Click for Source Image By Samantha Payne
Fantasy. Does it weave words of magic through your mind? Or does it jump from the page and hit you in the face with its sword hilt? Fantasy is a genre that can mean many things to many people. It can inspire love, hate, laughter and sadness. It can inspire your own mind to open up to the possibilities within our own world. It can cause you to catch the maddening bug of writing; where an idea will smack you across the back of the head when you’re least expecting it, prompting you to dive for the nearest writing utensils like something possessed. It can be a way of life.
So how can we possibly begin to define such an elusive creature as is Fantasy? Why is it so compelling for so many readers? I will try my best to pin it down, but please don’t come chasing me with torches and pitch forks if I don’t get it quite right. Fantasy has so many definitions, that it’s impossible to find the ones that resonate perfectly with the genre. I will list a few below with my reasoning whether they are a good fit or not.
Fantasy. Does it weave words of magic through your mind? Or does it jump from the page and hit you in the face with its sword hilt? Fantasy is a genre that can mean many things to many people. It can inspire love, hate, laughter and sadness. It can inspire your own mind to open up to the possibilities within our own world. It can cause you to catch the maddening bug of writing; where an idea will smack you across the back of the head when you’re least expecting it, prompting you to dive for the nearest writing utensils like something possessed. It can be a way of life.
So how can we possibly begin to define such an elusive creature as is Fantasy? Why is it so compelling for so many readers? I will try my best to pin it down, but please don’t come chasing me with torches and pitch forks if I don’t get it quite right. Fantasy has so many definitions, that it’s impossible to find the ones that resonate perfectly with the genre. I will list a few below with my reasoning whether they are a good fit or not.
Click for Source Image A genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world
This is the oxford definition, while quite informative is a little general for my liking. There are many Fantasies set in our world, Harry Potter being a famous example. A good Fantasy doesn’t always include magic either, or at least it’s not a major plotline. The word adventure often conjures up images of swashbuckling heroes and fearsome enemies, while this may be the case in some Fantasies, many others contain political intrigue and its dangers as its main focus point; for example Trudi Canavan’s and George R. R. Martin’s novels. The only part of this definition I agree with is where it states Fantasy as imaginative fiction as where would Fantasy be today without the wonders of imagination?
Fantasy is about fantastic creatures like unicorns and dragons
A nice thought, but so fundamentally flawed it’s almost laughable. While there are many books that feature creatures that are not visible in our short-sighted world; that should not mean that the genre should be defined with them alone. They are often a part of the story, sometimes even a main character such as Saphira from Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, but they are merely a part of what makes many fantasies more interesting, more thrilling. I would class this definition under the many themes of fantasy; which I will be covering in a future article.
This is the oxford definition, while quite informative is a little general for my liking. There are many Fantasies set in our world, Harry Potter being a famous example. A good Fantasy doesn’t always include magic either, or at least it’s not a major plotline. The word adventure often conjures up images of swashbuckling heroes and fearsome enemies, while this may be the case in some Fantasies, many others contain political intrigue and its dangers as its main focus point; for example Trudi Canavan’s and George R. R. Martin’s novels. The only part of this definition I agree with is where it states Fantasy as imaginative fiction as where would Fantasy be today without the wonders of imagination?
Fantasy is about fantastic creatures like unicorns and dragons
A nice thought, but so fundamentally flawed it’s almost laughable. While there are many books that feature creatures that are not visible in our short-sighted world; that should not mean that the genre should be defined with them alone. They are often a part of the story, sometimes even a main character such as Saphira from Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, but they are merely a part of what makes many fantasies more interesting, more thrilling. I would class this definition under the many themes of fantasy; which I will be covering in a future article.
Click for Source Image Fantasy is about the fantastic that doesn’t rely on science for explanations
This is a quote of the favoured definition in ‘The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy: Volume One’. This is my personal favourite as it can be used to describe almost all the Fantasy books out there. It doesn’t define Fantasy using one of its many themes but instead focuses on the heart of what it really is; a story that cannot be explained easily with our pre-existing ideas of science. It reveals the one thing all Fantasy novels have in common; that they are never explained by ways of logical science. The author instead uses the created laws for their world to explain some of the fantastical elements of their story; though often things as complicated as the origin of magic is left a mystery to add depth to the plot and create debate amongst the book’s fans.
To sum up, fantasy can be described as an applied mythology where the author creates a world or events (historical fantasy) that could never exist in our scientific realm. They work by their rules that are often laid down carefully by the author throughout the narrative. Fantasy is one of or is the oldest genre of writing, in the form of the oldest known epic of Gilgamesh where we get the archetype for a mighty hero who defeats the fearsome monster. Fantasy provides escapism and hope to so many different people; my life would be so very different without the awe-inspiring worlds that Fantasy has created within my own imagination. May you find Fantasy within your own lives.
This is a quote of the favoured definition in ‘The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy: Volume One’. This is my personal favourite as it can be used to describe almost all the Fantasy books out there. It doesn’t define Fantasy using one of its many themes but instead focuses on the heart of what it really is; a story that cannot be explained easily with our pre-existing ideas of science. It reveals the one thing all Fantasy novels have in common; that they are never explained by ways of logical science. The author instead uses the created laws for their world to explain some of the fantastical elements of their story; though often things as complicated as the origin of magic is left a mystery to add depth to the plot and create debate amongst the book’s fans.
To sum up, fantasy can be described as an applied mythology where the author creates a world or events (historical fantasy) that could never exist in our scientific realm. They work by their rules that are often laid down carefully by the author throughout the narrative. Fantasy is one of or is the oldest genre of writing, in the form of the oldest known epic of Gilgamesh where we get the archetype for a mighty hero who defeats the fearsome monster. Fantasy provides escapism and hope to so many different people; my life would be so very different without the awe-inspiring worlds that Fantasy has created within my own imagination. May you find Fantasy within your own lives.
Do you think I captured the essence of what Fantasy means to you? What does Fantasy mean to you?
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