularly in the [[Indian epic poetry|Indian epics]]. The ''[[Panchatantra]]'' (''Fables of Bidpai''), for example, used various animal [[fable]]s and magical tales to illustrate the central Indian principles of [[political science]]. Chinese traditions have been particularly influential in the vein of fantasy known as [[Chinoiserie]], including such writers as [[Ernest Bramah]] and [[Barry Hughart]].<ref name="Chinoiserie">John Grant and John Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Chinoiserie", p 189 {{ISBN|0-312-19869-8}}</ref>

''[[Beowulf]]'' is among the best known of the Old English tales in the English speaking world, and has had deep influence on the fantasy genre; several fantasy works have retold the tale, such as [[John Champlin Gardner Jr.|
John Gardner]]'s ''[[Grendel (novel)|Grendel]]''.<ref>John Grant and John Clute, ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'', "Beowulf", p 107 {{ISBN|0-312-19869-8}}</ref> [[Norse mythology]], as found in the [[Elder Edda]] and the [[Younger Edda]], includes such figures as [[Odin]] and his fellow [[Aesir]], and [[Norse dwarf|dwarves]], [[Elf|elves]], [[European dragon|dragon]]s, and [[Jötunn|giants]].<ref>John Grant and John Clute, ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'', "Nordic fantasy", p 691 {{ISBN|0-312-19869-8}}</ref> These elements have been directly imported into various fantasy works. The separate folklore of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland has sometimes been used indiscriminately for "Celtic" fantasy, sometimes with great effect; other writers have specified the use of a single source.<ref name="celtic">John Grant and John Clute, ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'', "Celtic fantasy", p 275 {{ISBN|0-312-19869-8}}</ref> The [[Wales|Welsh]] tradition has been particularly influential, due to its connection to [[King Arthur]] and its collection in a single work, the epic [[Mabinogion]].<ref name="celtic" />

There are many works where the boundary between fantasy and other works is not clear; the question of whether the writers believed in the possibilities of the marvels in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' or ''[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]'' makes it difficult to distinguish when fantasy, in its modern sense, first began.<ref>Brian Attebery, ''The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature'', p 14, {{ISBN|0-253-35665-2}}</ref>

===Modern fantasy===
[[File:Curdie went on after her, flashing his torch about..jpg|thumb|Illustration from 1920 edition of [[George MacDonald]]'s novel ''[[The Princess and the Goblin]]'']]

Although pre-dated by [[John Ruskin]]'s ''[[The King of the Golden River]]'' (1841), the history of modern fantasy literature is usually said to begin with [[George MacDonald]], the Scottish author of such novels as ''[[The Princess and the Goblin]]'' and ''[[Phantastes]]'' (1858), the latter of which is widely considered to be the first fantasy novel ever written for adults. MacDonald was a major influence on both [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] and [[C. S. Lewis]]. The other major fantasy author of this era was [[William Morris]], an English poet who wrote several novels in the latter part of the century, including ''[[The Well at the World's End]]''.

Despite MacDonald's future influence with ''[[At the Back of the North Wind]]'' (1871), Morris's popularity with his contemporaries, and [[H. G. Wells]]'s ''[[The Wonderful Visit]]'' (1895), it was not until the 20th century that fantasy fiction began to reach a large audience. [[Lord Dunsany]] established the genre's popularity in both the novel and the short story form. [[H. Rider Haggard]], [[Rudyard Kipling]], and [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]] began to write fantasy at this time. These authors, along with [[Abraham Merritt]], established what was known as the "lost world" subgenre, which was the most popular form of fantasy in the early decades of the 20th century, although several classic children's fantasies, such as ''[[Peter Pan]]'' and ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'', were also published around this time.<!-- citations needed -->

[[Juvenile fantasy]] was considered more acceptable than fantasy intended for adults, with the effect that writers who wished to write fantasy had to fit their work into forms aimed at children.<ref>[[C. S. Lewis]], "On Juvenile Tastes", p 41, ''Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories'', {{ISBN|0-15-667897-7}}</ref> [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] wrote fantasy in ''[[A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys]]'', intended for children,<ref>[[Brian Attebery]], The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature, p 62, {{ISBN|0-253-35665-2}}</ref> although works for adults only verged on fantasy. For many years, this and successes such as ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'' (1865), created the circular effect that all fantasy works, even the later ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', were therefore classified as children's literature.

Political and social trends can affect a society's reception towards fantasy. In the early 20th century, the [[New Culture Movement]]'s enthusiasm for Westernization and science in China compelled them to condemn the fantastical [[shenmo]] genre of traditional Chinese literature. The spells and magical creatures of these novels were viewed as superstitious and backward, products of a feudal society hindering the modernization of China. Stories of the supernatural continued to be denounced once the Communists rose to power, and mainland China experienced a revival in fantasy only after the [[Cultural Revolution]] had ended.<ref name="ch20th">{{cite book|last=Wang|first=David Dewei|title=The Monster that is History: History, Violence, and Fictional Writing in Twentieth-century China|url=https://archive.org/details/monsterthatishis00wang|url-access=limited|year=2004|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-93724-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/monsterthatishis00wang/page/n272 264]–266}}</ref>

Fantasy became a genre of [[pulp magazine]]s published in the West. In 1923, the first all-fantasy fiction magazine, ''[[Weird Tales]]'', was published. Many other similar magazines eventually followed, including ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction]]''; when it was founded in 1949, the pulp magazine format was at the height of its popularity, and the magazine was instrumental in bringing fantasy fiction to a wide audience in both the U.S. and Britain. Such magazines were also instrumental in the rise of science fiction, and it was at this time the two genres began to be associated with each other.<!-- citations needed -->

By 1950, "[[sword and sorcery]]" fiction had begun to find a wide audience, with the success of [[Robert E. Howard]]'s [[Conan the Barbarian]] and [[Fritz Leiber]]'s [[Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser]] stories.<ref>[[L. Sprague de Camp]], ''[[Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers]]: The Makers of Heroic Fantasy'', p 135 {{ISBN|0-87054-076-9}}</ref> However, it was the advent of [[high fantasy]], and most of all J. R. R. Tolkien's ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'', which reached new heights of popularity in the late 1960s, that allowed fantasy to truly enter the mainstream.<ref name="Yolen">[[Jane Yolen]], "Introduction" p vii–viii ''After the King: Stories in Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien'', ed, Martin H. Greenberg, {{ISBN|0-312-85175-8}}</ref> Several other series, such as C. S. Lewis's ''[[Chronicles of Narnia]]'' and [[Ursula K. Le Guin]]'s [[Earthsea]] books, helped cement the genre's popularity.

The popularity of the fantasy genre has continued to increase in the 21st century, as evidenced by the best-selling status of [[J. K. Rowling]]'s [[Harry Potter]] series, [[George R. R. Martin]]'s ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire|Song of Ice and Fire]]'' series, [[Brandon Sanderson]]'s ''[[The Stormlight Archive]]'' series and ''[[Mistborn]]'' series, [[Robert Jordan]]'s ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' series, and [[A. Sapkowski]]'s ''[[The Witcher]]'' saga.

==Media==
{{Further|Fantasy art|Fantasy film|Fantasy television|Role-playing game}}

Several fantasy film adaptations have achieved blockbuster status, most notably [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]] directed by [[Peter Jackson]], and the ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' films, two of the [[List of highest-grossing films#Highest-grossing franchises and film series|highest-grossing film series]] in cinematic history. Meanwhile, [[David Benioff]] and [[D. B. Weiss]] would go on to produce the television drama series ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' for [[HBO]], based on the book series by George R. R. Martin, which has gone on to achieve unprecedented success for the fantasy genre on television.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

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Fantasy [[role-playing game]]s cross several different media. ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' was the first [[tabletop role-playing game]] and remains the most successful and influential. According to a 1999 survey in the [[United States]], 6% of 12- to 35-year-olds have played role-playing games. Of those who play regularly, two thirds play ''D&D''.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Dancey, Ryan S. |author-link=Ryan Dancey |title=Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) |version=V1.0 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=February 7, 2000 |url =http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/wotcdemo.html |access-date=23 February 2007}}</ref> Products branded ''Dungeons & Dragons'' made up over fifty percent of the RPG products sold in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hite |first=Kenneth |title=State of the Industry 2005: Another Such Victory Will Destroy Us |publisher=GamingReport.com |date=March 30, 2006 |url=http://gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=186 |access-date=21 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070420214829/http://gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=186 |archive-date=April 20, 2007 }}</ref>


The [[science fantasy]] role-playing game series ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' has been an icon of the [[role-playing video game]] genre ({{As of|2012|lc=yes}} it was still among the top ten [[List of best-selling video game franchises|best-selling video game franchises]]). The first [[collectible card game]], ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', has a fantasy theme and is similarly dominant in the industry.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/21471.html |title = 'Magic' Doubled Since 2008 |access-date = November 10, 2011 |author = ICv2 |date = November 9, 2011 |quote = For the more than 12 million players around the world [...]}} Note that the "twelve million" figure given here is used by Hasbro; while through their subsidiary Wizards of the Coast they would be in the best position to know through tournament registrations and card sales, they also have an interest in presenting an optimistic estimate to the public.</ref><!--<ref>"Frankly, the difference in sales between [[Wizards of the Coast|Wizards]] and all other producers of roleplaying games is so staggering that even saying there is an 'RPG industry' at all may be generous." {{cite web |last=Cook |first=Monte |title=The Open Game License as I See It, Part II| url=http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mc_los_155 |publisher=montecook.com |access-date=15 March 2007}}</ref>-->
The [[science fantasy]] role-playing game series ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' has been an icon of the [[role-playing video game]] genre ({{As of|2012|lc=yes}} it was still among the top ten [[List of best-selling video game franchises|best-selling video game franchises]]). The first [[collectible card game]], ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', has a fantasy theme and is similarly dominant in the industry.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/21471.html |title = 'Magic' Doubled Since 2008 |access-date = November 10, 2011 |author = ICv2 |date = November 9, 2011 |quote = For the more than 12 million players around the world [...]}} Note that the "twelve million" figure given here is used by Hasbro; while through their subsidiary Wizards of the Coast they would be in the best position to know through tournament registrations and card sales, they also have an interest in presenting an optimistic estimate to the public.</ref><!--<ref>"Frankly, the difference in sales between [[Wizards of the Coast|Wizards]] and all other producers of roleplaying games is so staggering that even saying there is an 'RPG industry' at all may be generous." {{cite web |last=Cook |first=Monte |title=The Open Game License as I See It, Part II| url=http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mc_los_155 |publisher=montecook.com |access-date=15 March 2007}}</ref>-->

Revision as of 18:01, 28 September 2022

uthor-link=Ryan Dancey |title=Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) |version=V1.0 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=February 7, 2000 |url =http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/wotcdemo.html |access-date=23 February 2007}}</ref> Products branded Dungeons & Dragons made up over fifty percent of the RPG products sold in 2005.[1]

The science fantasy role-playing game series Final Fantasy has been an icon of the role-playing video game genre (as of 2012 it was still among the top ten best-selling video game franchises). The first collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, has a fantasy theme and is similarly dominant in the industry.[2]

Classification

By theme (subgenres)

See also: List of genres § Fantasy

Fantasy encompasses numerous subgenres characterized by particular themes or settings, or by an overlap with other literary genres or forms of speculative fiction. They include the following:

By the function of the fantastic in the narrative

In her 2008 book Rhetorics of Fantasy,[3] Farah Mendlesohn proposes the following taxonomy of fantasy, as "determined by the means by which the fantastic enters the narrated world",[4] while noting that there are fantasies that fit none of the patterns:

Portal fantasy
In "portal-quest fantasy" or "portal fantasy", a fantastical world is entered, behind which the fantastic elements remain contained. A portal-quest fantasy typically tends to be a quest-type narrative, whose main challenge is navigating the fantastical world.[5] Notable examples include L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950),[6] and Stephen R. Donaldson's late-1970s series The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.[7] In Japan, the genre of portal fantasy is known as isekai (Japanese: 異世界, transl. "different world" or "otherworld").
Immersive fantasy
In "immersive fantasy", the fictional world is seen as complete, its fantastic elements are not questioned within the context of the story, and the reader perceives the world through the eyes and ears of viewpoint characters native to the setting. This narrative mode "consciously negates the sense of wonder" often associated with science fiction, according to Mendlesohn. She adds that "a sufficiently effective immersive fantasy may be indistinguishable from science fiction" as the fantastic "acquires a scientific cohesion all of its own". This has led to disputes about how to classify novels such as Mary Gentle's Ash (2000) and China Miéville's Perdido Street Station (2000).[8]
Intrusion fantasy
In "intrusion fantasy", the fantastic intrudes on reality (unlike portal fantasies), and the protagonists' engagement with that intrusion drives the story. Usually realist in style, these works assume the default world as their base. Intrusion fantasies rely heavily on explanation and description.[9] Immersive and portal fantasies may themselves host intrusions. Classic intrusion fantasies include Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) and Mary Poppins (1934) by P. L. Travers.[10] In French-speaking countries, it is considered as a genre distinct from fantasy, the fantastique.
Liminal fantasy
In "liminal fantasy", the fantastic enters a world that appears to be our own. The marvelous is perceived as normal by the protagonists at the same time as it disconcerts and estranges the reader. This is a relatively rare mode. Such fantasies often adopt an ironic, blasé tone, as opposed to the straight-faced mimesis more common to fantasy.[11] Examples include Joan Aiken's stories about the Armitage family, who are amazed that unicorns appear on their lawn on a Tuesday, rather than on a Monday.[10]

Subculture

Avon Fantasy Reader 18
See also: Fantasy fandom

Professionals such as publishers, editors, authors, artists, and scholars within the fantasy genre get together yearly at the World Fantasy Convention. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the convention. The first WFC was held in 1975 and it has occurred every year since. The convention is held at a different city each year.

Additionally, many science fiction conventions, such as Florida's FX Show and MegaCon, cater to fantasy and horror fans. Anime conventions, such as Ohayocon or Anime Expo frequently feature showings of fantasy, science fantasy, and dark fantasy series and films, such as Majutsushi Orphen (fantasy), Sailor Moon (urban fantasy), Berserk (dark fantasy), and Spirited Away (fantasy). Many science fiction/fantasy and anime conventions also strongly feature or cater to one or more of the several subcultures within the main subcultures, including the cosplay subculture (in which people make or wear costumes based on existing or self-created characters, sometimes also acting out skits or plays as well), the fan fiction subculture, and the fan video or AMV subculture, as well as the large internet subculture devoted to reading and writing prose fiction or doujinshi in or related to those genres.

According to 2013 statistics by the fantasy publisher Tor Books, men outnumber women by 67% to 33% among writers of historical, epic or high fantasy. But among writers of urban fantasy or paranormal romance, 57% are women and 43% are men.[12]

Analysis

Fantasy is studied in a number of disciplines including English and other language studies, cultural studies, comparative literature, history and medieval studies. For example, Tzvetan Todorov argues that the fantastic is a liminal space. Other work makes political, historical and literary connections between medievalism and popular culture.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hite, Kenneth (March 30, 2006). "State of the Industry 2005: Another Such Victory Will Destroy Us". GamingReport.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2007.
  2. ^ ICv2 (November 9, 2011). "'Magic' Doubled Since 2008". Retrieved November 10, 2011. For the more than 12 million players around the world [...]{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Note that the "twelve million" figure given here is used by Hasbro; while through their subsidiary Wizards of the Coast they would be in the best position to know through tournament registrations and card sales, they also have an interest in presenting an optimistic estimate to the public.
  3. ^ Mendlesohn, Farah (2008). Rhetorics of Fantasy. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0819568687. Project MUSE book 21231.
  4. ^ Mendlesohn, "Introduction"
  5. ^ Mendlesohn, "Introduction: The Portal-Quest Fantasy"
  6. ^ Mendlesohn, "Chapter 1"
  7. ^ Senft, Michael (March 19, 2020). "From Wonderland to Outlander, Your Guide to Portals to Other Worlds". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  8. ^ Mendlesohn, "Introduction: The Immersive Fantasy"
  9. ^ Mendlesohn, "Introduction: The Intrusion Fantasy"
  10. ^ a b Mendlesohn, "Chapter 3"
  11. ^ Mendlesohn, "Introduction: The Liminal Fantasy"
  12. ^ Crisp, Julie (10 July 2013). "SEXISM IN GENRE PUBLISHING: A PUBLISHER'S PERSPECTIVE". Tor Books. Archived from the original on 30 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015. (See full statistics)
  13. ^ Jane Tolmie, "Medievalism and the Fantasy Heroine", Journal of Gender Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2 (July 2006), pp. 145–158. ISSN 0958-9236
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