Fantasy

The Fairy of the Dawn in The Violet Fairy Book (1906)

Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and usually inspired by mythology or folklore. The term "fantasy" can also be used to describe a "work of this genre",[1] usually literary.

Its roots are in oral traditions, which 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.

The expression fantastic literature is also often used to refer to this genre by the Anglophone literary critics.[2][3][4][5] An alternate term for the genre is phantasy,[6] although this is rarely used.

Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes, although these can occur in fantasy. In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features settings that emulate Earth, but with a sense of otherness.[7] In its broadest sense, however, fantasy consists of works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient myths and legends to many recent and popular works.

  1. ^ "Fantasy". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  2. ^ Rabkin, Eric (1975). The Fantastic in Literature. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  3. ^ Jackson, Rosemary (1981). Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion. London: Methuen.
  4. ^ Armitt, Lucy (1996). Theorising the Fantastic. London: Arnold.
  5. ^ Sandner, David (2004). Fantastic Literature: A Critical Reader. Westport: CT: Praeger.
  6. ^ "fantasy". Encyclopedia Britannica. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  7. ^ Saricks, Joyce G. (2001). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction. American Library Association. pp. 36–60. ISBN 0-8389-0803-9. OCLC 46769544.