The word "fantasy" in fantasy literature (or fantasy novel) is translated from the English word "fantasy". This translation was decided by Zhu, the head of Taiwan Province Fantasy Culture and Art Foundation, who opened a * * * one-and-a-half-year "Fantasy Library" column in Software World, an old monthly magazine in Taiwan Province Province (1992, the 200th issue was closed at the end of 2005, and it was reissued by quarterly magazine in the summer of 2006).
In literature, fantasy novel includes novels and short stories. Formally, it includes role-playing form (similar to the protagonist's adventure) and epic narrative form (description of a period of history). According to the cultural background, it can be divided into eastern fantasy novel and western fantasy novel. The story structure is based on myths, religions and ancient legends, so it has its own unique world outlook. Fantasy novel's story either takes place in the "second world" which is contrary to the laws of the real world, or adds supernatural factors to the real earth. Fantasy novel's theme is not only related to science fiction and horror novels, but also different. These three schools play an important role in fantasy. They are all based on reality or speculate on what reality used to be and what it should be. Fantasy novels are characterized by bold imagination and exploration.
The difference between fantasy novel and science fiction lies in that it is usually biased towards non-100% rational or unpredictable world structure (including magic, sword, gods, demons and prophets), and it is distinguished in chronological order. Fantasy novel is biased towards the past, that is, seeking background or similarity in history, while science fiction is biased towards the continuation of existing technology and the strengthening of imagination.
The development of history
Fantasy novels have a long and outstanding history, and their origins can be traced back to Greek mythology and Roman mythology (especially Homer's Odyssey), Germanic mythological epics such as Beowulf and Nordic mythology. The wide spread of medieval knight literature and modern Gothic literature laid a solid foundation for the rise of fantasy literature. Arthurian legend provides another important theme for contemporary fantasy novels. Magician Merlin, Knights of the Round Table, Equestrian, romantic but clearly defined moral issues present different faces in the works of many authors.
In the19th century and the early 20th century, many fantasy novels and science fiction novels were published in the same magazine (usually by the same author). In the middle of the 20th century, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and the Adventures of The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis's The Legend of Narnia and Ursula Livorno's Earthsea were very popular, and fantasy novels were reborn. Later works mostly imitate these successful works, from myths, epics and medieval romantic literature.
These fantasy novels gave birth to role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons, and then produced more novels. The game company issues fantasy novel with its fictional game world as the background, such as the series novels of Dragon Gun | Chronicle of Dragon Gun, Forgotten Country and Mecha.
Related elements
To call a work a fantasy work, the following two conditions must be met: first, there are supernatural phenomena (represented by magic) that are inconsistent with the existing physical laws; second, some stories are created by default or after explaining these phenomena.
Generally speaking, fantasy novel's greatest feature is that he is based on a brand-new or at least partially fictional world view, so he can write stories that are different or even completely different from reality. In fact, there are more than 1000 novels based on The Forgotten World, the most famous of which is fantasy novel's worldview (in fact, few people can count it).
classify
"Fantasy" is actually the translation of English "fantasy", and there are roughly seven factions of fantasy.
The first category is "mainstream fantasy", which is often compared with "fantasy with swords and shadows". This category focuses on a higher level and a more magnificent plot structure. They are different from personal adventures. They involve political struggles, national wars and world destiny. Those who fall into this category are very rigorous and read more like history. John ronald reuel tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and George ·R·R· Marty's Fire and Ice all belong to this category.
The second category is "Demonbane fantasy". If mainstream fantasy is like an epic, then sword fantasy is like an action movie. This kind of adventure is mainly personal, and most of the time it is only written on the personal level, but because of their fast pace and variety, Fantasy of Demonbane is the most popular one. The representative of this type is Robert E. Hewad, the author of conan the barbarian. The Dark Elf by R.A. Salvato and the Sword of Truth by TerryGoodkind belong to the fantasy of sword and magic.
The third category is "dark fantasy". The so-called "dark fantasy" is to add various terrorist elements to create a thrilling effect. There are two kinds of "dark fantasy", the first one is like horror literature, and the second one is full of darkness and depression. Rebellious heroes often appear in "dark fantasies" and are described by the author as ugly and weak, always enemies of mankind. StephenKing's Tower of Darkness, StevenDonaldson's Chronicle of Temscoornew and MichaelMoorcock's Winner Forever all belong to "dark fantasy".
The fourth category is "historical fantasy", which often happened in a certain period in the past, mostly in the Middle Ages. Popular settings are Irish, Druids and ancient stone pillars; Nordic mythology and Scandinavian folklore, including Valkyria, Odin and the Virgin; Castles, templars, witch hunters and so on in western Europe. AliceBorchardt's Silver Wolf, MarionEleanorZimmerBradley's Fog of Avalon and KatherineKerr's Deverry all belong to "historical fantasy". Greek mythology and Roman mythology laid the foundation for historical fantasy and left a far-reaching impact. Many contemporary fantasy novel have the background of gods fighting each other, and most of them are influenced by Greek, Roman, Nordic myths and history.
The fifth category is "modern fantasy", which is set in the modern world, such as "NewYork" in 1995. Modern Fantasy often presents fantasy and reality alternately, and magic may not be important in this category. Peter Pan is a standard example. Harry Potter can also be regarded as a category.
The sixth category is "easy fantasy", full of humorous adventures, often some sketches. TerryPratchett's Disc World and PiersAnthony's Xanth belong to "easy fantasy".
The seventh category is fantasy specially written for children, including philip pullman's Dark Matter, ursula Laijin's Earthsea Trilogy, Peter Eagle's The Last Unicorn, Gasnix's Sabriel, Lloyd Laisende's Chronicle of Pridan, and Cliff Stebb Ruiz's Nair.
The relationship between fantasy, fantasy and magic
The relationship between fantasy and fantasy should be subordinate, in other words, fantasy belongs to fantasy.
Generally speaking, illusion focuses on eastern cultivation, while magic focuses on western magic. Illusion is the sum of illusion and magic. Fantasy belongs to a type of novel, and fantasy and magic belong to a branch of fantasy.