Illustration by Arthur Rackham to Richard Wagner's Die Walküre: the magic sword, such as Nothung, is a common fantasy trope.

There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises. Worldbuilding in particular has many common conventions, as do, to a lesser extent, plot and characterization. Worldbuilding is a technique widely used by authors to create diverse and believable constructed worlds in which to base their stories, the process usually involves the creation of maps, listing the backstory of the world and the people of the world, amongst other features. ...

Many works of fantasy operate with these tropes; many others use them in a revisionist manner, making the tropes over, for reasons from comic effect, to creating something fresh (a method that often generates new clichés), to objections to the effect of the old tropes.^[1] In fiction, revisionism is the retelling of a story or type of story with substantial alterations in character or environment, to revise the view shown in the original work. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Good vs. evil

The conflict of good against evil is a common trope in the most popular forms of fantasy, such as high fantasy; normally, evil characters erupt from their lands to invade and disrupt the good chracters' lands. J.R.R. Tolkien delved into the nature of good and evil in The Lord of the Rings, but many of his imitators use the conflict as a plot device and often do not distinguish the sides by their actual behavior.^[2] High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ... J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by the British academic J. R. R. Tolkien. ... A plot device is a person or an object introduced to a story to affect or advance the plot. ...

In some works, mostly notable in sword and sorcery, evil is not opposed by the unambigiously good but by the morally unreliable.^[3] This article is about a fantasy sub-genre. ...

Dark lord

The forces of evil often are personified in a Dark Lord. He is often depicted as a diabolical force, and may, indeed, be more a force than a personality. The effects of his rule often assert malign effects on the land as well as his subjects. Besides his usual magical abilities, he often controls great armies. Most Dark Lords are male, except in parody.^[4]

Quest

Main article: Quest

Quests, an immemorial trope in literature, are a common trope in fantasy. They can run from the quest to locate the plot coupons necessary to save the world, to an internal quest of self-realization.^[5] This article is about the word, for other meanings see Quest (disambiguation) A quest is a journey towards a goal with great meaning and is used in mythology and literature as a plot device. ... In narratology, a plot coupon is an object whose possession or use is necessary in order to resolve the conflict upon which the plot hangs. ...

Hero

Main article: Hero

Heroic characters are a mainstay of fantasy, particularly high fantasy and sword and sorcery. Such characters are capable of more than ordinary behavior, physically or morally, or both.^[6] While they may at first be less than the role required, they grow into it.^[7] This may take the form of maturation.^[8] Heroine (female hero) redirects here. ... High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ... This article is about a fantasy sub-genre. ...

Many protagonists are, unknown even to themselves, of royal blood. Even so fanciful a tale as Through the Looking Glass, Alice is made a queen in the end; this can serve as a symbolic recognition of the inner worth of the hero.^[9] Commonly, the tale revolves about the maltreated hero coming into his own. This can reflect a wish-fulfillment dream, or symbolically embody a profound transformation. ^[10] A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) is a work of childrens literature by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), and is the sequel to Alices Adventures in Wonderland. ...

Magic

Main article: Magic (fantasy)

In a fantasy, magic is overwhelming present, but its precise nature is delineated in the book in which it appears. It can appear in a fantasy world, or in a fantasy land that is part of reality but insulated from the mundane lands, or as a hidden element in real life.^[11] Magic Circle by John William Waterhouse Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers. ... A fantasy world is a type of fictional universe in which magic or other similar powers work. ...

A common trope is that the ability to work it is innate and rare. As a consequence, the person who work magic, who may be described as a magician, a wizard, a sorcerer, or many other titles, is a common figure in fantasy.^[12] The Enchanted Garden of Messer Ansaldo by Marie Spartali Stillman: a magician makes his garden bear fruit and flowers in winter. ...

Other feature is the magic item, which can endow characters with magical abilities not innate, or enhance the abilities of the innately powerful. Among the most common are magic swords and magic rings. The term, magic item can be used to refer to several historical and fictional topics: // Historical In a historical context, magic items are those artifacts which have been reputed to contain magical properties such as the Holy Grail. ... The term magic sword refers to any kind of mythological or fictional sword imbued with magical power to increase its strength or grant it other supernatural qualities. ... Magic ring is an article of jewlery that appears frequently in fantasy and fairytale. ...

Prophecies are among the commonest forms of magic, because they are an often used plot device. Often the very effort undertaken to avert them bring them about, and drive the story. It is very rare for a prophecy in fantasy to be simply false, although usually their significiance is clear only with hindsight. Quibbles can undermine the clearest appearing prophecies.^[13] This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... A plot device is a person or an object introduced to a story to affect or advance the plot. ... A quibble is a common plot device, used to fulfil the exact verbal conditions of an agreement in order to avoid the intended meaning. ...

Medievalism

While the folklore that fantasy draws on for its magic and monsters was not exclusively medieval, many creatures were drawn from medieval folklore and romance. Dragons and unicorns are among the most common monsters, and rarer creatures, such as gryphons also appear. Races of beings such as elves and dwarves also often reflect medieval sources. As a literary genre, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic prose and verse narrative current in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. ... For other uses, see Dragon (disambiguation). ... The gentle and pensive maiden has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 The Unicorn (from Latin unus one and cornu horn) is a legendary creature whose power is exceeded only by its mystery. ... Gryphon can refer to: The Griffin, a legendary creature. ... A small forest elf (älva) rescuing an egg, from Solägget (1932), by Elsa Beskow An elf is a mythical creature of Germanic mythology and Germanic paganism which still survives in northern European folklore. ... // This page is about the legendary race, for the medical condition see dwarfism, and for other meanings see Dwarf (disambiguation). ...

Perhaps even more important was setting. Such earlier writers as William Morris (in The Well at the World's End) and Lord Dunsany (in The King of Elfland's Daughter) set their tales in fantasy worlds clearly derived from medieval sources, though often filtered through later views. J.R.R. Tolkien set the type even more clearly for high fantasy, normally based in such a pseudo-medieval setting. Other fantasy writers have emulated him, and role-playing and computer games also took up this tradition. William Morris, socialist and innovator in the Arts and Crafts movement William Morris (March 24, 1834 – October 3, 1896) was an English artist, writer, socialist and activist. ... The Well at the Worlds End is a fantasy book by British artist and author William Morris, published in 1896. ... Best known as Lord Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (July 24, 1878–October 25, 1957) was an Irish writer and dramatist notable for his work in fantasy and horror. ... The King of Elflands Daughter is a 1924 fantasy novel written by Lord Dunsany. ... A fantasy world is a type of fictional universe in which magic or other similar powers work. ... Murder of Przemysław II in Rogoźno by Wojciech Gerson: a 19th century painting of a medieval subject The Middle Ages in history is an overview of how previous periods have both romanticised and disparaged the Middle Ages. ... J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ... In role-playing, participants adopt characters, or parts, that have personalities, motivations, and backgrounds different from their own. ... This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ...

The full width and breadth of the medieval era is seldom drawn upon. Governments, for instance, tend to be feudalism, evil empires, and oligarchies, usually corrupt, while there was far more variety in the actual Middle Ages.^[14]

It also tends be medieval in economy; fantasy worlds are disproportionately pastoral.^[15] Titians The Pastoral Concert Pastoral refers to the lifestyle of shepherds and pastoralists, moving livestock around larger areas of land according to seasons and availability of water and feed. ...

References