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The imaginarium - thebest of human fantasies

Imagination ... is more important than knowledge.Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the worldAlbert Einstein

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Well talk about:

-Imagination as we know it today.

-First sparks of imagination.

-Behavioral modernity

-Crucial facts about fiction & fantasy

-Where it all began?

-Famous fantasy worlds

-Fantasy in general.-How fantasy influences ourselves?

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Imagination as we know it today

ability to form new images and sensations that are not perceived throughsight, hearing, or other senses

image formation or any sensation may be described as "hidden" as it takesplace without anyone else's knowledge

Imagined images are seen with the " mind's eye -one's ability to " see " thingswith the mind .

basic training for imagination- storrytelling(narrative)

It evokes river of words, actions and pictures in our mind

Stories that tell us what we already knew and forgot, and remind us of whatwe havent yet imagined

Stories with elements that violate the natural, physical laws of our knownworld.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind's_eyehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_perceptionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_perceptionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind's_eyehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind's_eye

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First sparks of imagination. Cave paintings

Reindeer antler art

Fantasy is closely tied with process of creation The earliest undisputed evidence of prehistoric art dates to the Upper

Paleolithic ,Acheulen biface- one of the examples of figurative art

First piece of human artwork-This reindeer antler fromNeschers in France is engraved with a stylised horse. It

was created by early humans and found between 1830and 1848.Cave of Altamira , near

Acheulean France

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_arthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Paleolithichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Paleolithichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Altamirahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Altamirahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Paleolithichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Paleolithichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_art

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Behavioral modernity

First human self-knowledgment

Tick tock in human head or a giant leap forward in human evolution?Precondition for fantasy and imagination itself

Behavioral modernity is the point in history when a human become awareof himself, aware of his actions, when we become modern and civilized

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-Where it all began?

Less then two centuries old(modern genre)

Its antecedents have a long and distinguished history

Ancestors of fantasy genre:

Epic of Gilgamesh

Arabian Nights

European romances of chivalry

J.R.R Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings created an enormous influence on genreof epic fantasy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_One_Thousand_and_One_Nightshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_(heroic_literature)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_(heroic_literature)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_One_Thousand_and_One_Nights

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Crucial facts about fiction & fantasyImagination is an crucial part of fictionWhat is fiction?How fantasy is distinguished from other fiction genres?There are two types of fantasy:

Strong, believable characters and should

They examine issues of the human condition, We find in them universal truth

Traditional fantasyModern fantasy

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Fantasy isnt nonsense

Nonsense Unconventional Fantasy

It contradicts rules oflogic. It doesnt makelogical sense.

It can make fun ofconventionalbehavior.

It can help readersunderstand thedifference betweenwhat is sensible andnot sensible in thereal world.

It is unusual. Notnormal. This may beodd or strange, but itmay still bereasonable.

When literaturebreaks conventions,

it helps us to rethinkwhat we thought wasnormal.

Not possible in theworld as we know it.But it follows ruleswithin the limits ofthe fantasy world theauthor has created.

Fantasies provide

metaphors throughwhich we canexamine aspects oflife from a differentperspective.

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Some categoriesTalking Animals : The fact that animals can talk is themain difference from reality.Toys and objects that come aliveTiny humans : people are small. Things happen inminiature.Imaginary worlds : Sometimes people cross betweenworlds and sometimes the whole story is in an imaginaryworld.

Magical powers : People (or one person) can do magicSupernatural tales : sometimes spookyTime-warp fantasies : Time travel or somehow crossingtimeHigh fantasy : Clear battle between good and evil

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Six Fantasy MotifsSome stories have a higher fantasy quotient than others.If a story contains all six motifs, it is either a classicfairy tale or an example of modern high fantasy.

If a story contains only the motif of magic, a necessaryingredient, it is still classified as fantasy literature.

1. Magic

2. Other worlds

3. Good verses evil4. Heroism

5. Special characters

6. Fantastic objects

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The Value of Fantasy

Fantasy fosters creativity

Children who have rich fantasy lives are less likely to beviolent than children with low fantasy livesLess aggressivenessAll the advances in science would not be possible withoutthe capacity to imagine.Fantasy leads to the ability to imagine possibilities and toorganize and structure reality.Good fantasy actually tells the truth about life

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FAMOUS FANTASY WORLDS

The Fantastical World of CultNovelist Karl May2001: A Space OdysseyStar Wars & Star TrekAlice in Wonderland

The merry old land of OzWesteros- Game of Thrones SeriesWizarding World of Harry Potter

Middle Earth

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