Fantasy Literature Research Articles

Canadian Children’s Fantasy Literature: A Walk Out of the World and The Root Cellar

This study explores the brief history of Canadian Children’s fantasy literature, focusing on Ruth Nichols’s A Walk Out of the World and Janet Lunn’s The Root Cellar. Nichols’s work is the story of Judith and Tobit who walk into another world. In this secondary world, it is revealed that they are descendants of past kings. Their task is to fight against an ancient evil usurper. The villain, after gazing Judith’s eyes, commits suicide. The battle ends, so the children come back to reality. In this epic fantasy, Nichols tried to mix Canadian landscape with the various mythic aspects. Lunn’s story is a time-travel fantasy to learn Canadian history and family history. Rose Larkin goes back to the American Civil War through an old root-cellar. As an orphan, she is isolated in reality. However, in the past, she makes friends, experiences the life and difficulties of the time, and learns about the people who lived in her aunt’s house. After time-travel, Rose becomes a good girl and is happy with her new family members. This novel deals with the concept of belonging and ‘home.’

The Wisdom of Wizards


 
 
 In this paper, I explore the cognitive value of fantasy literature. Using Immanuel Kant's and Jean-Paul Sartre's discussions of the imagination, and J.R.R. Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories,” I argue that fantasy literature is cognitively valuable when it confers phenomenal knowledge. I move on to demonstrate what a work of fantasy literature requires to confer this phenomenal knowledge. Fantasy literature has the potential to reveal true insights into this world when it brings the reader into a state of “secondary belief” and confers phenomenal knowledge through the union of world and story.
 
 

Fictional Folklore: On the Paremiology of A Game of Thrones

In this article, the first work in the fantasy literature series, titled A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin will be analyzed in relation to the author’s use of proverbs, in order to determine the role that these play in the narration and what their features are. This choice seems appropriate for the analysis of folklore elements, such as proverbs, given the popularity of the series and its presumed contribution to the spread of phraseology. In the analysis of this text, a rather interesting approach to proverbs emerges, one in which the author makes use of proverbs existing in the real world, as well as creates his own, ad hoc, for this literary composition. These occurrences seem particularly interesting and will be analyzed in detail to determine whether they produce the desired effect and whether they follow the expected use of proverbs in real life.

Поэтика фэнтезийной прозы Сайгына Эрсина

The research aims to substantiate that S. Ersin’s novel duology - “Judgement of the Emperor” (Zülfikar’ın Hükmü, 2005) and “The Storm of Erbain” (Erbain Fırtınası, 2006) - belongs to the subgenre of “dark” fantasy from the perspective of poetological features. The paper analyses the plot and compositional features of the duology with an emphasis on its system of images and chronotope. Scientific originality of the paper lies in the fact that S. Ersin’s novels, considered in this aspect, become the object of analytical research in Russian Turkic literary studies for the first time. As a result, it has been proved that the poetics of S. Ersin’s duology is fully consistent with the subgenre of “dark” fantasy, which is new for Turkish fantasy literature.

Utopian and Dystopian Themes in Tolkien’s Legendarium

Utopian and Dystopian Themes in Tolkien’s Legendarium

Жанр сверхкороткого рассказа-притчи в японской литературе (на примере произведений Синъити Хоси)

The aim of the research is to determine the most significant features of such a genre variety of the Japanese short-short story as a parable story (using the material of Shinichi Hoshi’s prose). Scientific novelty of the paper lies in the fact that it is the first time that a genre model of parable narration has been identified and described in the corpus of short-short story texts. The research findings indicate that the Japanese parable short-short story has common features that are typologically peculiar to the narrative prose of a low word count as a whole, but it also displays properties that do not correspond to the concept of fantasy literature, to which it is often attributed, and, naturally, it is not related to the novella, with which it is mistakenly associated due to its insignificant word count.

Film adaptation of Journey to the West and fantasy literature creation from the perspective of creative writing

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CHASING MYTHICAL BEASTS: The Reception of Ancient Monsters in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture by Katarzyna Marciniak

Reviewed by: CHASING MYTHICAL BEASTS: The Reception of Ancient Monsters in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture by Katarzyna Marciniak Katarzyna Marciniak and Luisa Spang CHASING MYTHICAL BEASTS: The Reception of Ancient Monsters in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture. Edited by Katarzyna Marciniak. Series: Studien zur europäischen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur/Studies in European Children’s and Young Adult Literature (SEKL); 8. Universitätsverlag Winter, 2020, 623 pages. ISBN: 978-3-8253-69995-8 Everyone encounters monsters in their childhood. They fascinate and terrify us, but some also become our friends. All of them, regardless of whether they are good or evil, have something to teach us. This is the argument of the essay collection Chasing Mythical Beasts: The Reception of Ancient Monsters in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture, edited by Katarzyna Marciniak, which looks at monsters and beasts from Greek and Roman mythology and their reinterpretations in contemporary narratives for children and young adults. It analyzes their functions in these narratives as well as the way they are received by their audience. Its aim, as proclaimed by its editor, is “to offer some food for thought and encourage other researchers” (29). The collection brings together classical studies, theology, archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, media studies, and modern languages, and while its main focus lies on literature, it also includes essays on other media like film, animation, and comics. The works it discusses come, like its contributors, from different parts of the world and address various age groups. The content of the substantial volume is arranged into five parts and preceded by an introduction by Marciniak. In it, she offers a definition of (classical) monsters and gives an overview of the theory and practice of monster studies, or teratology. Part 1 of the collection is dedicated to the Minotaur, “the most famous monster of Greek mythology” (41). It comprises six essays analyzing the hybrid figure and its dual nature in various works, ranging from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s retellings of Greek myths for children, over other illustrated myth collections from the 1850s, contemporary British fiction for young adults, postmodern fantasy literature and film, to Matt Ottley’s multimedia picture-book Requiem for a Beast. Part 2 deals exclusively with female monsters, starting with Medusa, who is discussed in the first two essays: one looks at her relationship with Athena in Richard Woff’s Bright-Eyed Athena in the Stories of Ancient Greece, and the other analyzes how two popular teen novels use her as an analogy for stigmatized teenage girls. A third essay focuses on the Erinyes and their resuscitation in Philip Pullman’s Amber Spyglass, while the last two contributions in this section discuss the Sirens in Anna Czerwińska-Rydel’s Bałtycka syrena and in J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Part 3 of the volume groups together “creatures of different kinds of equine component” (42), namely Pan, the centaurs, and Pegasus. Peter Pan is taken up again, now to investigate the figure of the Greek god, followed by two essays on centaurs: the first is interested in the centaur Cheiron, “the educator,” and his function in modern literature, whereas the second analyzes the reception of centaurs in Russian fairy tales. Finally, another two contributions [End Page 87] follow the trail of Pegasus through Polish children’s books from the 1960s and the 1980s and C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. The essays that make up part 4 are concerned with “the concept of monstrosity itself” (43), opening with an analysis of the beasts in N. D. Wilson’s Ashtown Burials. The two following contributions transport us to the African continent: the first describes mythical beasts in the oral tradition of Cameroon, while the second traces the wobo, a mythical creature from East Africa, in Henryk Sienkiewicz’s W pustyni i w puszczy and in its country of origin. Another article brings together marine monsters from Greek poetry and Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, followed by an essay on two Egyptian tales featuring fantastic creatures. Concluding this section are an analysis of the Wawel Dragon in Stanisław Pagaczewski’s tales for children and a discussion of J. K. Rowling’s fantastic beasts and their Greek heritage. Finally...

Two-world Nature of Sibel Atasoy's Fantasy

Modern Turkish mass literature is extremely diverse. Fiction has taken a special place among the popular genres in 2000. Fiction, in turn, is largely defined by the genre of fantasy, which has become a mainstream one. Genre forms classification of Turkish fantasy is still in its formative stages. However, three sub-genres of fantasy are clearly present in Turkish literature. These are sword and sorcery fantasy, urban fantasy and dark fantasy. Each of these genres blends two worlds - the real one and the magic one - mixing two together and splitting the timeline of the work, causing the reader to doubt the reality of the events. In the sword and sorcery fantasy, the magical events appear mostly in the background of the Middle Ages, whereas in the urban and dark fantasy, modern times become the main setting, making it more multilayered and colourful. In Sibel Atasoy's novel The Grinning Red Moon (2000), the two-world nature of fantasy literature can be observed at all levels of a fiction text, presented as a monologue of the protagonist. Her monologue narration often disrupts time and space layers, aiming to better represent the character of a woman narrator who was also split into two. The protagonist's narrative clearly shows how her past and present are intertwined, how they become equal, and how the past finally replaces the present. The past and the present protagonists are two very distinct people in terms of psychology, trying to find contact with each other

Альтернативний погляд на альтернативну історію

The article is a review of a text entitled Alternative history as a meta-genre of Ukrainian and foreign prose: Comparative genealogy and poetics by Antonina Anistratenko, scientific editor: Halyna Syvachenko (Chernivtsi, 2020). The monograph consists of 548 pages. The subject of the study is the comparative genology and poetics of the alternative history meta-genre. According to the researcher’s well-founded belief, the subgenre accumulates a corpus of science fiction texts, fantasy literature with a component of the formula of alternative history in the artistic structure. Antonina Anistratenko analyses the works of representatives of different national literatures as well as develops an original hierarchical model of alternative history.

Koncepcja fantastyki literackiej Stefana Grabińskiego

Already during his lifetime Stefan Grabiński, referred to as “Polish Edgar Allan Poe”, was called “the creator of Polish fantasy” by Kazimierz Wierzyński. As a matter of fact, the author of The Motion Demon series without much ado described himself as a “pioneer of fantasy”. The novelist’s pioneering ambitions prompted him to make attempts to define literary fantasy in the late 1920s and early 1930s in two scientific articles titled Zagadnienia oryginalności w twórczości literackiej [Issues of originality in literary works] and O twórczości fantastycznej. Jej geneza i źródła. (Wstęp do szkicu) [On fantasy creativity. Its genesis and sources. (Introduction to the sketch)], as well as in two interviews: with Kazimierz Wierzyński and Emil Igel.

An Examination of Fantasy Illustration and the Illustrations of Pauline Baynes and John Howe Through the Writings of J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien, known for originating “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is one of the most acclaimed authors of fantasy literature whose work has captured the imagination of people of all ages and backgrounds. It is evident that through his work, Tolkien is able to kindle in the hearts of his readers desire for a new world and adventures. In the article, the aim is to focus on Tolkien’s ideas on fantasy illustration as relayed in his essays and letters to understand how illustrators may enliven feelings of wonder as Tolkien has done with his words. The style he has employed to create his own illustrations, his criteria for selecting illustrations to be published with his works, why he was partial to the illustrations of Pauline Baynes and the similar qualities found in the works of John Howe, who is one of the most widely recognized illustrators of Tolkien’s work is discussed. Through this study, the essence of the works of Tolkien that have such a strong impact on readers and the qualities that fantasy illustrations of today should possess in the pursuit of creating a desirable “Secondary World” for the readers’ imaginations to enter may be discovered. Keywords: Fantasy illustration, Secondary World, desire, Arts & Crafts Movement, the Golden Age of British Illustration

Visions: Re-historicizing Genre: Teaching Haywood’s The Adventures of Eovaai in a Fantasy-Themed Survey Course

Eliza Haywood is an increasingly popular author to assign in eighteenth-century literature courses. But Haywood is also a prime figure to represent the eighteenth century in courses with a broader scope. This essay proposes teaching The Adventures of Eovaaiin a fantasy-focused, introductory-level survey of British Literature. Identifying Eovaaias part of the fantasy tradition leverages students’ prior knowledge and facilitates teaching this complex novel to first-year students. Eovaaiprovides a wealth of topics for class discussions and activities, including the development of the novel as a genre, identity and othering in fantasy literature, and the use of fantasy conventions like world-building and speculative technology. Moreover, considering Haywood as both representative of the eighteenth century and a pioneer of fantasy literature encourages students to broaden their conceptualizations of the early modern period, women writers, and generic conventions.

Demigods and Gender Roles: Non-Heteronormative Gender Expressions and the Works of Rick Riordan

Gender serves as a powerful ideology to systematically oppress minorities, such as women and people within the LGBTQ+ community. This ideology is learned at a young age through media such as fantasy literature. By analyzing several fantasy texts through a lens of gender politics, I track the history of gender in the fantasy genre and posit that inclusive works such as those of Rick Riordan influence children and adolescents to become more accepting of sexual and gender minorities.

Формульность завязок современного японского фэнтези

The paper aims to identify the role of expositions in Japanese fantasy literature of the 2010-2020s taking into account formulaic aspect. The article examines expositions of fantasy novels adapted into manga and anime within media mix strategy. The expositions of more than 300 fantasy novels are classified into thematic groups and subgroups. Scientific originality of the study lies in the fact that the researcher provides synchronic and diachronic analysis of Japanese fantasy expositions on the basis of formulaic approach. The research findings are as follows: the author reveals formulaic nature of Japanese fantasy, suggests a thematic classification of expositions in Japanese fantasy of the 2010s.

J.R.R. Tolkien: Pioneer of Worldbuilding

This paper explains after analysing critical aspects why J. R. R. Tolkien’s efforts are the mere reason for generating huge interests among authors in Fantasy. Among the most prominent novels of 20th century, for considering excellence in any fantasy literature his works stood as a benchmark.
 It also highlights about World Building. The greatest contribution belongs to Fantasy Literature is making of new worlds, providing new definition to fantasy and his esteem for different languages made him to use the Language as a constant to create the world from scratch. Tolkien may consider the creator of his own world – Middle-earth which acts as a Universe, it took around 60 years in the creation, has a deep meaning in everything which one can ever expect. He is a prolific artist and his created universe of own geography and history, flora and fauna, languages and cultures, physics and magic proved fine artist constructing the worlds.

Krew i brud. Uwagi na temat estetyki oraz poetyki opisów śmierci w cyklu o wiedźminie Andrzeja Sapkowskiego

Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series is the first Polish fantasy series that has gained so much popularity. When Sapkowski published his first story — The Witcher — in 1986, fantasy literature wasn’t well-known in Poland. In fact Polish readers, who were interested in fantasy, would mainly know John R.R. Tolkien’s novels like The Hobbit, Or Thete and Back Again, The Lord of the Rings or Silmarillion, all belonging to mythopoeic fantasy. Sapkowski’s story was vastly different from them, because the Polish author referred to sword and sorcery literature, which at that time was little-known in Poland. He created an interesting protagonist and a dark, vicious world, full of violence and graphic descriptions of death.
 It appears that one of the main factors having an influence on the huge popularity of the series, may be the attempt to shock the reader by using a unique construction of the presented world, which contains a lot of graphic violent imagery. This article presents those methods of description of death and violence in The Witcher series to present why they are so interesting to the readers and what makes them stand out from the rest of similar descriptions in Polish fantasy literature.
 The analysis is divided into several parts. The first part presents the influence of Sapkowski’s debut story on Polish fantasy literature. The second part contains the analysis of the dynamics of descriptions of death. The third and the fourth focus on showing the individualisation of death in The Witcher series and on detail exposure. The next part presents the narrative treatments used by Sapkowski to increase the impact of the literary images of death, for example changes of a narrative perspective. The last part of the article presents naturalistic elements of the descriptions and explains what functions they perform in the text.

Paratekst w literaturze fantasy (na podstawie glosariusza)

The content of this article falls within the textual and generic trend of research on paratext. The author describes the meaning of paratexts in fantasy literature via the example of glossaries, which fulfill a special role in the process of creating and perceiving this type of literary text. The argumentation process is subordinated to two perspectives. The first involves the sub-creation of a secondary reality — the Second World in fantasy, which from the beginning to the end grows out of the imagination of the writer and which is complete and internally consistent. In the course of reading, the reader “enters” into a completely different world from that experienced every day. What is needed, therefore, is a kind of guide that allows him to “move around” without disturbing the created universe. Paratext fulfills this function. Hence the second perspective is Gérard Genette’s thesis, according to which the paratext is identified with the text surrounding the proper text, coming from the author and remaining within the same volume (peritext), and one of its basic roles is to help in the interpretation and proper decryption of the creator’s (author’s) intentions. On the basis of the glossaries studied in fantasy texts, it can be concluded that structurally they constitute the determinants of a textual frame, and although there is no linear continuity between the main text and the glossary, considering the content that is contained in it, they serve to strengthen the coherence of the main text. In general, the presence of glossaries facilitates reading the text, allows “unmasking” the intentions of the author and categorizing elements of the plot of a specific work, a given part of the cycle or saga against the background of the whole universe.

‘Suddenly the bone snapped in two’: Freud, fantasy, and Taran Wanderer

ABSTRACT Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain have garnered both critical interest and popular acclaim. Notably, the fourth book of the cycle, Taran Wanderer, is strikingly different from its predecessors, shedding much of the trappings of high fantasy for a simple bildungsroman. This paper examines the text, using Freud’s theories of symbolism, the family romance and the Oedipal conflict, to elucidate Taran’s underlying psychology and to show how the character’s unconscious motivations, molded by his identity as a foundling, drive the narrative. Finally, by applying insights gained from reader-response theory, this paper considers why Taran Wanderer, and adolescent fantasy literature more broadly, resonates so strongly with readers.

SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATION OF FANTASY WORKS AND THEIR TYPES

In the process of global development in all areas of science, various new knowledge has appeared. Including fantasy in world literature fantasy which began to be considered as one of the significant directions of the literature. In this article, the researcher proves the fact that fantasy has its own fundamental basis in the formation of this area, and the scientific theory of myths, fairy tales and knights, components of the fantasy content. The author justifies his scientific and theoretical approach to the scientific views of foreign scientists with respect to Fantasy. This attracted the attention of all literary critics and readers, and also caused various confusing ideas about fantasy. While each phenomenon in the literature has its own history and cause, the origin of fantasy has its fundamental basis for the creation. In the fantasy literature, there are often epics, myths, and works in the spirit of love, satire, historical works, utopian fairy tales, folk tales and parables. It is very important to study them at the stage of development of modern fantasy literature. Using in fantasy various small epic types contributes to the emergence of means of enrichment in its diversity and impressions. The aim of the study is to provide readers with literary criticism on fantasy works and their components on a scientific basis and improve their views on fantasy, and also awaken their interest in fantasy. In this regard, many sources were used. The study used the hermeneutic method. In the result of the study, the works of fantasy and their features will be disclosed. Provided scientific and theoretical approaches are also confirmed by reasonable examples from various scientific literature.