Fantasy

Fantasy
Genre Manifesto

Fantasy is hardly an
escape from reality. It's
a way of understanding
it.
Lloyd Alexander

Fantasy, if it's really

convincing, can't become
dated, for the simple
reason that it represents a
flight into a dimension that
lies beyond the reach of
time.
Walt Disney Company

Humans need fantasy

to be human. To be the
place where the falling
angel meets the rising
ape.
Terry Pratchett

Fantasy in the terms of literature refers to stories that

have certain definable elements that make the story unreal.
There are very many elements that contribute to making a story
a fantasy and they can vary from mythical beasts roaming
imaginary worlds to natural settings in which animals can take
on human characteristics. There are recognizable characteristics
of fantasy, such as inanimate objects coming to life, tiny
humans, talking animals, imaginary worlds, magical powers,
and time-travel. A story needs to include at least one of these
features in order to be classified as fantasy. However, some
great stories use a combination of fantasy elements.
Although most fantasy stories are unique, there are some
characteristics that are common of the genre. In general, the
conflict in fantasy novels is of good versus evil. Usually, the
protagonist and supporting characters set out to conquer evil,
although this is often played out through a series of books,
rather than just one. Most fantasy fiction also features great
details, with settings, creatures, words and names that are often
created by the author. Fantasy novels must be read carefully
because their settings and characters are not familiar in normal
everyday life.

I like nonsense, it
wakes up the brain
cells. Fantasy is a
necessary ingredient
in living.
Dr. Seuss

The key element of the fantasy fiction genre is magic. Fantasy novels may be
romantic, historical, action-packed or all three, but the element of magic is what sets
this genre apart from all the others. Fairy tales, myths, and legends are part of the
fantasy genre. Stories featuring wizards and sorcery, unicorns and dragons, are
fantasy. Through fantasy fiction, readers are allowed to visit a world they never would
have been able to otherwise.
There are 3 different ways that fantasy writers set up their worlds. Some novels
begin and end in a fantasy world (for example The Hobbit or A Wizard of Earthsea).
Others start in the real world and move into a fantasy world (Alice in Wonderland or
Peter Pan). A third type of fantasy is set in the real world but elements of magic
intrude upon it (Mary Poppins or David Almonds Skellig).
3

The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive,
more real than real ... for a moment at least ... that long magic moment before we
wake.
Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis
lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy
tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet
as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end. Reality is the strip malls of
Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, a parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the
towers of Minas Tirith, the ancient stones of Gormenghast, the halls of Camelot.
Fantasy flies on the wings of Icarus, reality on Southwest Airlines. Why do our dreams
become so much smaller when they finally come true?
We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the
songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to
something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the
forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever
somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La.
They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth.
George R.R. Martin

Fantasy stories can include

elves, dragons, dwarves,
enchanted plants, vampires,
werewolves and talking
animals, alongside humans.

A love interest exists in

order to pull at the
heartstrings of readers.
Usually the love interest of
the main character is
unattainable.

Characters have to be able

to perform some form of
magic. Most often the hero
or heroine possesses a very
strong magical ability that
they dont initially have, or
dont know they have, and
learn to develop.

A fantasy story should

include epic battles where
the hero is nearly defeated,
making the victory even
more rewarding.

Harry Potter has his wand,

Eragon has his sword and
Frodo has the ring.
Whatever the weapon, it
has to be special in not
only its capabilities, but
also in the reason behind
its existence.

The Villain must be

extraordinary and not easily
defeated. The villain may
also believe that they are
doing what they think is
good.
Whether its a fabricated
language, such as the
Elvish speak in Tolkiens
works, or its the
manipulation of how an
existing language is
spoken, common
vernacular wont do. The
inclusion of a fantasy
language heightens the
readers ability to transport
them into a different world.

From Middle-earth, to
Narnia, Alagaesia,
Hogwarts, and even Forks,
the setting is another
character in the story. It is
the unique quality of the
landscape that allows for
most of the events in the
story to take place.

Why do writers use the fantasy genre?

The major advantage of fantasy is that
it can open up possibilities; it is not confined
to the boundaries of the real world.
Writers are able to convey complex
ideas on a symbolic level that would be
difficult to convey otherwise.
Fantasy works can provide a fresh
perspective on the real world.
Ursula Le Guin has written that
fantasy is true, of course. It isnt factual,
but it is true. The fantasy genre involves a
different way of apprehending existence but
it is no less true than realism.
Fantasy stories can suggest universal
truths through the use of magic and the
supernatural.
Thomas Hardy preferred fantasy over
realism, claiming that a story must be
exceptional enough to justify its telling,
and that a writer must have something
more unusual to relate than the ordinary
experience of every average man and
woman.
http://childliterature.net

The Lord Of The Rings

by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Princess Bride
by William Goldman
Frankenstein
by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Stardust
by Neil Gaiman