Modern Fantasy
“It is imagination—with its capacity to both make
order out of chaos and open experience to the
mysterious and the strange—that moves us to
go in quest, to journey where we have never
been.” –Susan Cooper
Key Points
1. Modern fantasy is very diverse.
a. fairy tales
b. stories of magic
c. talking toys
d. quests for truth in made up lands
e. narratives about the future
f. suspense and supernatural stories
g. outer space and cyberspace
2. Even though they are diverse, almost all fantasy
stories are products of earlier forms of literature such
as folktales, myths, legends, etc. (traditional literature)
EX: Susan Cooper’s The Grey King
derives from Arthurian legends.
Christopher Paolini’s
Inheritance series comes
from dragon tales such as St.
George and the Dragon.
3.Fantasy stories “speak to our deepest needs,
our darkest fears, and our highest hopes.”
(Huck 352)
Children (and adults like me) are drawn to
fantasy because they bring out truths about
ourselves that can only be discovered in
literature, through our imaginations.
Elements of Modern Fantasy
1. It should have a well-constructed plot,
characters, theme, and style (It does
need to be a good story after all.)
2. It needs to be believable.
3. The story needs to be consistent.
4. All plots should be original, but also
ingenious and creative.
Types of Modern Fantasy
1. Animal Fantasy
a. includes stories with talking
animals, who often express very human
thoughts and feelings
b. often times the animals are main
characters, and they are acting as
“humans in disguise.”
Examples of Animal Fantasy
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• A Bear Called Paddington by Michael
Bond
• Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick KingSmith
2. Toys and Dolls
a. Toys and dolls, like in animal
fantasy come to life expressing human
thoughts, actions, feelings, etc.
b. Through toys and dolls fantasy,
children are able to imagine that their
own playthings can come to life too.
Examples of Toys and Dolls
Fantasy
• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery
Williams
• The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne
Reid Banks
• The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth
Winthrop
3. Eccentric Characters and Preposterous
Situations Fantasy
a. True imaginative, sometimes off-thewall circumstances, ideas, characters, etc.
that “occur in otherwise very normal settings.”
b. It is the “normal setting” of this form of
fantasy that makes the story so believable.
Examples of Fantasy with Eccentric Characters
and Preposterous Situations
• Pipit Longstocking stories by Astrid
Lindergren
• Mary Poppins stories by P.L Travers
• James and the Giant Peach and Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory by Roald
Dahl
4. Extraordinary Worlds
a. In fantasy stories that take place in
extraordinary worlds, characters start “in
the world of reality, [but] quickly move
into a world where the everyday
becomes extraordinary, yet still
believable.
Examples of Fantasy with Extraordinary
Worlds
• Harry Potter by J.K Rowling
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by
Lewis Carroll
• The City of Ember Jeanne DuPrau
• The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale
5. Magical Powers
a. Magical Powers does not always
mean that the characters have magical
powers themselves (although this is
often the case); it could also mean that
they posses a magical object, know a
spell or magical words, or are around
magical powers.
Examples of Fantasy and Magical
Powers
• Harry Potter by J.K Rowling
• The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale
• Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs by Betsy
Hearne
• The Book without Words by Avi
6. Suspense and the Supernatural
a. This form of fantasy involves
topics such as the occult, ghosts,
horror, etc.
b. The overall idea of
the supernatural is very hazy
between fantasy and real,
which is why it is so appealing
to readers.
Examples of Suspence and the
Supernatural
• The Chronicles of Faerie by
O.R.Melling.
• Dust by Arthur Slade
• The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw
7. Time-shift Fantasy
a. explores the universal wonder of
time traveling, or being stuck in one time
forever
b. The interest many readers have in
exploring other time periods is not just
“historical interest,” but a need to want
to “communicate” with others lives.
Examples of Time-Shift Fantasy
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
• Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa
Pearce
• The Court of the Stone Children by
Eleanor Cameron
8. Imaginary
Realms
a. In fantasy with imaginary realms, “believability” of
the fantasy is captured by setting up the plot in an
“imaginary society where kings and queens rule.” (again,
playing off traditional lit’s “once upon a time” setting).
b. This form of fantasy is often “lighter in tone” than
high fantasy, but still explores themes found in high fantasy
such as good versus evil, man’s search for himself, and
the quest
c. Imaginary Realms fantasy is a good “introduction”
into higher levels of fantasy because it allows the reader to
start where he/she is comfortable. (again ties into
traditional lit)
Examples of Imaginary Realms
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
• The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
9. High Fantasy (YEA!)
a. involves more serious and demanding themes,
plots, characters, etc, therefore involves more serious
readers of fantasy (inserting my opinion)
b. the stories often involve more than one or two
types of fantasy
c. usually the narratives are much longer, often
having sequels; the themes are universal (good
versus evil, etc.); and the characters (usually the main
character) has some destiny or quest to full-fill
High fantasy is also different because the
overall tone is not as humorous as other
forms of fantasy may be. This is
because the “purpose” of the story is
serious. “High fantasy concerns itself
with cosmic questions and ultimate
values: goodness, truth, courage,
wisdom.” (Huck 384)
Because high fantasy has such universal
themes, and because it incorporates so
many elements and types of fantasy, it
reaches a wider audience, from little
preschool kids to adults. It is imagination
at it’s highest. (inserting my opinion
again)
Examples of High Fantasy
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• The Great Tree of Avalon series by T.A.
Barron
• The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
10. And then there is Sci-Fi fantasy…
a. Sci-Fi, while considered fantasy, is in a
class all by itself. Sci-Fi has very distinct
features. Fantasy (specifically science
fantasy) “presents a world that never was and
never could be.” Science fiction, on the other
hand, “speculates on a world that, given what
we know of science, might just one day be
possible.
Science fiction is a relevant form of fantasy to explore,
especially given today’s technological advances. It is
important to SPECULATE and EVALUATE how future
advances could shape our society. Writer’s do this
through sci-fi fantasy stories.
“One of the values of science fiction is its ability to
develop children’s imagination and intuition…most
literature offers a view of society as is; science fiction
assumes a vastly different society” (Huck 390)
Types of Sci-Fi
• Through the Door
• Visitors to Earth
• Outer Space and Cyberspace
• Views of the Future
Examples of Sci-Fi
• The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom
Planet by Eleanor Cameron
• The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key
• Lost in Cyberspace by Richard Peck
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• The House of the Scorpion by Nancy
(Penelope?) Farmer
How to Evaluate Modern Fantasy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What are the fantasy elements?
How does the author make it believable?
Is the story logical and consistent?
Is the plot original and ingenious?
Is there a universal truth underlying the
metaphor of the fantasy?
6. How does the story compare to others?
--Huck p. 356
My Favorite Fantasy Stories
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•
•
•
•
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The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
The Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale
The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Stars Wars stories
The Lord of the Rings Series by J.R.R.
Tolkien
Other good ones….
• The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth
Winthrop
• The Inheritance Series by Christopher
Paolini
• The Shadow Children Series by
Margaret Haddix
Final Thoughts
Fantasy is not about believing or not
believing in the elements of the story—if
you limit yourself to only that, you will
never understand or appreciate fantasy.
Instead, fantasy should be about
exploring new worlds and new ideas and
in doing so, expanding your imagination
to a point where you discover new
things about yourself.