Modern Fantasy
“It is imagination—with its capacity to both make order out of chaos and open experience to the mysterious and the strange—that moves us to go in quest, to journey where we have never been.” –Susan Cooper
Key Points
1. Modern fantasy is very diverse.
a. fairy tales
b. stories of magic
c. talking toys
d. quests for truth in made up lands
e. narratives about the future
f. suspense and supernatural stories
g. outer space and cyberspace
2. Even though they are diverse, almost all fantasy stories are products of earlier forms of literature such as folktales, myths, legends, etc. (traditional literature)
EX: Susan Cooper’s The Grey King derives from Arthurian legends.
Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series comes from dragon tales such as St. George and the Dragon.
3.Fantasy stories “speak to our deepest needs, our darkest fears, and our highest hopes.” (Huck 352)
Children (and adults like me) are drawn to fantasy because they bring out truths about ourselves that can only be discovered in literature, through our imaginations.
Elements of Modern Fantasy
1. It should have a well-constructed plot, characters, theme, and style (It does need to be a good story after all.)
2. It needs to be believable.
3. The story needs to be consistent.
4. All plots should be original, but also ingenious and creative.
Types of Modern Fantasy
1. Animal Fantasy
a. includes stories with talking animals, who often express very human thoughts and feelings
b. often times the animals are main characters, and they are acting as “humans in disguise.”
Examples of Animal Fantasy
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
• Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith
2. Toys and Dolls
a. Toys and dolls, like in animal fantasy come to life expressing human thoughts, actions, feelings, etc.
b. Through toys and dolls fantasy, children are able to imagine that their own playthings can come to life too.
Examples of Toys and Dolls Fantasy
• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery
Williams • The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne
Reid Banks• The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth
Winthrop
3. Eccentric Characters and Preposterous Situations Fantasy
a. True imaginative, sometimes off-the-wall circumstances, ideas, characters, etc. that “occur in otherwise very normal settings.”
b. It is the “normal setting” of this form of fantasy that makes the story so believable.
Examples of Fantasy with Eccentric Characters and Preposterous Situations
• Pipit Longstocking stories by Astrid Lindergren
• Mary Poppins stories by P.L Travers• James and the Giant Peach and Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
4. Extraordinary Worlds
a. In fantasy stories that take place in extraordinary worlds, characters start “in the world of reality, [but] quickly move into a world where the everyday becomes extraordinary, yet still believable.
Examples of Fantasy with Extraordinary Worlds
• Harry Potter by J.K Rowling• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by
Lewis Carroll • The City of Ember Jeanne DuPrau• The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum• The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale
5. Magical Powers
a. Magical Powers does not always mean that the characters have magical powers themselves (although this is often the case); it could also mean that they posses a magical object, know a spell or magical words, or are around magical powers.
Examples of Fantasy and Magical Powers
• Harry Potter by J.K Rowling• The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale• Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs by Betsy
Hearne• The Book without Words by Avi
6. Suspense and the Supernaturala. This form of fantasy involves topics such as the occult, ghosts, horror, etc. b. The overall idea of the supernatural is very hazy
between fantasy and real, which is why it is so appealing to readers.
Examples of Suspence and the Supernatural
• The Chronicles of Faerie by O.R.Melling.
• Dust by Arthur Slade
• The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw
7. Time-shift Fantasya. explores the universal wonder of
time traveling, or being stuck in one time forever
b. The interest many readers have in exploring other time periods is not just “historical interest,” but a need to want to “communicate” with others lives.
Examples of Time-Shift Fantasy
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
• Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
• The Court of the Stone Children by Eleanor Cameron
8. Imaginary Realmsa. In fantasy with imaginary realms, “believability” of
the fantasy is captured by setting up the plot in an “imaginary society where kings and queens rule.” (again, playing off traditional lit’s “once upon a time” setting).
b. This form of fantasy is often “lighter in tone” than high fantasy, but still explores themes found in high fantasy such as good versus evil, man’s search for himself, and the quest
c. Imaginary Realms fantasy is a good “introduction” into higher levels of fantasy because it allows the reader to start where he/she is comfortable. (again ties into traditional lit)
Examples of Imaginary Realms
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
• The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
9. High Fantasy (YEA!)a. involves more serious and demanding
themes, plots, characters, etc, therefore involves more serious readers of fantasy (inserting my opinion)
b. the stories often involve more than one or two types of fantasy
c. usually the narratives are much longer, often having sequels; the themes are universal (good versus evil, etc.); and the characters (usually the main character) has some destiny or quest to full-fill
High fantasy is also different because the overall tone is not as humorous as other forms of fantasy may be. This is because the “purpose” of the story is serious. “High fantasy concerns itself with cosmic questions and ultimate values: goodness, truth, courage, wisdom.” (Huck 384)
Because high fantasy has such universal themes, and because it incorporates so many elements and types of fantasy, it reaches a wider audience, from little preschool kids to adults. It is imagination at it’s highest. (inserting my opinion again)
Examples of High Fantasy
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• The Great Tree of Avalon series by T.A. Barron
• The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
10. And then there is Sci-Fi fantasy…
a. Sci-Fi, while considered fantasy, is in a class all by itself. Sci-Fi has very distinct features. Fantasy (specifically science fantasy) “presents a world that never was and never could be.” Science fiction, on the other hand, “speculates on a world that, given what we know of science, might just one day be possible.
Science fiction is a relevant form of fantasy to explore, especially given today’s technological advances. It is important to SPECULATE and EVALUATE how future advances could shape our society. Writer’s do this through sci-fi fantasy stories.
“One of the values of science fiction is its ability to develop children’s imagination and intuition…most literature offers a view of society as is; science fiction assumes a vastly different society” (Huck 390)
Types of Sci-Fi
• Through the Door
• Visitors to Earth
• Outer Space and Cyberspace
• Views of the Future
Examples of Sci-Fi
• The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron
• The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key• Lost in Cyberspace by Richard Peck• The Giver by Lois Lowry• The House of the Scorpion by Nancy
(Penelope?) Farmer
How to Evaluate Modern Fantasy
1. What are the fantasy elements?
2. How does the author make it believable?
3. Is the story logical and consistent?
4. Is the plot original and ingenious?
5. Is there a universal truth underlying the metaphor of the fantasy?
6. How does the story compare to others?
--Huck p. 356
My Favorite Fantasy Stories
• The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling• The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale• The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer• The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum• Stars Wars stories• The Lord of the Rings Series by J.R.R.
Tolkien
Other good ones….
• The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
• The Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini
• The Shadow Children Series by Margaret Haddix
Final Thoughts
Fantasy is not about believing or not believing in the elements of the story—if you limit yourself to only that, you will never understand or appreciate fantasy. Instead, fantasy should be about exploring new worlds and new ideas and in doing so, expanding your imagination to a point where you discover new things about yourself.
