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In literature, fantasy is a form of speculative fiction in which physical laws differ from our own through a reason for which no scientific explanation is offered, or which take place a world wholly different from our own. In the context of speculative fiction, if science fiction is considered a genre of what could be, and alternate history a genre of what might have been, fantasy is the genre of what is (or was) not. In its broadest sense, fantasy covers works by many authors, from ancient myths and legends to some recent works embraced by mainstream literary audiences. File links The following pages link to this file: Alchemy Ada Adventure Apartheid Abbreviation Airplane (disambiguation) Abduction Alder Anno Domini Air ABC (disambiguation) Ad hominem Afghan AD Aether Aba Anus Affinity Ai AZ Albinism Accumulator Binary Chess Computer Carbon Cow Cricket (disambiguation) Collection Convex Culture Ceramics Case Creation Crow (disambiguation...
Wiktionary full URL is a sister project to Wikipedia intended to be a free wiki dictionary (thesaurus, lexicon therein) in every language. ...
See fantasy for an account of the literary genre involving the development of common or popular fantasies. ...
1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
Fantasy was the first single from Mariah Careys 6th album, Daydream, released in 1995. ...
Open Directory Project: Literature World Literature Electronic Text Archives Magazines and E-zines Online Writing Writers Resources Libraries, Digital Cataloguing, Metadata Distance Learning Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Classicism in Literature The Universal Library, by Carnegie Mellon University Project Gutenberg Online Library Abacci - Project Gutenberg texts matched with Amazon...
Speculative fiction is an all-encompassing term which includes science fiction, alternative history (fiction), horror and fantasy. ...
Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...
Alternative history or alternate history is fiction that is set in a world in which history has diverged from history as it is generally known; more simply put, alternate history asks the question, What If history had developed differently?. Most works that employ this rubric are set in factful historical...
Mythology is the study of myths: stories of a particular culture that it believes to be true and that feature a specific religious or belief system. ...
A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ...
Definition Characteristics of fantasy fiction and its many overlapping sub-genres are the subjects of debate among some fans and writers.
A critical characteristic is that the world feature some difference from Earth that is not a result of science or technology, but rather the result of magic or other anomalous phenomena. But, again, definitions and opinions on the proper classification differ. // What is science? There are different theories of what science is. ...
Technology (Gr. ...
Look up Magic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The term magic is a Persian loanword into English and may refer to: Magic (paranormal) deals with the manipulation of what the practitioner believes to be genuine paranormal phenomena. ...
Anomalous phenomena are phenomena which are observed and for which there are no suitable explanations in the context of a specific body of scientific knowledge, e. ...
As a genre, fantasy is both associated and contrasted with science fiction and horror fiction. All three genres feature elements of the fantastic, of making radical departures from reality or radical speculations about what reality might be like, or might have been like. Some writers and critics prefer the term speculative fiction due to the frequent crossover from one genre to another. A genre is any of the traditional divisions of art forms from a single field of activity into various kinds according to criteria particular to that form. ...
Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...
Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any media intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ...
Speculative fiction is an all-encompassing term which includes science fiction, alternative history (fiction), horror and fantasy. ...
Further blurring the definition, some suggest there is a distinction between the fantasy genre and "the fantastic", the latter being a fantasy-like element in other fiction.
History Though the genre in its modern sense is less than two centuries old, its antecedents have a long and distinguished history. The following lists include works which contain significant elements that might be considered "fantasy" by today's standards, or which modern fantasy authors have drawn upon extensively for inspiration in their own works. The categorization of many of these earlier works as "fantasy" is typically only used within the context of the fantasy genre itself and discussions of its origins; only a small minority would consider them "fantasy" outside of this context.
This relatively obscure custom of placing mythology in the context of the fantasy genre is especially useful to those that scrutinize the fantasy genre as others would mainstream fiction. This gives fantasy a rich history of inspirations for critics to disect and apply to the modern genre. The fantasy genre is often examined as the modern counterpart to mythology. Whether one of these practices inspired the other, and which inspired which, is hotly debated. Mythology is the study of myths: stories of a particular culture that it believes to be true and that feature a specific religious or belief system. ...
The Holy Grail, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1860s) This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ...
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (May 12, 1828 - April 10, 1882) was an English poet, painter and translator. ...
Primordial fantasy - Main articles: Chaldean mythology, Egyptian mythology, Abrahamic mythology
The roots of many of today's fantasy subgenres were laid during this time, including those of Bangsian fantasy. Chaldean mythology, also called Chaldaic mythology, is the collective name given to Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian mythologies, although Chaldea did not comprehend the whole territory inhabited by those peoples. ...
Egyptian mythology (or Egyptian religion) is the name for the succession of beliefs held by the people of Egypt until the coming of Christianity and Islam. ...
Abrahamic mythology is a general term for the myths and folklore of the Abrahamic religions. ...
A genre is any of the traditional divisions of art forms from a single field of activity into various kinds according to criteria particular to that form. ...
Bangsian fantasy is the school of fantasy writing that sets the plot wholly or partially in the afterlife. ...
Many have suggested that Egyptian mythology was regarded as mainly allegorical during at least part of its history. The reason for this is that the gods and goddesses of Egyptian mythology were not seen as fixed figures, but as manifestations of a single divinity. Tales of origins and other myths were therefore subject to change for the purposes of relating moral messages or discussing various aspects of the world's nature. At times gods and goddesses could even be deconstructed or combined with other deities toward such ends. Thus, some might argue that Egyptian mythology differs from modern fantasy fiction only in that its primary function was philosophical and religious in nature, rather than simple entertainment. Egyptian mythology (or Egyptian religion) is the name for the succession of beliefs held by the people of Egypt until the coming of Christianity and Islam. ...
The Book of Genesis might be regarded by adherents of the Abrahamic religions as an early example of historical fantasy, in that many of the stories contain fantastical elements such as talking snakes and world-wide floods, yet concerned what were or are believed to be actual past events in the real world. To what extent the stories factually portrayed these historical events are the subject of heated debate, even among believers. (There are many believers who consider some or all of these stories to be spiritually truthful allegory rather than literal fact, much the same as believers in Egyptian mythology.) An Abrahamic religion (also referred to as desert monotheism) is a term sometimes used to refer to a religion derived from an ancient Semitic tradition attributed to Abraham, a great patriarch described in the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. ...
Historical fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, related to historical fiction. ...
The Deluge tablet of the Gilgamesh epic in Akkadian The Epic of Gilgamesh is from Babylonia, dating from long after the time that king Gilgamesh was supposed to have ruled. ...
(4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC – 2nd millennium BC – other millennia) Events Syria: Foundation of the city of Mari (29th century BC ) Iraq: Creation of the Kingdom of Elam Germination of the Bristlecone pine tree Methuselah about 2700 BC, the oldest known tree still living now Dynasty of Lagash in...
Enûma Elish is the creation epic of Babylonian mythology. ...
(19th century BC - 18th century BC - 17th century BC - other centuries) (3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC) Events 1787 - 1784 BC -- Amorite conquests of Uruk and Isin 1786 BC -- Egypt: End of Twelfth Dynasty, start of Thirteenth Dynasty, start of Fourteenth Dynasty 1766 BC -- Shang conquest of...
This article is about Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible. ...
Moses or Móshe (מֹש×ֶה, Standard Hebrew Móše, Tiberian Hebrew MÅÅ¡eh, Arabic موسى), son of Amram and his wife, Jochebed, a Levite. ...
Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC 460s BC 450s BC - 440s BC - 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC 390s BC Years: 445 BC 444 BC 443 BC 442 BC 441 BC - 440 BC - 439 BC 438 BC...
Download high resolution version (1063x800, 114 KB)Thomas Banks (1735 - 1805), Thetis Rising from the Sea, marble bas-relief, 1778 Victoria and Albert Museum, London This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
Download high resolution version (1063x800, 114 KB)Thomas Banks (1735 - 1805), Thetis Rising from the Sea, marble bas-relief, 1778 Victoria and Albert Museum, London This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
Thetis rising from the sea, 1778, from the Victoria and Albert Museum Thomas Banks (December 29, 1735 — February 2, 1805), English sculptor, son of a surveyor who was land steward to the Duke of Beaufort, was born in London. ...
The Cromwell Road entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A) is on Cromwell Road in Kensington, West London. ...
Classical fantasy - Main articles: Greek mythology, Roman mythology, Etruscan mythology
Classical mythology is replete with fantastical stories and characters, the best known (and perhaps the most relevant to modern fantasy) being the works of Homer. Greek mythology comprises the collected legends of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ...
Roman mythology can be considered as two parts. ...
The Etruscans were a race of northern Italians eventually integrated into Rome. ...
Classical mythology usually refers to the religious legends and practices of classical antiquity: Greek mythology; Roman mythology; Greek religion; and Roman religion. ...
Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ...
At least some ancient Greek authors were known to express open disbelief in the existence of many of the creatures that featured in Greek mythology, while some of the Greek philosophers apparently doubted the literal truthfulness of ancient Greek religion. While it is probable that the majority of the ancient Greeks held a belief in the actuality of the fantastic, there existed amongst the ancient Greek literati people who viewed the factual accuracy of the mythology to be either secondary to or at least separate from the value and meaning of the myths themselves; thus, there was a sense of willing suspension of disbelief (as opposed to actual belief) in the fantastic. Such suspension of disbelief was also necessary for appreciating many known original works, particularly dramatic presentations, in classical antiquity (see fourth wall). Ancient Greek refers to the first stage in the history of the Greek language, which normally applies on two ancient periods of Greek history: Archaic and Classic Greece. ...
An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to study, reflect, and speculate on a variety of different ideas. ...
Suspension of disbelief is a willingness of a reader or viewer to suspend his or her critical faculties to the extent of ignoring minor inconsistencies so as to enjoy a work of fiction. ...
Specifically in a proscenium theater, the term fourth wall applies to the imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a theater through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. ...
While the degree to which Classical fiction resembles modern fantasy is debatable, it is significant that it is from this tradition that most of the conventions in the arts of western civilization ultimately derive. Depending on one's interpretation, it could therefore be said that something resembling fantasy fiction, as we now know it, was fundamental to the development of western thinking and modern fantasy by extension. This would seem to place the fantasy genre firmly within a long and distinguished tradition of story-telling, as many fans as well as a growing number of academics have suggested.
 Thor's battle against the giants, by Marten Eskil Winge, 1872 The Odyssey (Greek Ὀδυσσεία) is the second of the two great Greek epic poems ascribed to Homer, the first of which is the Iliad. ...
Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ...
(9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC - other centuries) (800s BC - 790s BC - 780s BC - 770s BC - 760s BC - 750s BC - 740s BC - 730s BC - 720s BC - 710s BC - 700s BC - other decades) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Golden age in Armenia Assyria...
(10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC - other centuries) (900s BC - 890s BC - 880s BC - 870s BC - 860s BC - 850s BC - 840s BC - 830s BC - 820s BC - 810s BC - 800s BC - other decades) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Kingdom of Kush (900 BC...
The Iliad (Greek Ἰλιάς, Ilias) tells part of the story of the Trojan War and is, along with the Odyssey, one of the two major Greek epic poems traditionally attributed to Homer, a blind Ionian poet. ...
(9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC - other centuries) (800s BC - 790s BC - 780s BC - 770s BC - 760s BC - 750s BC - 740s BC - 730s BC - 720s BC - 710s BC - 700s BC - other decades) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Golden age in Armenia Assyria...
(10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC - other centuries) (900s BC - 890s BC - 880s BC - 870s BC - 860s BC - 850s BC - 840s BC - 830s BC - 820s BC - 810s BC - 800s BC - other decades) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Kingdom of Kush (900 BC...
The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans. ...
For other uses see Virgil (disambiguation). ...
(1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century - other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100. ...
Thors battle against the giants (1872), by Mårten Eskil Winge. ...
Thors battle against the giants (1872), by Mårten Eskil Winge. ...
Medieval fantasy Main articles: Arthurian legend, Norse mythology, Fairy tales, Medieval folklore The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. ...
Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ...
A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ...
For the Nelly Furtado album, see Folklore (album). ...
The story of Beowulf is of particular interest, as the events of the story take place roughly four hundred years before the writing of the text. The characters in the story are unalloyed Pagans, whereas the author(s) is clearly Christian. A story about a past society in which a brave hero vanquishes dangerous monsters, placed within the framework of (what was then) contemporary society's beliefs and ideals, is a formula that has become an instant indicator of fantasy fiction in the years since. Though the story of Beowulf was by no means the first to do this, many of its presumably more original elements have also had huge impacts on the fantasy genre. Grendel's attacks on the Heorot, for example, established the formula of later horror stories, and this portion of the tale can be seen as precursory to dark fantasy. Grendel was also the prototypical orc, inspiring J. R. R. Tolkien's race of the same name and the majority of subsequent incarnations. Within a European Christian context, paganism is a catch-all term which has come to connote a broad set of not necessarily compatible religious beliefs and practices (see Cult (religion)) of a natural religion (as opposed to a revealed religion of a text), which are usually, but not necessarily, characterized...
A Christian is a follower and believer in Jesus of Nazareth and the religion of Christianity. ...
Grendel is a monster in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, feared by all save Beowulf himself. ...
Heorot is the stronghold of king Hrothgar in the epic poem Beowulf. ...
Horror can mean several things: Horror (emotion) Horror fiction Horror film This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Dark fantasy has yet to be solidly connected to its own particular sub-genre of Fantasy. ...
A typical fantasy Orc. ...
Orc or Ork, an Old English word (orc-néas orc-corpses in Beowulf) for the zombie-like monsters of Grendels race was revived by J. R. R. Tolkien in his Middle-earth legendarium. ...
The tale of Don Quixote, while not containing especially "fantastic" elements, in addition to being one of the earliest novels in modern European language, is important in that the protagonist suffers from true-believer syndrome (sometimes called the fantasy-driven mind). As such, the story directly addresses medieval fantasy, legends, and fairytales in much the same way that Mazes and Monsters (1982) addressed fantasy role-playing games -- albeit in not nearly so negative a light. Statues of Don Quixote (left) and Sancho Panza (right) Don Quixote de la Mancha (IPA: ) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. ...
A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ...
Most of the many indigenous languages of Europe belong to the Indo-European language family. ...
The true-believer syndrome is a term coined by the reformed psychic fraud M. Lamar Keene to refer to an irrational belief in the paranormal. ...
Mazes and Monsters is a made for TV movie about a group of college students and their interest in the eponymous role-playing game (RPG). ...
1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A role-playing game (RPG) is a type of game where players assume the roles of fictional characters via role-playing. ...
The first page of Beowulf This article describes Beowulf, the epic poem. ...
(7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ...
Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, in Michelinos fresco. ...
Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ...
Events Births Deaths September 14 - Dante Alighieri - author of The Divine Comedy, one of the great classics of World Literature and a foundation of Italian Literature, also considered a great masterpiece of Christian literature. ...
Statues of Don Quixote (left) and Sancho Panza (right) Don Quixote de la Mancha (IPA: ) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. ...
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (September 29, 1547 – April 23, 1616), was a Spanish author, best known for his novel Don Quixote de la Mancha. ...
Events January 14 – Hampton Court conference with James I of England, the Anglican bishops and representatives of Puritans September 20 - Capture of Ostend by Spanish forces under Ambrosio Spinola after a three year siege. ...
Cover to the first edition Paradise Lost (1667) is an epic poem by the 17th century English poet John Milton. ...
John Milton John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, most famous for his blank verse epic Paradise Lost. ...
// Events January 20 - Poland cedes Kyiv, Smolensk, and eastern Ukraine to Russia in the Treaty of Andrusovo that put a final end to the Deluge, and Poland lost its status as a Central European power. ...
John Tenniel illus. ...
John Tenniel illus. ...
1889 Self-portrait Sir John Tenniel (February 28, 1820 – February 25, 1914) was an English illustrator. ...
Early modern fantasy Following somewhat in the footsteps of Don Quixote, Gulliver's Travels (1726) by Jonathan Swift used satire in the form of fantasy to parody many of the political and social conventions of its time, and can be considered the earliest work of modern-style fantasy. The story was likely a major influence on what would later become the fantasy genre. Statues of Don Quixote (left) and Sancho Panza (right) Don Quixote de la Mancha (IPA: ) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. ...
Gullivers Travels (1726, amended 1735) is a work of fiction by Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the travellers tales literary sub-genre. ...
Events George Friderich Handel becomes a British subject. ...
Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ...
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the modern fantasy genre first truly began to take shape. Many of the more prominent features of the genre, such as world building, were developed during this time; beginning with fictional countries and other lands in the works of Jonathan Swift, Lewis Carroll, and L. Frank Baum, this tradition evolved into the creation of entire fictional time periods (The Lord of the Rings), realms (The Chronicles of Narnia), and even whole, distinct worlds (Earthsea). Although fantastic lands, time periods, and realms all have their counterparts in mythology and folklore, such as Jotunheim, the "Worlds" of Mesoamerican mythology, and the fairy realm of English folklore, respectively, these similarities are often regarded as largely coincidental in the case of early modern fantasy. (Later works would come to draw inspiration for their fictional lands, time periods, and realms directly from such ancient sources, however.) Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
(19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ...
A constructed world or conworld is a fictional world, often created for a novel, video game, or role-playing game, but sometimes for its own sake. ...
A fictional country is a country that is made up, and does not exist in real life. ...
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer who is famous for works like Gullivers Travels and A Tale of a Tub. ...
Photograph of Lewis Carroll taken by himself, with assistance Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (January 27, 1832 – January 14, 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was a British author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer. ...
Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author and the creator of one of the most beloved classics of childrens literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. ...
Wikicities has a wiki about The Lord of the Rings: The Lord of the Rings Wiki The Encyclopedia of Arda - Mark Fishers tribute site to the works of Tolkien Tolkien Gateway Tolkien Collectors Gateway The Tolkien Wiki Community TheOneRing. ...
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. ...
Earthsea is a fictional realm that was created by Ursula K. Le Guin for her short story The Word of Unbinding, published in 1964, but became more famous in her novel A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968. ...
Jotunheim is the world of the giants (two types: rock and frost, collectively called Jotuns) in the Norse Mythology. ...
English folklore is the folk tradition which has evolved in England over a number of centuries. ...
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). After the great popularity, in the mid-20th century, of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as of 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. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
(19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...
Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...
J. R. R. Tolkien in 1972, in his study at Merton Street (from by H. Carpenter) John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973) was the author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings. ...
The Hobbit is a fantasy novel written by J.R.R. Tolkien originally as a childrens story in the tradition of the fairy tale. ...
Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar born in Belfast but mostly resident in England. ...
Ursula K. Le Guin at an informal bookstore Q&A session, July 2004 Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (born October 21, 1929), is an American author. ...
Gullivers Travels (1726, amended 1735) is a work of fiction by Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the travellers tales literary sub-genre. ...
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer who is famous for works like Gullivers Travels and A Tale of a Tub. ...
Events George Friderich Handel becomes a British subject. ...
John Tenniels illustration for A Mad Tea-Party, 1865 Alices Adventures in Wonderland is a work of childrens literature by the British mathematician and author Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. ...
Photograph of Lewis Carroll taken by himself, with assistance Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (January 27, 1832 – January 14, 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was a British author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer. ...
1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ...
A House-Boat on the Styx is a book written by John Kendrick Bangs and published in 1895. ...
John Kendrick Bangs John Kendrick Bangs (May 27, 1862 - January 21, 1922) was an American author and satirist, and the creator of modern Bangsian fantasy, the school of fantasy writing that sets the plot wholly or partially in the afterlife. ...
1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...
Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp Dracula is a fictional character, arguably the most famous vampire in fiction. ...
Abraham Bram Stoker (November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912) was an Anglo-Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. ...
1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a childrens story written by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by W.W. Denslow, and first published in 1900. ...
Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author and the creator of one of the most beloved classics of childrens literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. ...
1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ...
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian, from the name of his homeland, Cimmeria) is a literary character created by Robert E. Howard in a series of fantasy pulp stories published in Weird Tales in the 1930s. ...
Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was a writer of fantasy and historical adventure pulp stories, published primarily in Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s. ...
1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...
The Hobbit is a fantasy novel written by J.R.R. Tolkien originally as a childrens story in the tradition of the fairy tale. ...
J. R. R. Tolkien in 1972, in his study at Merton Street (from by H. Carpenter) John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973) was the author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings. ...
1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Modern fantasy Works of later modern fantasy are often criticized for over-borrowing themes and plot elements from works of early modern fantasy.
Modern fantasy, including early modern fantasy, has also spawned many new subgenres with no clear counterpart in mythology or folklore, although inspiration from mythology and folklore remains a consistent theme. Since the rise of popular fantasy fiction in the twentieth century, the fantasy genre has subdivided into a number of branches. Whereas works of "early modern" fantasy were often lumped together, later works are typically divided into subgenres. These subgenres are usually extended to include works of early modern fantasy. A genre is any of the traditional divisions of art forms from a single field of activity into various kinds according to criteria particular to that form. ...
A genre is any of the traditional divisions of art forms from a single field of activity into various kinds according to criteria particular to that form. ...
Bangsian fantasy - Main article: Bangsian fantasy
Bangsian fantasy is named for John Kendrick Bangs, whose late 19th- and early 20th-century Associated Shades series of novels deals with the afterlives of various famous people. Frequently used are the Underworld/Limbo/Purgatory ("neutral"), Elysium/Nirvana/Heaven ("good"), and Erebus/Gehenna/Hell ("bad"). Bangsian fantasy is the school of fantasy writing that sets the plot wholly or partially in the afterlife. ...
John Kendrick Bangs John Kendrick Bangs (May 27, 1862 - January 21, 1922) was an American author and satirist, and the creator of modern Bangsian fantasy, the school of fantasy writing that sets the plot wholly or partially in the afterlife. ...
The Associated Shades are a group of famous dead people appearing in some of John Kendrick Bangs works. ...
In the study of mythology and religion, the underworld is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term afterlife, referring to any place to which newly-dead souls go. ...
In Roman Catholic theology, limbo describes the temporary status of the souls of good persons who died before the resurrection of Jesus, and the permanent status of the unbaptised who die in infancy (without having committed any personal sins, but without having been freed from original sin). ...
In Roman Catholic theology, Purgatory is a process of purification after the particular judgment and before entry into Heaven. ...
In changing European conceptions of the afterlife, Elysium or the Elysian Fields have changed their character too. ...
The following article is about the term Nirvana in the context of Buddhism. ...
The heavens are the sky, the celestial sphere, or outer space. ...
In Greek mythology, Erebus, or Érebos was a primordial god, personification of darkness, offspring of Chaos alone. ...
Note: Tanach quotes are from the Judaica press Tanach. ...
Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell is a place or state of painful suffering. ...
Inferno is a science fiction novel written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, published in 1976. ...
Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (born April 30, 1938) is a US science fiction author. ...
1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...
C. J. Cherryh is the slightly modified working name of author Caroline Janice Cherry (born September 1, 1942), the sister of artist David A.Cherry. ...
1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Faust Eric (commonly abbreviated F^HE) is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. ...
Terence David John Pratchett OBE (known to some fans as Pterry – following the convention he used in his book Pyramids where characters were given names such as Ptraci and Pteppic) is an English fantasy author (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Bucks), best known for his Discworld series. ...
1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian, by Kurt Vonnegut, is a collection of short interviews written by Vonnegut and first broadcast on NPR. The text of these interviews makes up the content of . ...
Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ...
1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
Comic fantasy - Main article: Comic fantasy
This sub-genre parodies the above ideas as well as ideas outside the genre, often in a postmodern manner. A peculiarly early example of this genre is the aforementioned Gulliver's Travels. It might also include the so-called "worst science fiction story ever published" The Eye of Argon. Comic fantasy is a subgenre of Fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. ...
Postmodernity (also called post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is a term used by philosophers, social scientists, art critics and social critics to refer to aspects of contemporary art, culture, economics and social conditions that are the result of the unique features of late 20th century and early 21st century...
The Eye of Argon (TEoA) is an infamously bad heroic fantasy novella, written in 1970 by Jim Theis and circulated anonymously in science fiction fandom since then. ...
Bored of the Rings (BOTR) is a short satirical novel by Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney based on The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), a novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. ...
Douglas C. Kenney (December 10, 1947 - August 27, 1980) was an American writer for the National Lampoon magazine in the 1970s. ...
1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...
The Eye of Argon (TEoA) is an infamously bad heroic fantasy novella, written in 1970 by Jim Theis and circulated anonymously in science fiction fandom since then. ...
Jim Theis (died in 2002 at age 48) was a science fiction fan who published the notoriously bad fantasy novella The Eye of Argon in a fanzine in 1970. ...
1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ...
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born August 6, 1934 in Oxford, England) is a writer in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. ...
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born August 6, 1934 in Oxford, England) is a writer in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. ...
1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...
Hordes of the Things is a BBC radio comedy series parodying J. R. R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings, and the fantasy genre in general, in a style similar to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ...
For information on the CMU computer project called Andrew, see Andrew Project. ...
There have been several notable individuals with the name John Lloyd. ...
1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...
The Colour of Magic is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the first of the Discworld series. ...
Terence David John Pratchett OBE (known to some fans as Pterry – following the convention he used in his book Pyramids where characters were given names such as Ptraci and Pteppic) is an English fantasy author (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Bucks), best known for his Discworld series. ...
1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Contemporary fantasy - Main article: Contemporary fantasy
This fantasy comprises stories set in the putative real world or consensus reality in contemporary times, in which, the story reveals, magic or magical creatures exist, such as vampires or, as in the Highlander films and television series, immortals. Contemporary fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, also known as contemporary urban fantasy, modern-day fantasy, or indigenous fantasy. ...
The term Consensus reality has two usages. ...
It has been suggested that History of vampire lore be merged into this article or section. ...
The term Highlander has several different meanings and can refer to any one of the following: A person from the Scottish Highlands An SUV known as the Toyota Highlander A corporation or company name, such as the Highlander Research and Education Center A series of motion picture films and television...
Immortality is the concept of existing for a potentially infinite or indeterminate length of time. ...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a U.S. television series loosely based on the 1992 movie of the same name. ...
Joseph Joss Whedon (b. ...
1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Neverwhere is an urban fantasy television series by Neil Gaiman. ...
Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960 in Portchester, England) is the author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many comic books. ...
1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
Cover of the International edition, distributed in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is the first volume in a planned series of seven books for children written by British author J. K. Rowling, and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard. ...
J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling, OBE (born 31 July 1965 in Yate), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: role-ing, as in rolling stone) is a British fiction writer. ...
1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Dark fantasy - Main article: Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy in this context refers to stories that focus on elements usually found in the horror genre but which take place in a setting more alike sword and sorcery or high fantasy. Dark fantasy includes "grittier" fantasy, conducted in settings which represent the brutality of the medieval period more truly than the traditionally idealised representations of conventional fantasy, generally with a dash of supernatural horror. It may or may not take place in its own fantasy world. Dark fantasy has yet to be solidly connected to its own particular sub-genre of Fantasy. ...
This article is about a fantasy sub-genre. ...
High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ...
A fantasy world is a type of fictional universe in which magic or other similar powers work. ...
More generally, dark fantasy may be used as a synonym for supernatural horror, to distinguish horror stories that contain elements of the supernatural from those that do not. For example, a story about a mummy or vampire rising from the grave would be most likely described as dark fantasy, supernatural horror, or horror fantasy, while a story about a serial killer is simply horror. In this sense, there is a considerable overlap between dark fantasy and contemporary fantasy. A mummy is a preserved corpse that, due to shielding from decomposition by either natural or artificial means, has retained its physical form. ...
It has been suggested that History of vampire lore be merged into this article or section. ...
Berserk Berserk (ベルセルク Beruseruku) is a heroic fantasy manga by mangaka Kentaro Miura. ...
Kentaro Miura (三浦 建太郎 Miura Kentarō, born 11 July 1966) is a Japanese mangaka most known for his manga Berserk. ...
1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a fantasy series by George R. R. Martin. ...
George R. R. Martin, circa 1986 George Raymond Richard Martin (sometimes called GRRM by fans; born September 20, 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, and also a screenwriter and producer. ...
1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
High fantasy - Main article: High fantasy
Perhaps more than any other subgenre, high fantasy is criticized for borrowing too many of its themes and ideas from previous works, most notably those of J. R. R. Tolkien. Others defend this, citing that most of Tolkien's themes and ideas were taken from mythology and folklore with only superficial modifications. Nevertheless, the fact that most authors in this subgenre tend to limit themselves to those aspects of mythology and folklore that Tolkien used, and often combine them in similar ways, is one that cannot be ignored. As a result, many fans of the fantasy genre have grown exceedingly weary of the repetitious manner in which this subgenre's once most beloved characteristics recur. High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ...
However, it appears that the use of such particular themes and ideas is the very thing that distinguishes high fantasy from its fellow subgenres, and that a sufficiently unique example of high fantasy would be more likely to be placed in a different subgenre altogether, thus rendering accusations of unoriginality somewhat circular. (Similar arguments have been made for the Western, an entire genre perceivedly based around a narrow set of themes and concepts.) Western can refer to: A Western blot is a method in molecular biology to detect a certain protein in a sample by using antibody specific to that protein. ...
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. ...
Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. ...
1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Wikicities has a wiki about The Lord of the Rings: The Lord of the Rings Wiki The Encyclopedia of Arda - Mark Fishers tribute site to the works of Tolkien Tolkien Gateway Tolkien Collectors Gateway The Tolkien Wiki Community TheOneRing. ...
J. R. R. Tolkien in 1972, in his study at Merton Street (from by H. Carpenter) John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973) was the author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings. ...
1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever is a fantasy epic by Stephen R. Donaldson. ...
Stephen Reeder Donaldson (born May 13, 1947) is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. ...
1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...
The Sword of Shannara is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. ...
Terry Brooks (born January 8, 1944) is a writer of fantasy fiction. ...
1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...
Original cover of The Eye of the World, prominently featuring Moiraine and Lan Cover of From the Two Rivers Cover of To the Blight The Eye of the World (abbreviated as tEotW by fans) is the first book of The Wheel of Time fantasy series written by American author Robert...
Robert Jordan Robert Jordan is the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. ...
1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Historical fantasy - Main article: Historical fantasy
Historical fantasy takes two distinct forms. One encompasses stories set in the historical past but with fantasy elements introduced, much as contemporary fantasy is set in the present. The other is set in a created fantasy world that closely parallels our own, with recognisable analogs for countries, historical events or historical personages. Historical fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, related to historical fiction. ...
Eagle in the Snow is considered one of the definitive works of historical fiction in the English language. ...
Wallace Breem (1926–1990) was a British librarian and author, the Librarian and Keeper of Manuscripts of the Inner Temple Law Library at his death, but perhaps more widely known for his historical novels, including the classic Eagle in the Snow (1970). ...
1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ...
The Sarantine Mosaic is a historical high fantasy duology by Guy Gavriel Kay, comprising Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors. ...
Guy Gavriel Kay (born November 7, 1954) is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. ...
1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...
2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Mannerpunk - Main article: Mannerpunk
Mannerpunk is the fantasy genre's arena for the comedy of manners. Its worlds involve elaborately complex social hierarchies, and its plots revolve around its characters' interactions within those hierarchies in the traditions of Jane Austen or Anthony Hope. Mannerpunk is a subgenre of fantasy literature. ...
The comedy of manners satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class, often represented by stock characters, such as the miles gloriosus in ancient times, the fop and the rake during the Restoration, or an old person pretending to be young. ...
Jane Austen, in a portrait based on one drawn by her sister Cassandra House of Jane Austen (today it is a museum) Jane Austen (December 16, 1775–July 18, 1817) was a prominent English novelist whose work is considered part of the Western canon. ...
Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins (February 9, 1863 _ July 8, 1933), better known as Anthony Hope was a British novelist, best remembered today for his short novel The Prisoner of Zenda (1894, set in the fictional kingdom of Ruritania, a prequel The Heart of Princess Osra (a collection of short...
Ellen Kushner is an award-winning author, born in Cleveland, Ohio. ...
1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Mythic fantasy Often very loosely based in traditional mythology, using familiar mythological personages or deities. This is in contrast to many other forms of fantasy (with the usual exception of fairytale fantasy), such as the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, which generally invent their own mythologies and volunteer entirely new pantheons, or attempt to disguise traditional mythology with made-up names. American Gods is a novel by Neil Gaiman. ...
Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960 in Portchester, England) is the author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many comic books. ...
2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Romantic fantasy - Main article: Romantic fantasy
The plots of romantic fantasies centre upon a romantic relationship between the protagonists, and the plots or settings include fantastical elements. Romantic fantasy has been published both as fantasy and as romance. Romantic fantasy can be considered a sub-genre of fantasy or of romance. ...
Science fantasy - Main article: Science fantasy
Fantasy and science fiction jointly share the subgenre called science fantasy, which has many of the trappings of science fiction, such as space travel and laser guns, but also contains significant elements that bear more resemblance to magic than science or in some other way draw more from fantasy than from science fiction. The best known example of science fantasy is the Star Wars series of films and its spinoffs, set aboard spaceships and on alien planets but featuring swashbuckling knights, princesses in distress, a dark sorceror who has enslaved the galaxy, a mystical source of magical power called the Force, and even an opening line that is a variant of "Once upon a time": A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. For the magazine of the same name see Science Fantasy (magazine) Science fantasy is the merging of science fiction and fantasy, two popular genres of writing. ...
Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...
For the missile defense program, see Strategic Defense Initiative. ...
Most of the books forming the Dying Earth subgenre can be classified here. Dying Earth subgenre is a subgenre of science fantasy which takes place at the end of Time, when the Sun slowly fades and the laws of the Universe themselves fail, with the science becoming indistinguishable from magic. ...
For the missile defense program, see Strategic Defense Initiative. ...
The first two books of The Book of the New Sun, 2000 omnibus printing. ...
Gene Wolfe (born May 7, 1931) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. ...
Superhero fantasy - Main article: Superhero
Superhero fantasy began in American comic books, evolving into a combination of science fantasy and contemporary fantasy. That is, it is a genre that is typically set in the contemporary world in where all fantastic concepts from extra-terrestrials and futuristic technology to magic and classic mythological beings potentially co-exist. The feature characters, however, are costumed heroes often endowed with fantastic abilities, skills or equipment. Superman (left) and Batman, two of the most recognizable and influential superheroes. ...
A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ...
Wild Cards is a science fiction anthology series set in a shared universe. ...
George R. R. Martin, circa 1986 George Raymond Richard Martin (sometimes called GRRM by fans; born September 20, 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, and also a screenwriter and producer. ...
Sword and sorcery - Main article: Sword and sorcery
Inspired primarily by the works of Robert E. Howard, especially Conan the Barbarian, and by popular role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Sword and sorcery is more concerned with immediate physical threats and action than high fantasy, distinguishing the two genres. This article is about a fantasy sub-genre. ...
Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was a writer of fantasy and historical adventure pulp stories, published primarily in Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s. ...
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian, from the name of his homeland, Cimmeria) is a literary character created by Robert E. Howard in a series of fantasy pulp stories published in Weird Tales in the 1930s. ...
The original Dungeons & Dragons set Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) published by Gary Gygax and David Arneson in January 1974. ...
Heavy Metal Magazine cover featuring the strips main early characters: The Queen, Den and Catherine Wells Den is a fantasy comic book series by Richard Corben. ...
Richard Corben (born November 1, 1940) is an American comic book artist best known for his illustrated fantasy stories in Heavy Metal magazine. ...
1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two seminal sword-and-sorcery heroes created by, and based on, Fritz Leiber (1910–1992) and Harry Otto Fischer (1910–1986). ...
Record of Lodoss War ( Japanese: ãƒãƒ¼ãƒ‰ã‚¹å³¶æˆ¦è¨˜ Lodoss–tÅ Senki) is a popular anime OAV and manga series. ...
Slayers (スレイヤーズ SureiyÄzu) is an anime and manga series based on a series of light novels written by Hajime Kanzaka that parodies RPGs with the story of Lina Inverse and Gourry. ...
Fantasy art Main article: Fantasy art
Washington residents Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, and Gerald Brom are world leaders in the fantasy art industry. Many other prominent figures in the industry are present or former employees of Dungeons & Dragons (likewise based out of Washington). State nickname: The Evergreen State Other U.S. States Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Governor Christine Gregoire Official languages None Area 184,824 km² (18th) - Land 172,587 km² - Water 12,237 km² (6. ...
Boris Vallejo (January 8, 1941 -) is a painter. ...
Brom seen here amongst several of his works at San Diego Comic Con 2004. ...
The original Dungeons & Dragons set Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) published by Gary Gygax and David Arneson in January 1974. ...
Brom seen here amongst several of his works at San Diego Comic Con 2004. ...
Larry Elmore is a fantasy artist; he was hired by TSR to do much of its artwork during the 1980s. ...
Brian Froud (born 1947) is an illustrator of faeries and goblins. ...
Boris Vallejo (January 8, 1941 -) is a painter. ...
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