Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. The genre is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by overall look, feel, and theme of the individual work, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction). In its broadest sense, fantasy covers works by many writers, artists, and musicians, from ancient myths and legends, to many recent works embraced by a wide audience today.

History

Though the genre in its modern sense is less than two centuries old, its antecedents have a long and distinguished history.

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Beginning perhaps with the Epic of Gilgamesh and the earliest written documents known to humankind, elements that would eventually come to define fantasy and its various subgenres have been a part of some of the grandest and most celebrated works in all of history. From The Odyssey to Beowulf, from Arthurian Legend and medieval romance to the epic Divine Comedy, in every known culture the world over, fantastical adventures featuring brave heroes and heroines, deadly monsters, and secret arcane realms have stirred the mind and inspired the soul for as long as we've had the ability to tell of them. In this way, fantasy has been so intimate a part of the history of our species, one might say that it's part of what makes us human.

Related Topics:
Epic of Gilgamesh - The Odyssey - Beowulf - Arthurian Legend - Epic - Divine Comedy - Hero - Heroine - Monster - Arcane - Realm - Mind - Soul - Human

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In the 19th and early 20th centuries, much fantasy was published in the same magazines as science fiction (and often written by the same authors).

Related Topics:
19th - 20th centuries - Science fiction

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In the mid-1900's, two subgenres of fantasy became very popular and influential: high fantasy and sword and sorcery. J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are milestones; other important works incldue C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series. Fantasy writing saw renewed popularity, often influenced by these seminal works and, like them, borrowing from myth, epic, and medieval romance.

Related Topics:
High fantasy - Sword and sorcery - J. R. R. Tolkien - The Hobbit - The Lord of the Rings - C. S. Lewis - Ursula K. Le Guin

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