Fantasy is a genre of works of art based on the use of fabulous and mythological motifs. Fantasy, unlike science fiction, does not seek to explain the world and the possibilities of heroes from a rational point of view.
Fantasy Features
Typical literary works in the fantasy genre are similar to a historical adventure novel, the plot of which unfolds in a fictional world reminiscent of the European Middle Ages. Heroes face supernatural beings and phenomena. Fantasy works are often built on archetypal plots.
The genre of fantasy in its modern form was formed by the middle of the 20th century. The English writer John Ronald Ruel Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Or Round-Trip, had a huge impact on its formation.
The literary predecessors of this genre are considered chivalric novels, epics, epics, folk and author's tales. Now in the style of fantasy, not only literary works are created, but also paintings, feature films, television series, board and computer games.
Fantasy archetypes
The archetypal features of fantasy include the presence in the work of various fantastic races and mythological creatures, the opposition of the forces of Good and Evil, the organization of the plot in the form of a quest. For European and partly American fantasy, creatures from Celtic and Scandinavian mythology are typical: elves, gnomes, trolls, ogres, pixies, goblins, etc. In the works of this genre, goblin, mermaids, brownies and kikimors can be found in Slavic color.
A clear contrast between dark and light forces is clearly visible in the classic works of the genre: "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien, "Wheel of Time" R. Jordan, "Tapestries of Fionavar" G.G. Kei. In modern fantasy, this archetype is less pronounced. For example, in the extremely popular and still unfinished series of J. Martin's “Song of Ice and Fire” there are practically no absolutely evil or absolutely kind characters.
Fantasy works are difficult to classify. Often supernatural elements serve as decoration for a love story or a detective novel. The most popular epic, romantic, urban and children's fantasy.
The main storyline of many works is the quest - the search for a certain magical object, person, place or knowledge. This archetype takes its beginning in the plots of ancient and medieval literature, for example, the journey of the Argonauts behind the Golden Fleece or the search for the Holy Grail. Now the quest, as a way to organize the plot, is most fully implemented in computer games.
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