Modern Fantasy Literature: History and Subgenres
Modern Fantasy
Definition
Modern fantasy refers to the body of literature in which the events, the settings, or the characters are outside the realm of possibility. In these stories, animals talk, inanimate objects come to life, people are giants or thumb-sized, imaginary worlds are inhabited, and future worlds are explored. Modern fantasy is written by known authors, whereas traditional literature has no known author.
History
Imaginative literature did not appear until the 18th century. These stories were not intended for children but were political satires that came to be enjoyed by children as well as adults. An example of this is Gulliver’s Travels, in which Gulliver travels to strange imaginary places (inhabited by Lilliputians and by giants).
- In England in 1865, Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which tells of a fantastic journey Alice takes to an imaginary world. Other contributions from England include: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Wind in the Willows, Winnie-the-Pooh, Mary Poppins, The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
- In Italy: The Adventures of Pinocchio.
- In France: Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days. Verne’s works are considered the first science fiction novels.
- In Scandinavia: Hans Christian Andersen published many modern folktales, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes.
- In the United States: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Science fiction is the most recent development of modern fantasy. Space travel and future worlds were frequent science fiction topics in the 1980s.
Types of Modern Fantasy
- Modern Folktales: Tales similar to traditional ones, but with a known author. The tales of Hans Christian Andersen are the best known.
- Animal Fantasy: Stories in which animals behave as human beings in that they experience emotions, talk, and have the ability to reason. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Wind in the Willows.
- Personified Toys and Objects: Stories in which admired objects or toys are brought to life and believed in by a child or adult character. The object, toy, or doll becomes real to the human protagonist, and so to the reader. The Adventures of Pinocchio.
- Unusual Characters and Strange Situations: Some authors approach through reality but take it beyond reality to the ridiculous or exaggerated. These stories have unusual characters or strange situations. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
- Supernatural Events and Mystery Fantasy: Many recent fantasies evoke the supernatural. One common form is the ghost story.
- Historical Fantasy: This is a story in which a present-day protagonist goes back in time to a different era. A contrast between the two time periods is shown to the reader.
- Quest Stories: Adventure stories with a search motif. Quest stories that are serious in tone are called high fantasy. Many of these stories are set in medieval times. The Hobbit, Harry Potter.
- Science Fiction and Science Fantasy: A form of imaginative literature that provides a picture of something that could happen based on real scientific facts. In novels of science fiction, such topics as mind control, genetic engineering, space technologies and travel, visitors from outer space, and future political and social systems all seem possible to the reader. Science fantasy presents a world that often mixes elements of mythology and traditional fantasy with scientific or technological concepts.