1. Fantasy
Elves and Dragons and Vampires,
oh my!

2. Definition
“A fiction evoking wonder and containing a
substantial and irreducible element of supernatural
or impossible worlds, beings or objects with which the
reader or the characters within the story become on
at least partly familiar terms. – CN Manlove in
Modern Fantasy [Genreflecting]

3. Characteristics
1. Magic Figures Prominently in the story
2. Story lines feature “good” (light) versus “evil”
(dark)
3. Characters often attain magical gifts
4. Characters may include mythical creatures
5. Detailed settings describe another world
6. Books start slowly with the setting of the scene
and involve large groups of characters.
7. Books are frequently part of a series.
[Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction]

4. The Big Three
CS Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia
JRR Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings
L. Frank Baum – The Wizard of Oz

5. Themes
Sword & Sorcery Contemporary
– Saga, Myth & Animals
Legend
Celebrity Characters
Time Travel &
Paranormal Powers
Crossing Over
Fantasy Blends
Fairy Tales
World of Faerie

6. Sword & Sorcery
Heroes/Heroines vs.
Villains/Evil
Good vs. Evil theme
Magic & the
Supernatural
Quests
Romance
Typically in trilogies or
series

7. Sagas, Myths & Legends
Sagas, Myths &
Legends
– The “created” world
is that of myth,
saga, or legend –
for example Greek,
Celtic, Chinese
– Arthurian Legend is
a very popular
backdrop

8. Time Travel & Crossing Over
Time Travel is usually inexplicable as
apposed to Science Fiction where it is “on
purpose”
In Crossing Over fantasies, the character
is magically transported from the “real”
world to a fantasy world.

9. Fairy Tales
Retelling of classic
tales often with a new
twist
Newly created stories
that have the “feel” of
a classic fairy tale

10. World of Faerie
Creatures with
magical powers
Faerie vs. the Human
world
Romance
Set in both fantastic
realms &
contemporary settings

11. Contemporary
Recognizable settings
Sometimes called “Low Fantasy” or
“Realistic Fantasy”
More accessible for some readers
Sub themes: Urban, Human condition,
realism

12. Animals
Play a role in most
fantasy stories in
some form or other
Unicorns and dragons
are popular as
subjects in their own
right.
“Common” animals
within created
societies

13. Celebrity Characters
Real-Life characters or fictional characters
brought to life in a fantasy world.
Some books in this genre may be
considered alternate history.

14. Paranormal Powers
Psionic Powers
– Telepathy – common
between humans and
animals in fantasy
– Telekenisis
– Precognition
Shapeshifting – Can take
on a different form -
Wereanimals
Immortality
Supernatural Beings

15. Fantasy Blends
Dark Fantasy
Fantasy Featuring Detection
Romantic Fantasy

16. Online Resources
• Fantasy Finder -
http://www.hoh.se/fantasyfinder/
• Diana Herald -
http://www.sff.net/people/dherald/
• SF Site - http://www.sfsite.com/home.htm
• The Linköping Science Fiction & Fantasy
Archive -
http://sf.www.lysator.liu.se/sf_archive/

17. Just for Fun
• Which Sci-Fi/Fantasy Character are you?
http://www.tk421.net/character/
• Hero Machine -
http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/hero
machine2/heromachine2.asp
• Name Generator -
http://rinkworks.com/namegen/ or
http://www.squid.org/tools/names/

18. Grace’s Must Reads
• The Eyre Affair
by Jasper Fforde
• Ink Heart by
Cornelia Funke
(YA)
• Guilty Pleasures
by Laurell K.
Hamilton
• Eragon by
Christopher
Paolini (YA)