Fantasy

What is fantasy?
  • Its surface is UNREAL: in an extraordinary world the laws of nature are suspended.
  • Its depths are REAL: these books reveal basic, balanced truths about people and life.
PLOT:
  • Fantasy presents writing that has a strong narrative, which is often more important than characterisation.
  • There is a “quest” element with a journey and goal, often epic in nature.
  • Fantasy contains twists and turns in the plot and unexpected events.
  • Enchantment and spells are cast and broken (e.g. toads and beasts are restored to human form; princesses sleep until woken with a kiss).
  • The protagonists make moral decisions in a world in which goodness has been violated through mindless and willful (i.e. thoughtless, dishonorable, or treacherous) behaviour.
  • The main characters’ object is transformation of evil so that the old (virtuous) order is restored.
SETTING:
  • It creates a universe of its own, an imaginary world.  There is close attention to detail in describing the setting.
  • The terminology and names and places are extraordinary and often use created names. 
  • Magical objects abound (e.g. rings, stones, swords, cloaks, sandals, potions).
  • Characters move from the ordinary to the magical realm, and back again.
CHARACTER:
  • Challenges, obstacles, setbacks for characters are present in this genre; characters are focused on overcoming these obstacles.
  • Magical creatures with diverse roles are prevalent (e.g. dwarfs, witches, giants, trolls, wizards, fairies, elves)
  • The protagonists usually do not possess supernatural powers, unless such powers are temporarily needed to complete a quest or overcome evil.
  • Supernatural beings are rarely the protagonists; they help or hinder the main characters.
WORLD VIEW:
  • Strong emphasis on good versus evil, with eventual triumph of good.
  • Magical or supernatural powers are usually seen as evil, and they exert influence on evil territory.
  • The author draws on folklore (e.g. myth, legend, fable) which is literally untrue, and which readers immediately recognize to be larger than life and therefore fictional