Fantasy Blogged Down

1. fan·ta·sy  

   /ˈfantəsē/
   

   Noun The faculty or activity of imagining things that are impossible or improbable.

   Verb Imagine the occurrence of; fantasize about.

   Synonyms noun.   phantasy - fancy - imagination - fantasia verb.   phantasy - fancy - imagine

The first recorded books in history were fantasy, which is rather poignant in the written word. The Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's The Odyssey, The Book of a Thousand Nights, are examples of the first written stories, all of which are fantasy. Until this point stories were told verbally.

 FUN FACT: Fantasy is known as being the only form of literature that consistently blurs the boundaries between adult fiction and children’s fiction.(Sanchez, 2)

HISTORY: The first ever recorded fantasy was The Epic of Gilgamesh, written in Mesopotamia, roughly 2000 B.C.E. The language of these materials was Sumerian, the earliest written language. The text is still not fully understood to this day. However, the basic plot involves that of gods interacting with mortals, as mythical creatures abound.

This is the tablet on which The Epic of Gilgamesh was written on.

 Later epics had the same premise as a historical/ religious text rather than being read solely for enjoyment purposes. In the 14th century, another fantasy epic was written, bringing the genre closer to its modern day coalescence. This epic being The Divine Comedy or more notably Dante’s Inferno. It too talked of God and Demons, this was a Christian based fantasy/adventure. The modern form of fantasy began to take shape after the enlightenment. Many fantasies were written before then, however during this time people valued truth rather than enjoyable stories of impossible worlds. Soon after this, the age of Romanticism made the fantasy genre explode into the hundreds of variations we see today. Due to peoples' fascination of the supernatural and embrace of the imagination.

Traits of FANTASY:

• contains elements that are not realistic

o talking animals

o magical powers

o often set in a medieval universe

o possibly involving mythical beings

o talking animals

(readwritethink.org)

This is a baby Dragon

These devices are often used to illustrate an underlying conflict or deeper theme while also making a more interesting image to present to the reader (Okorafor 278).

“The best fantasy has three essential qualities shared with any fine literature: depth of character, truth of place, and richness of meaning.”(Barron 86). Even though it uses some outrageous and seemingly impossible characters and places, fantasy is just another tool of writing to engage “depth of character, truth of place, and richness of meaning”.

“Fantasy shows us reality not through a perfect mirror, but through a bent mirror, so the biggest questions of life can be more fully illuminated and explored. When the provocative stories we see in that magical mirror contain believable characters, realistic places, and meaningful ideas— then they have the power to change our lives.” (Barron 89) More often than not, the conflicts, especially in slipstream fantasy, faced by the characters reveal the conflicts and challenges they face within.

Many popular fantasy novels embrace the Heroes Journey, such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and A Wrinkle in Time.