LGA 3013E

Childrens literature
Fantasy
Group members:
1) Neo 5) Teo
2) Mohan 6) Prithi
3) Lexley
4) Tee

What is fantasy?
It is a genre of writing in which the plot could
not happen in real life.
Events occur outside the ordinary laws that
operate within the universe.
Magic is central to the fantasy genre.
Fantasy stories often involve journeys and
quests.

Elements
of Fantasy
Literature
Plot
Character
Setting Theme
Style
Plot
Plot is almost always a natural serial sequence.
It is simple, predictable and often patterned on
The schedule of birth, growth and death
The seasonal cycle
On the heros journey of separation and quest
The action is often ritualised
The characters actions often based on traditional
roles and archetypes rather than on personal
motivation (the heroine always falls in love with the
prince)

Setting
Usually set in primitively natural surroundings.
Medieval nature is usually magicalised rather
than scientifically explained.
Technology and architecture are also usually
primitive

Characterisation
Usually a few human beings are surrounded by proto-
people or para-people who represent transformations of
basic human traits:
wizards
witches
elves
fairies
angels
Often these creatures are psychic types such as villains or
stepmothers
Or emblems such as a dragon who represents the ultimate
challenge
Mythological clue the writing may be fantasy

Style
The style is often oral or folk
use simple vocabulary
lots of repetition
not much simile or metaphor

Theme
Fantasy tends to concentrate on the
psychological character of archetypal truths
and experiences
birth, growth, wisdom, pain, love
The stories lead to statements about human
beings encounter with their inner selves

Types of
Fantasy

Modern
Folktales
Animal
Fantasy
Toy Fantasy
Magical
Fantasy
Enchanted
Journeys
and
Alternative
Worlds
Heroic or
Quest
Fantasy
(High
Fantasy)
Supernatural
and Mystery
Fantasy
Science
Fiction
1. Modern Folktales

They are tales told in a form similar to that of a
traditional tale with the accompanying typical
elements:
little character description
strong conflict
fast-moving plot with a sudden resolution
vague setting
magical elements
However, these tales were original and written
by known authors.
Examples: Hans Christian Andersens Fairy Tales


2. Animal Fantasy

They are stories in which animals behave as human
beings in that they experience emotions, talk, and have
the ability to reason.
The animals in fantasies also retain many of their
animal characteristics.
Animal fantasies often have easy-to-follow episodic
plots.
Animal fantasy constitutes a form of literary
symbolism, the animal characters symbolizing human
counterparts, and these fantasies are often vehicles for
exploring human emotions, values, and relationship.

Examples: The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Beatrix
Potter, 1902), The Wind in the
Willows (Kenneth Grahame, 1908), Voyages of
Dr. Dolittle (Hugh Lofting, 1922), Charlottes
Web (E.B. White, 1952)


3. Toy Fantasy

They are stories in which admired or beloved toys
(e.g., teddy bears, puppets, or dolls) are brought
to life and transformed into animated beings who
talk, think, live, breathe, and love like humans do.
Examples: The Adventures of Pinocchio (Carlo
Collodi, 1881), Winnie-the-Pooh (A. A. Milne,
1926).

4. Magical Fantasy
The magic itself whether a magical object or
a character with magical powers becomes
the very subject of the story.
Examples: Pippi Longstocking (Astrid
Lindgren, 1950), Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory (Roald Dahl, 1964)

5. Enchanted Journeys &
Alternative Worlds
In many fantasies we see the protagonists undertaking
journey to some fantasy world or alternative world.
The great advantage to sending fictional characters on a
journey is that the possibilities for plot variations are virtually
endless. The plots of fantasies are usually quite loose,
sometimes episodic, simply stinging together a series of
adventures.
We rely on the central character to be our touchstone with
reality.
The journey may have some purpose (e.g., Alice wants to find
the Queens Garden, Dorothy wants to find the Emerald City
and ultimately a way back home), but the purpose is
usually overshadowed by the thrill and delight offered by the
extraordinary events happening in the fantasy world.
Examples: Alices Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis
Carroll, 1865), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank
Baum, 1900),Peter Pan (Sir James Barrie, 1911), Harry
Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (J. K. Rowlings, 1998).
Another type of alternative world is the land of
miniaturized characters. Young readers are attracted to
these miniature worlds because they can identify with
the diminutive characters and because these stories
often depict the clever triumph of the small and weak
characters over the larger, but duller, bullies of the
world.
Examples: Gullivers Travels (Jonathan Swift, 1726), The
Borrowers (Mary Norton, 1953).


6. Heroic or Quest Fantasy
(High Fantasy)

They are adventure stories with a quest, or search, motif.
The quest may be pursuit for a lofty purpose, such as justice or
love, or for a rich reward, such as a magical power or a hidden
treasure.
The conflict usually centers on the struggle between good and evil.
The plots of heroic fantasy are usually more tightly woven, with all
the actions directed toward a single purpose the triumph of good
over evil.
Heroic fantasy owes a great deal to the ancient myths, legends, and
traditional folktales, from which are derived themes, plot
structures, even characters and settings.
Examples: The Hobbit / The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkien,
1937), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis,
1950), The Book of Three (Lloyd Alexander, 1964), The Hero and the
Crown (Robin McKinley, 1985).

7. Supernatural and Mystery
Fantasy

One common form of supernatural fantasy is
the ghost story.
Ghosts in childrens books can be fearful
threats or helpful protectors.
Examples: The legend of Sleepy
Hollow (Washington Irving, 1917), Harry
Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (J. K. Rowling,
1998).


8. Science Fiction
Science fiction is a form of imaginative literature
that provides a picture of something that could
happen based on real scientific facts and
principles.
Much of science fiction is devoted to dramatising
the wonders of technology.
Science fiction, in fact, closely resembles heroic
fantasy, with magic replaced by technology, and
the plots focused on mighty struggles between
the forces of good and evil and with the fate of
civilisation hanging in the balance.
Science fantasy presents a world that often mixes
elements of mythology and traditional fantasy with
scientific or technological concepts, resulting in a
setting that has some scientific basis but never has
existed or never could exist.
Science fiction seldom contains much humour because
the science fiction writer usually wants to create the
illusion of reality.
Examples: Frankenstein (Mary Shelley, 1818), The Time
Machine (H.G. Wells, 1895)



Why 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.
Fantasy stories can suggest universal truths
through the use of magic and the supernatural.

The End.
Thank You.