Fantasy

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The Fantastique is a French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with science fiction, horror and fantasy. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Fantastic art is an art genre The parameters of fantastic art has been fairly rigourously defined in the scholarship on the subject Many Anime TV series movies and OAVs fall into the Fantasy genre Fantasy art is a genre of Art that depicts The definition of a fantasy author is somewhat diffuse and a matter of opinion – Jules Verne considered H A number of Fantasy themed Comic books exist For example Elfquest Monster allergy W A fantasy fiction magazine or fantasy magazine is a Magazine which publishes primarily Fantasy fiction. Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes usually involving magic, Supernatural events make-believe creatures or exotic Fantasy worlds Fantasy literature is Fantasy in written form Historically speaking the majority of fantasy works have been literature Fantasy television is a genre of Television featuring elements of the Fantastic, often including magic, Supernatural forces or exotic Fantasy Though the Fantasy genre in its modern sense is less than two centuries old its antecedents have a long and distinguished history Though The Fantasy Genre has spawned many new Subgenres with no clear counterparts in the myths or Folklore upon which the tradition of fantasy storytelling is There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises This article is about the word for other meanings see Quest (disambiguation A quest is a journey towards a goal used in Mythology A magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature (often known as "fabulous creatures" in historical literature Lovecraftian horror is a sub-genre of horror Fiction which emphasizes the Psychological horror of the unknown (in some cases unknowable over gore or other A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic Magic in Fiction is the endowing of Fictional characters or objects with magical powers. Tolkien fandom is an international informal community of fans of the works of J This article is a general introduction to French literature For detailed information on French literature in specific historic periods see the separate historical articles in the French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Medieval French literature is for the purpose of this article Literature written in Oïl languages (particularly Old French and early Middle For more information on historical developments in this period see Renaissance, History of France, and Early Modern France. French literature of the 17th century &mdashthe so-called Grand Siècle &mdashspans the reigns of Henry IV of France, the Regency of Marie de Medici French literature of the 18th century usually refers to the literature written between 1715, the year of the death of King Louis XIV of France, and 1798 the year French literature of the nineteenth century is for the purpose of this article literature written in French from (roughly 1799 to 1900 French literature of the twentieth century is for the purpose of this article literature written in French from (roughly 1895 to 1990 Contemporary French literature is French literature roughly from the 1990s to Today. Francophone literature is Literature written in the French language. This is an article about Literature in Quebec. 16th and 17th centuries During this period the society of New France was being Post-colonial literature (or "Postcolonial literature" sometimes called "New English literature(s" is a body of literary writings that reacts to the discourse The Culture of Haiti encompasses a variety of Haitian traditions from native Taino customs to practices imported during French colonisation and Spanish Chronological list of French language authors (regardless of nationality by date of birth French poetry is a category of French literature. It may include Francophone poetry composed outside France and poetry written in other Languages of French science fiction is a substantial genre within French literature. Franco-Belgian comics are Comics that are created in Belgium and France. Naturalism is a movement in Theatre, film, and Literature that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century Art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives and that this essence follows from their existence The nouveau roman ( French: "new novel" is a type of 1950s French Novel that diverged from classical literary genres The Theatre of the Absurd ( French: Théâtre de l'Absurde) is a designation for particular plays written by a number of primarily European Playwrights Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of Literature and of the methods for analyzing literature Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his Stage name, Molière, ( January 15, 1622 – February 17 1673) was a French Jean Racine ( ( December 22, 1639 &ndash April 21, 1699) was a French Dramatist, one of the "big three" of Henri-Marie Beyle ( January 23, 1783 &ndash March 23, 1842) better known by his Pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century Gustave Flaubert (gystaːv flobɛːʁ in French ( December 12, 1821 &ndash May 8, 1880) was a French writer who is counted among Émile François Zola ( (2 April 1840 &ndash 29 September 1902 was an influential French Writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (maʁsɛl pʁust (10 July 1871 &ndash 18 November 1922 was a French Novelist Essayist and Critic Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet Albert Camus ( (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960 was an Algerian born French Author, philosopher, and journalist who won the Nobel prize French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction In Film theory, genre refers to the primary method of film categorization based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting

The fantastique is a substantial genre within French literature. This article is a general introduction to French literature For detailed information on French literature in specific historic periods see the separate historical articles in the Arguably dating back further than English fantasy, it remains an active and productive genre which has evolved in conjunction with anglophone fantasy and horror and other French and international literature. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting An Anglophone (or anglophone) is someone who speaks the English language. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people

Contents 1 Definition 2 History 2.1 The Middle Ages 2.2 The Renaissance 2.3 The Age of Enlightenment 2.4 19th Century 2.4.1 Romans Noirs 2.4.2 Fantastique Populaire 2.4.3 Fantastique Littéraire 2.5 20th century prior to WWII 2.5.1 Fantastique populaire 2.5.2 Fantastique Littéraire 2.6 20th Century post WWII 3 Awards 4 References 5 See also

Definition

What is distinctive about the fantastique is the intrusion of supernatural phenomena into an otherwise realist narrative. The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events Realism in the Visual arts and Literature is the depiction of subjects as they appear in Everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation It evokes phenomena which are not only left unexplained but which are inexplicable from the reader's point of view. In this respect, the fantastique is somewhere between fantasy, where the supernatural is accepted and entirely reasonable in the imaginary world of a non-realist narrative, and magic realism, where apparently supernatural phenomena are explained and accepted as normal. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Magic realism, or magical realism, is an artistic Genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" Instead, characters in a work of fantastique are, just like the readers, unwilling to accept the supernatural events that occur. This refusal may be mixed with doubt, disbelief, fear, or some combination of those reactions.

Fantastique literature is often considered close to science fiction. However, there is an important difference between the two: science fiction is situated in a different time and/or place from the reader, and seemingly irrational events are actually held to be rational in the framework of future or perhaps alien science and technology.

The Fantastique is often linked to a particular ambiance, a sort of tension in the face of the impossible. There is often a good deal of fear involved, either because the characters are afraid or because the author wants to provoke fright in the reader. However, fear is not an essential component of fantastique.

Some theorists of literature, such as Tzvetan Todorov, contend that the fantastique is defined by its hesitation between accepting the supernatural as such and trying to rationally explain the phenomena it describes. Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of Literature and of the methods for analyzing literature Tzvetan Todorov (Цветан Тодоров (born on March 1 1939 in Sofia) is a Franco - Bulgarian Philosopher. In that case, the fantastique is nothing more than a transitional area on a spectrum from magic realism to fantasy and does not qualify as a separate literary genre.

Fantastique is a term that has also been used to describe many television series and various films. A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U

History

The Middle Ages

The fantastique began to become defined in the Middle Ages. The old Celtic, Frankish and Germanic myths were translated from religion (implying belief and worship) into popular folklore (implying belief but not worship). Celtic mythology is the Mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the Religion of the Iron Age Celts Like other Iron Age The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic See also Mythology Myth is derived from the Greek word μύθος mythos, which simply means 'story' A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a Proposition or Premise to be true This article refers to the religious act For the album by Michael W History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological

The root of modern thought about and artistic depiction of many things which are today often termed 'supernatural' (such as angels, demons, fairies, witches, et cetera) has its beginnings in this period, often called the Middle Ages. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers Concepts and characters such as Melusine, Harlequin, Oberon, Morgan Le Fay, et cetera, were first given their definitive shapes at this time. Melusine (or Melusina) is a figure of European Legends and Folklore, a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers Harlequin ( Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French) is the most popular of the Zanni or comic servant characters from Oberon, also Auberon, King of Shadows and Fairies, is best known as a character in William Shakespeare 's play A Midsummer Night's Dream Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgane, Morgain, Morgana and other variants is a powerful sorceress and Antagonist of

Significant contributions of the times include:

• The Chansons de geste [Songs of Deed] such as La Chanson de Roland [The Song Of Roland] (c. The chansons de geste, Old French for "songs of Heroic deeds lineages" are the epic poems that appear at the dawn of French literature The Song of Roland (La Chanson de Roland is the oldest remaining major work of French literature. 1100), Le Roman de Tristan et Iseult [The Novel Of Tristan & Ysolde] (c. The legend of Tristan and Iseult is an influential romance and tragedy retold in numerous sources with as many variations 1170), Lancelot, ou Le Chevalier à la Charette [Lancelot, or The Knight With A Cart] (c. In the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot ( Lancelot du Lac, also Launcelot) is one of the Knights of the Round Table. 1177) and Perceval, ou le Conte du Graal [Perceval, or The Tale Of The Grail] (c. Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur 's legendary Knights of the Round Table. 1182), both by Chrétien de Troyes. Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and Trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century.
• Between 1215 and 1235, Robert de Boron, a successor of Chrétien de Troyes, published Histoire du Saint-Graal [The Story Of The Holy Grail], Histoire de Merlin [The Story Of Merlin], Le Livre de Lancelot du Lac [The Book Of Lancelot Of The Lake], La Quête du Saint-Graal [The Quest For The Holy Grail] and La Mort du Roi Arthu [The Death Of King Arthur]. Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts "Bouron" "Beron" was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries originally from the village According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish plate or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders These books formed the basis for all subsequent Arthurian legends, and established the now well known origins of the Holy Grail as the vessel in which Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of Jesus Christ. Joseph of Arimathea was according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)
• The Fabliaux, satirical fables which relied on the tradition established by Aesop of using anthropomorphic animals such as Le Roman de Renart, generally attributed to poet Pierre de Saint-Cloud (c. A fable is a succinct story in prose or verse that features Animals Plants inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are Aesop (also spelled Æsop, from the Greek Αἴσωπος — Aisōpos) (620-560 BC) known only for the genre of Fables Reynard the Fox, also known as Renard, Renart, Reinard, Reinecke, Reinhardus, Reynardt, Reynaerde 1175). (By the 14th century, Le Roman de Renart included over 30 books. )
• Medieval poetry which often employed the supernatural as a mean of literary artifice, such as Le Roman de la Rose [The Romance Of The Rose] by Guillaume de Lorris (c. The Roman de la rose is a medieval French poem styled as an allegorical dream vision Guillaume de Lorris (fl 1230 was a French scholar and Poet, and was the author of the first section of the Romance of the Rose. 1230), the ballads of Marie de France (c. Marie de France ("Mary of France" was a Poet evidently born in France and living in England during the late 12th century 1170), Le Jeu de la Feuillée [The Game Of The Leaves] (c. 1275) by Adam de la Halle, and the anonymous Le Livre de la Fontaine Périlleuse [The Book Of The Perilous Fountain] (c. Adam de la Halle, also known as Adam le Bossu ( Adam the Hunchback) (1237?-1288 was a French -born Trouvère, Poet and Musician 1425).
• The religious dramas called Mysteries and Miracles which often took several days to perform, and included spectacular stage effects, such as Le Jeu d'Adam [Play Of Adam]; La Résurrection du Sauveur [Our Savior's Resurrection]; Le Jeu de Saint Nicolas [Play Of Saint Nicolas] by Jean Bodel d'Arras and the monumental Le Mystère de la Passion [Mystery Of The Passion, or Passion Play] by Arnoul Gréban, organist and choirmaster of Notre Dame de Paris. Mystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in Medieval Europe. NotreDameFlyingButtressjpg|right|thumb|250px|Notre Dame de Paris Flying Buttress]] Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic Cathedral on the eastern half of the

The Renaissance

The 16th century was marked by the emergence of new ideas and literary trends, often as a reaction against what was perceived as the "obscurantism" of the Middle Ages. Among the factors which contributed to the Renaissance were: the discoveries of new continents, new scientific and technical discoveries, and Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press which made the greater circulation of literary works possible. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg ( 1398 &ndash February 3, 1468) was a German Goldsmith and printer who is credited

The Renaissance bloomed in France during the reign of King Francis I who created a favorable environment for the development of letters, arts and sciences. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 It was during the French Renaissance that proto-science fiction first split from the fantastique. The traditional fantastique derived from myths, legends and folklore also split into one form which continued the poetic tradition of the Middle Ages and eventually led to the Merveilleux [Marvelous] and the Contes de Fées or Fairy Tales, and the other, the darker side of the same literary coin, dealing with witchcraft and devil worship. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers Theistic Satanism also known as Traditional Satanism, is the belief that Satan is an actual Deity or force worthy of reverence or worship

Significant contributions of the times include:

• In his Odes (1550), poet Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585), founder of the literary group La Pleïade, often drew heavily on the superstitions of his native Vendômois country, writing about witches. Pierre de Ronsard ( 11 September, 1524 – December 1585 was a French Poet and "prince of poets" (as his own generation in France Then, at the peak of his literary fame, he devoted several of his more famous Hymnes (1552) to supernatural subjects such as "Daimons" and astrology. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems
• The classic novel L'Astrée [Astrea] (1607-27) by Honoré d'Urfé was obviously inspired by the prose romance of chivalry Amadis de Gaula, which had been circulating since the late 13th century, but reached its pinnacle when reassembled by Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. Honoré d'Urfé marquis de Valromey comte de Châteauneuf ( February 11, 1568 - June 1, 1625) was a French Novelist and Amadis de Gaula (original Castilian Spanish version ( English: Amadis of Gaul, Spanish: Amadís de Gaula Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo (or Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo) (died 1504 was a Spanish author who arranged the modern version of the chivalric romance
• Famous playwright Pierre Corneille's lesser-known but classic tragedies, Médée (1635) and Circé (1675), popularized warlocks and witches as the deus ex machina of French theater. Pierre Corneille ( June 6, 1606 – October 1, 1684) was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth Century French
• The Malleus Maleficarum spawned a number of French imitations, among which were Jean Bodin's La Démonomanie des Sorciers [Demonology Of Sorcerers] (1580) and Le Fléau des Démons et ses Sorciers [Plague Of Demons And Sorcerers] (1616). The Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for "The Hammer of Witches" or "Hexenhammer" in German is a famous treatise on Witches written in 1486 by Jean Bodin ( 1529 / 1530 &ndash1596was born in Angers France and became a French Jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parlement

The Age of Enlightenment

The 18th century was known as the Siècle des Lumières ("Century of Lights"), or Age of Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Starting with the accession to the throne in 1643 of Sun King Louis XIV, France entered a period of political, artistic and scientific grandeur, before settling into the decadent reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent Louis XV (15 February 1710 &ndash 10 May 1774 ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774 Louis XVI ( 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) Louis-Auguste de France, ruled as King of France and Navarre Enlightenment could arguably be said to have started with René Descartes in 1637 with his Le Discours de la Méthode ("Discourse on Methods") or in 1687 when Isaac Newton published his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica ("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"). Organization How to think correctly The Method of Science Morals Maxims deduced from this Method Proof of God and the Soul Physics the heart Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (ˈnjuːtən 4 January 1643 31 March 1727) Biography Early years See also Isaac Newton's early life and achievements The Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica ( Latin: "mathematical principles of natural philosophy" often Principia

Baroque (whether in the form of novels, plays or even operas) was the link between the Merveilleux of the Renaissance and the more formalized fairy tales of the Enlightenment period. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto The undeniable popularity of the genre was, in great part, attributable to the fact that Fairy Tales were safe; they did not imperil the soul — a serious concern for a nation which had just come out of an era of great religious persecution — and they appropriately reflected the grandeur of the Sun King's reign. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs of affiliations.

The precursor in the genre was Madame d'Aulnoy who, in 1690, introduced in her rambling novel Histoire d'Hyppolite, Comte de Douglas ("Story Of Hippolyte, Count Of Douglas"), a fairy tale entitled L'Île de la Félicité ("The Island Of Happiness"). Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville Baronne d'Aulnoy (1650/1651&ndash 4 January 1705) was a French Writer known for her Fairy tales

Significant contributions of the times include:

• In 1697, Charles Perrault, until then a renowned literary figure, a champion of sciences, released under his son's name Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé ("Histories or Tales Of Past Times") a. k. a. Contes de ma Mère l'Oie ("Tales Of Mother Goose"). Mother Goose is a well-known figure in the Literature of Fairy tales and Nursery rhymes Mother Goose is best known in the United States, in the In it, Perrault had carefully collected a number of popular folk tales and legends, such as Cendrillon aka Cinderella, La Belle au Bois Dormant aka Sleeping Beauty, Peau d'Âne aka Donkey Skin, Le Petit Chaperon Rouge ("Little Red Riding Hood"), Barbe-Bleue ("Bluebeard"), Le Chat Botté ("Puss in Boots"), etc. Cinderella ( French: Cendrillon, Slovak: Popoluška, German: Aschenputtel, Spanish: Cenicienta Sleeping Beauty ( "La Belle au Bois dormant" (The Beauty asleep in the wood is a Fairy tale classic the first in the set published in 1697 by Donkeyskin ( French: Peau d'Âne) is a French Fairy tale told by Charles Perrault. Little Red Riding Hood is a famous fairy tale about a young girl's encounter with a wolf Bluebeard is the title character in a famous Fairy tale about a violent nobleman and his curious wife
• Madame d'Aulnoy followed suit with a three-volume collection simply entitled Contes de Fées Fairy Tales, and then her Contes Nouveaux ou Les Fées à la Mode ("New Tales or Fairies In Fashion") (1898-1702). A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Her best-remembered stories are L'Oiseau Bleu ("The Blue Bird"), La Chatte Blanche ("Puddocky"), and Le Nain Jaune ("The Yellow Dwarf"), which spawned a popular board game. For other literary works called The Blue Bird or L'Oiseau Bleu see The Blue Bird. " Puddocky " is a German Fairy tale. A variant " Cherry," was collected by the Brothers Grimm, and in French, The Yellow Dwarf is a French literary Fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. A board game is a Game in which counters or pieces that are placed on removed from or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface usually specific to that game
• The The Book of One Thousand and One Nights were "translated" into French — and quite possibly made up from very thin or non-existent sources as no earlier Arabic manuscripts of Aladdin and Ali Baba are known to exist — by Antoine Galland from 1704 to 1717. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Aladdin (an Anglicisation of the Arabic name (originally Syrian Alāʼ ad-Dīn, Arabic: علاء الدين literally "nobility of the faith" Ali Baba ( Arabic, Persian: علي بابا is a Fictional character based in Ancient Arabia. Antoine Galland ( April 4, 1646 &mdash February 17, 1715) was a French Orientalist and Archaeologist, most
• In Zadig (1747), Voltaire mocked his contemporaries' predilection for the Fairy Tales, while making use of the same literary devices
• Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, whose classic La Belle et la Bête ("Beauty and the Beast"; 1757) has transcended the ages, authored forty collections of tales (dubbed "Magasins" or "Stores", hence the English word magazine), published in London between 1750 and 1780. Zadig ou La Destinée, (" Zadig or The Book of Fate " ( 1747) is a famous Novel written by Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire François-Marie Arouet ( 21 November 1694 30 May 1778) better known by the Pen name Voltaire, was a French Jeanne Marie Le Prince de Beaumont (born Rouen, France in 1711 died Chavanod, Savoie, in 1780 was a French Novelist. Beauty and the Beast ( French: La Belle et la Bête) is a traditional Fairy tale (type 425C -- search for a lost husband -- in the Aarne-Thompson Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. La Belle et la Bête was, itself, based on an earlier fairy tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Gallon de Villeneuve, included in her collection Les Contes Marins ou La Jeune Américaine ("Sea Stories or The Young American Girl"; 1740).
• Jacques Cazotte, who had started as a writer of Fairy Tales, such as La Patte du Chat ("Cat's Paw"; 1741) and Les Mille et Une Fadaises ("A Thousand and One Silly Stories"; 1742), soon tired of it and ended up writing darker tales. Jacques Cazotte ( October 17, 1719 &ndash September 25, 1792) was a French Author.
• Chevalier Charles-Joseph de Mayer gathered the best Fairy Tales of the times and released a forty-one volume anthology entitled Le Cabinet des Fées ("The Fairies' Cabinet"), published in Amsterdam and Geneva between 1785 and 1789 — the first specialized fantasy imprint ever published. ANThology is the first Major label album by Alien Ant Farm released on March 6, 2001 in the USA and March 19 Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking In the Publishing Industry, an imprint can refer to two different things It can mean a Brand name under which a work is published

In this fashion, the literary evolution of the Fairy Tales paralleled that of French Royalty, with the decadence and corruption of Louis XV replacing the aristocratic grandeur of Louis XIV. Writers like Cazotte embodied the transition between the Fairy Tales and a darker and grimmer fantastique.

As the spiritual influence of the Church waned, thinkers dreamed of new faiths. Many of these based their thinking on occult knowledge allegedly handed down through the ages, from the Orient to the Knights Templar and, finally, to the Freemasons and the Rosicrucians who flourished during the Age of Enlightenment. The Orient is a term which simply means the " East " It originated in Western Asia to describe that part of the world The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order The term Rosicrucian (symbol the Rose Cross) describes a secret society of mystics allegedly formed in late mediaeval Germany, holding a doctrine "built on

• In 1670, the Abbé Nicolas-Pierre-Henri de Montfaucon de Villars published the thinly-disguised occult fiction, Le Comte de Gabalis ("The Count Of Gabalis"), sub-titled Entretiens sur les Sciences Secrètes ("Conversations On Secret Sciences"). Having disclosed secret knowledge allegedly led to the Abbott's murder by Rosicrucians in 1675.
• In 1731, the Abbé Jean Terrasson wrote Séthos, Histoire ou Vie Tirée des Monuments, Anecdotes de l'Ancienne Égypte ("Story or Life Drawn from Monuments & Anecdotes from Ancient Egypt"), whose pseudo-Egyptian and occult themes were later tapped by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for his opera The Magic Flute. The Magic Flute (German Die Zauberflöte, K 620 is an Opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Cazotte's Le Diable Amoureux ("The Devil In Love"; 1772) was sub-titled un roman fantastique, the first time in literary history that a work was so labeled. Le Diable Amoureux could be considered the first modern French horror novel. Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience In it, a young nobleman conjures up a demon who assumes the shape of a beautiful woman. The supernatural was not treated as a fantasmagory, or for satirical or philosophical purposes. It was intended to be real and to induce fear in the reader.
• Another work in the same vein was Vathek, a novel written directly into French in 1787 by English-born writer William Thomas Beckford. Vathek (alternatively titled Vathek an Arabian Tale or The History of the Caliph Vathek) is a Gothic novel written William Thomas Beckford ( 1 October 1760 &ndash 2 May 1844) usually known as William Beckford, was an English Novelist A Byronic figure steeped in occult knowledge and sexual perversions, Beckford allegedly wrote his novel non-stop in three days and two nights in a state of trance. An altered state of consciousness, (ASC also named altered state of mind is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking Beta wave state
• Finally, in 1813, the very strange Le Manuscrit Trouvé à Saragosse ("The Manuscript Found in Saragossa") was published. The Manuscript Found in Saragossa (original French title Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse; also known in English as The Saragossa Manuscript Like Vathek, it was written directly into French by a non-French writer, the Polish count and scientist Jan Potocki. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Biography Jan Potocki (pronounced 'Pototski' was born in 1761 into the great Potocki family an old aristocratic family which owned vast estates in Poland

19th Century

The 19th century was a period of great turmoil in French history. After the French Revolution, France successively experienced Napoléon's First Empire, the Bourbon Restoration, the Second Republic, Napoleon III's Second Empire and the Third Republic. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Following the ousting of Napoleon I of France in 1814 the Allies restored the Bourbon Dynasty to the French throne History Revolution of 1848 See also Mid-nineteenth century France The industrial population of the Faubourgs Napoléon III, also known as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (full name Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte) (20 April 1808 9 January 1873 was the first President This article is about the Second Empire architectural style For France during the reign of Napoleon III of France, see Second French Empire The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe During the First and Second Empires, periods of proud, military glory alternated with crushing, humiliating defeats. It was in this ever-boiling cauldron of historical upheaval that French literature exploded into a bouquet of heretofore unknown and abundant colors -- and so did the fantastique.

French fantastique writers of the 19th century were diversely influenced by the English Gothic novel writers, especially Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Gregory Lewis and Charles Maturin, German author E. T. A. Hoffmann and composer Richard Wagner, American writer Edgar Allan Poe, British poets Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde. Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Ann Radcliffe ( July 9, 1764 – February 7, 1823) was an English Author, a pioneer of the gothic novel. ( 9 July 1775 &ndash 14 May 1818) was an English Novelist and Dramatist, often referred to as "Monk" Charles Robert Maturin, also known as CR Maturin ( September 25, 1782 in Dublin – October 30, 1824 in Dublin was an Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann ( January 24, 1776 &ndash June 25, 1822) better known by his Pen name E Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of

It was during this incredibly rich century that we started seeing a split between the more lurid and exploitative fantastique dubbed fantastique populaire, and the more literary forms adopted by mainstream writers, dubbed fantastique littéraire.

Romans Noirs

As the 19th century was about to begin, the English gothic novels hit the French literary scene with a bang. Their extravagant and macabre nature tapped into the emotions released during the French Revolution, and eventually helped the genre to seamlessly evolve into the more modern forms of the fantastique.

Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, the English gothic writers helped launch a wave of what the French called romans noirs [black novels], or romans frénétiques [frantic novels], which became the first sub-genre of popular literature. Notable works in that category include:

• Coelina, ou l'Enfant du Mystère [Coelina, or The Child Of Mystery] (1799) by François-Guillaume Ducray-Duminil.
• Cyprien Bérard's Lord Rutwen ou les Vampires (1820), which was adapted into a stage play by Charles Nodier the same year, and starred John William Polidori's vampire character Lord Ruthven. Charles Nodier ( April 29, 1780 &ndash January 27, 1844) was a French Author who introduced a younger generation Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living See also Lord Ruthven for historic individuals with the title Lord Ruthven.
• Falthurne (1820) by Honoré de Balzac, a novel about a virgin prophetess who knows occult secrets that date all the way back to Ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding Also of note by Balzac: Le Centenaire [The Centenarian], inspired by Melmoth the Wanderer (1822), L'Élixir de Longue Vie [The Elixir Of Long Life] (1830), Louis Lambert (1832), about a man seeking higher dimensions, the aptly-named La Recherche de l'Absolu [The Search For The Absolute] (1834), whose hero is an alchemist, and Melmoth Réconcilié [Melmoth Reconciled] (1835). Melmoth the Wanderer is a Gothic novel published in 1820 written by Charles Robert Maturin (uncle of Jane Wilde who was mother of Oscar
• Charles Nodier with Smarra ou les Démons de la Nuit [Smarra, or The Demons Of The Night] (1821), a series of terrifying dream-based tales. Charles Nodier ( April 29, 1780 &ndash January 27, 1844) was a French Author who introduced a younger generation Nodier's masterpiece was La Fée aux Miettes [The Crumb Fairy] (1832). In it, a young carpenter is devoted to the eponymous Fairy, who may be the legendary Queen of Sheba. The Queen of Sheba (ንግሥተ ሳባ, 'מלכת שבא, ملكة سبأ) was the woman who ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan In order to restore her to her true form, he searches for the magical Singing Mandragore. Nodier could rightfully lay claim to being one of the world's first "high fantasy" writers, sixty years before William Morris. William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896 was an English Architect, Furniture and Textile designer artist writer and socialist associated
• The three-volume La Vampire (1825) by Étienne-Léon de Lamothe-Langon which tells the story of a young Napoleonic army officer who bring his Hungarian fiancée home to later discover that she is a vampire, and Le Diable [The Devil] (1832) featuring the charismatic, evil Chevalier Draxel. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic
• Victor Hugo with Han d'Islande [Han Of Iceland] (1823), a bloody tale featuring a Viking warrior and a mythical bear, Bug-Jargal(1826) and the morbid and romantic L'Homme qui Rit aka The Man Who Laughs (1869) about a horribly disfigured man who lived in 17th century England. Victor-Marie Hugo ( ( February 26, 1802 – May 22, 1885) was a French Poet, Playwright, Novelist A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas The Man Who Laughs is a Novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title L'Homme qui rit. (Its 1928 film version, starring Conrad Veidt, was credited as the model for Batman's the Joker. Conrad Veidt ( January 22 1893 &ndash April 3 1943) was a German Actor, well known for his roles in such films as Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created The Joker is a fictional character appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics. )
• Frédéric Soulié with the classic Les Mémoires du Diable [The Devil's Memoirs] (1838) which combined the roman frénétique with the passions of the Marquis de Sade. Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, Marquis de Sade ( June 2, 1740 – December 2, 1814) ( was a French aristocrat

Fantastique Populaire

Eventually, the roman noir gave way to more modern forms of the fantastique. One was the feuilleton, stories serialized in daily instalments in newspapers; the other was the popular novel, published in inexpensive formats, catering to large audiences. Feuilleton (a Diminutive of French feuillet, the leaf of a book was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. In the true tradition of popular fiction, these were often considered cheap thrills, good only for the barely educated masses.

• Alexandre Dumas, père was finely attuned to the literary marketplace. The success of Hoffmann's Tales and of the Thousand And One Nights influenced him to write Les Mille et Un Fantômes [A Thousand And One Ghosts] (1849), an anthology of macabre tales. Dumas wrote his own version of Lord Ruthwen in Le Vampire (1851). Finally, in 1857, he penned one of the first modern werewolf stories, Le Meneur de Loups [The Leader Of Wolves]. See also Lycanthropy (disambiguation Werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, are mythological or folkloric humans with the ability to
• Edgar Quinet wrote Ahasvérus (1833), a lengthy and sophisticated poetic narrative about the Wandering Jew, and a remarkable book about Merlin, Merlin l'Enchanteur [Merlin The Enchanter] (1895). Edgar Quinet ( February 17, 1803 &ndash March 27, 1875) was a French Historian and Intellectual. Wandering Jew is a figure from medieval Christian folklore whose legend began to spread in Europe in the thirteenth century and became a fixture of Christian mythology
• Eugène Sue's own Wandering Jew narrative, Le Juif Errant [The Wandering Jew], was serialized in 1844-45. "Marie Sue" redirects here For the term in fan fiction see Mary Sue. Le Juif Errant (The Wandering Jew) is an 1844 novel by Eugène Sue. Dumas' Isaac Laquedem appeared in 1853.
• Paul Féval, père was a one of the most important fantastique writers of the period with Les Revenants [Revenants] (1853), La Fille du Juif Errant [The Daughter Of The Wandering Jew] (1864), the macabre La Vampire [The Vampire Countess] (1867), and La Ville Vampire [The Vampire City] (1874) which parodied Ann Radcliffe, making her the book's fictional heroine!

Fantastique Littéraire

On the more respectable side of the literary fence, the 19th century fantastique literature after 1830 was dominated by the influence of E. T. A. Hoffmann, and then by that of Edgar Allan Poe. Paul Henri Corentin Féval, père ( 29 September 1816 - 8 March 1887) was a French Novelist and Dramatist Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann ( January 24, 1776 &ndash June 25, 1822) better known by his Pen name E Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic,

• In 1839, Gérard de Nerval collaborated with Alexandre Dumas on L'Alchimiste [The Alchemist]. Gérard de Nerval (ʒeʁaːʁ də nɛʁval ( May 22, 1808 &ndash January 26, 1855) was the Nom-de-plume of the Mentally unhinged after a lover's death, Nerval developed an interest in mystical beliefs, especially in his book Les Illuminés. Note that after being institutionalized, his work began taking on an increasing visionary quality, though non-fantastique with Aurélia (1853-54) and Les Filles du Feu [Daughters of Fire] (1854).
• In La Morte Amoureuse (1836), Théophile Gautier told the story of a young priest who falls in love with a beautiful female vampire. La Morte Amoureuse is a Short story by written by Théophile Gautier and was published in La Chronique de Paris in 1836. See also Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( August 30, 1811 – October 23, 1872) was a French Poet, Dramatist In it, the vampire is not a soulless creature, but a loving and erotic woman. Gautier's Avatar (1857) and Spirite (1866) are roman spirites which deal with the theme of life after death.
• Prosper Mérimée's La Vénus d'Ille (1837), features a pagan statue that comes to life and kills a young groom on his wedding night
• Rustic legends of the Alsace were also the main source of inspiration of Émile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrian, a writing team who signed their works Erckmann-Chatrian. Prosper Mérimée ( September 28, 1803 &ndash September 23, 1870) was a French dramatist historian, archaeologist La Vénus d'Ille is a Short story by Prosper Mérimée. It was written in 1835 and published in 1837. Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern Erckmann-Chatrian was the name used by French authors Émile Erckmann (1822-1899 and Alexandre Chatrian (1826-1890 nearly all of whose works were jointly written Their first collection, Les Contes Fantastiques [Fantastic Tales] (1847), includes the classic short story L'Araignée Crabe [The Crab-Spider], about a blood-sucking lake monster with the body of a spider and the head of a man.
• Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly wrote tales of terror in which morbid passions are acted out in bizarre crimes, such as Les Diaboliques [The Diabolical Women] (written in 1858, published in 1874, no relation to the movie). Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly ( November 2, 1808 &ndash April 23, 1889) was a French Novelist and Short Also of note is L'Ensorcelé.
• In 1858, Gustave Flaubert produced what may very well be the first work of modern French heroic fantasy , Salammbô, a brash, colorful and exotic novel about ancient Carthage. Gustave Flaubert (gystaːv flobɛːʁ in French ( December 12, 1821 &ndash May 8, 1880) was a French writer who is counted among Salammbô (1862 is an Historical novel by Gustave Flaubert, which interweaves historical and fictional characters Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers
• Joris-Karl Huysmans created new dramatic templates for old concepts, such as the Devil, witchcraft, etc in books such as À Rebours [Backwards] (1884) and Là-Bas [Down There] (1891). Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans ( February 5, 1848 – May 12, 1907) was a French Novelist who published his works as À rebours (translated into English as Against the Grain or Against Nature) ( 1884) is a Novel by the
• Guy de Maupassant followed in the footsteps of Poe, and anticipated H. P. Lovecraft, becoming obsessed with the notion of slow descent into madness caused by fearsome otherworldly forces. Guy de Maupassant (gi də mopasɑ̃ (5 August 1850 &ndash 6 July 1893 was a popular 19th-century French Writer and considered one of the fathers of the modern Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy His masterpiece was Le Horla (1887), which was the basis for the 1963 film Diary of a Madman. " The Horla " (" Le Horla " is an 1887 short horror story written in the style of a journal by French writer Guy de Maupassant Diary of a Madman is a 1963 horror film directed by Reginald Le Borg. In it, it is revealed that Man shared the Earth with invisible beings of great powers to whom we are only cattle.
• The eclectic Villiers de l'Isle-Adam whose macabre Contes Cruels [Cruel Tales] (1883) and Tribulat Bonhomet (1887) were also inspired by Poe. Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam ( November 7, 1838 – August 19, 1889) was a French
• Marcel Schwob with the classic Le Roi au Masque d'Or [The King In The Golden Mask] (1892). (Mayer André Marcel Schwob, French writer was born in Chaville on 23 August 1867, died on 12 February 1905.
• Jean Lorrain, also obsessed with the nature of evil, with Buveurs d'Âmes [Soul Drinkers] (1893), "Les contes d'un buveur d'éther", the kabbalistic novel La Mandragore (1899) and Monsieur de Phocas (1901). Jean Lorrain ( August 29, 1855 - June 30, 1906) born Paul Duval, was a French Poet and novelist of the
• Octave Mirbeau's sadistic and mean-spirited tales of murders, cannibalism and ghostly revenge collected in Le Jardin des Supplices [Torture Garden] (1899). Octave Mirbeau ( February 16, 1848 in Trévières - February 16, 1917) was a French Journalist, Art critic The Torture Garden (Le Jardin des supplices is a novel written by the French journalist novelist and playwright Octave Mirbeau and was first published in 1899
• Belgian poet Maurice Maeterlinck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1911. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Count Maeterlinck ( August 29, 1862 - May 6, 1949) was a Belgian Poet, Playwright, The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature The author of the classic Pelléas et Mélisande (1892) wrote the perennial classic L'Oiseau Bleu [The Blue Bird] (1908), an allegorical fantasy conceived as a play for children. The Blue Bird ( L'Oiseau bleu) is a 1908 play by Maurice Maeterlinck.
• Also from Belgium, Franz Hellens, a precursor of the surrealists, displayed a lyrical, romantic approach to fantasy. Les Hors-le-Vent [The Out-Wind] (1909) and Nocturnal (1919) explored into the land of dreams, which he dubbed the "second life," while his novel Mélusine (1920) was generally considered a pre-surrealist novel. Dreams are the images sounds thoughts and feelings experienced while Sleeping, particularly strongly associated with Rapid eye movement sleep.

20th century prior to WWII

The confidence displayed by French Society in the early 1900s was sapped by the slaughter of World War I in which, out of 8 million Frenchmen drafted, 1. 3 million were killed and 1 million severely crippled. Large sections of France were devastated and industrial production fell by 60%. In French literature, the Dadaist and Surrealist movements exemplified that desire to break violently with the past

The split between fantastique populaire and fantastique littéraire was definitively formed. The former was written by writers walking in the footsteps of Dumas, Sue and Féval, the latter by successors of Hoffmann, Poe and the symbolists. Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century Art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts

Fantastique populaire

Between the wars, the fantastique populaire continued to cater to the masses by providing cheap entertainment in the form of feuilletons, pulp magazines such as Le Journal des Voyages (1877-1947), Lectures Pour Tous (1898-1940) and L'Intrépide (1910-1937) and paperbacks from publishers such as Ollendorff, Méricant, Férenczi and Tallandier. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Significant names of the times include:

• Belgian Jean Ray was, whithout a doubt, the most famous and influential author of fantastique of the period and is generally regarded by genre scholars as the French-language equivalent of Poe and Lovecraft. Jean Ray is the best-known Pseudonym among the many used by Raymundus Joannes de Kremer ( 8 July 1887 - 17 September 1964) Ray began his career as a pulp writer, using a variety of aliases, and had several stories published in Weird Tales. Weird Tales is an American Fantasy and Horror fiction Pulp magazine first published in March 1923. His gigantic output can be divided into three parts. Short stories steeped in the rich, mist-shrouded atmosphere of his native Flanders; a few novels, including the classic Malpertuis (1943) and rewritten translations of an unauthorized Sherlock Holmes pastiche, Harry Dickson. Harry Dickson is a fictional pulp detective born in America educated in London and was called The American Sherlock Holmes.
• Gaston Leroux with La Double Vie de Theophraste Longuet [The Double Life Of Theophraste Longuet] (1903), in which a retired merchant is possessed by the spirit of 18th century French highwayman Cartouche, the Hoffmannesque L'Homme qui a Vu le Diable [The Man Who Saw The Devil] (1908), the classic Le Fantôme de l'Opéra aka The Phantom of the Opera (1910) and Le Coeur Cambriolé [The Burglared Heart] (1920). Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux ( 6 May, 1868, Paris France &ndash 15 April, 1927) was a French Journalist The Phantom of the Opera (in French, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a French Novel by Gaston Leroux.
• Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre who unleashed their character Fantômas, the first modern sociopathic villain, in 1911. Marcel Allain (1885-1970 was a French Writer mostly remembered today for his co-creation with Pierre Souvestre of the Fictional arch- Villain Pierre Souvestre ( June 1, 1874 - February 26, 1914) was a French Lawyer, Journalist, Writer and organizer Fantômas is a Fictional arch- Villain and master criminal by French Writers Marcel Allain (1885–1970 and Pierre Antisocial personality disorder ( APD) is a Mental disorder.It is defined by the American Psychiatric Association 's Diagnostic and Statistical
• André de Lorde, nicknamed the "Prince of Terror", the French Stephen King of the times, a prolific playwright who wrote over one hundred and fifty plays for the Grand Guignol theater, collected in various volumes, including Théâtre d'Épouvante [Theater Of Horror] (1909), Théâtre Rouge [Red Theater] (1922), Les Drames Célèbres du Grand-Guignol [Famous Tragedies Of The Grand-Guignol] (1924) and Théâtre de la Peur [Theater Of Fear] (1924). André de Lorde, (1871-1933? born in France, was the chief author of the Grand Guignol plays from 1901-1926 Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American Author, Screenwriter, Musician, Columnist, The Grand Guignol ( pronounced giɲɔl was a theatre ( Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol) in the Pigalle area of Paris (at 20 bis rue
• Arthur Bernède, creator of Judex (1919) and Belphégor (1928). Arthur Bernède (1871-1937 was a French Writer and Playwright. Judex is a 1916 silent French movie serial created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède. Belphégor (English title The Mystery of the Louvre) is a 1927 Horror novel by French Writer Arthur Bernède, about a
• Claude Farrère, the first recipient of the French Prix Goncourt literary award, wrote La Maison des Hommes Vivants [The House Of Living Men] (1911) in which a sect of immortals, founded by the Count of St Germain, steals others' life forces in order to preserve their own immortality. Claude Farrère ( Lyon, April 27, 1876 – Paris, June 21, 1957) was a prolific French Author of The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given to the Author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year" The Count of St Germain ( fl 1710–1784 has been variously described as a Courtier, Adventurer, Charlatan, Inventor, Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of living in physical or spiritual form for an Infinite length of Time.
• One of the most distinctive genre writers of the 1930s, who also blended genres with deceptive facility, was Pierre Véry, whose mystery novels always incorporated surreal or supernatural elements. Some of his works squarely belonged in the fantasy genre, such as Le Pays sans Étoiles [The Starless Country] (1945) and Tout Doit Disparaître le 5 Mai [Everything Must Go On May 5th] (1961), a collection of fantastic tales.

Fantastique Littéraire

In French literature, the Dadaist and Surrealist movements exemplified the desire to break violently with the past, but the more conventional forms of the novel remained otherwise less innovative. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members The only new foreign influence was that of Henry James. Henry James, OM ( –) son of theologian Henry James Sr, brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James A non-literary influence, especially on the surrealists, was that of Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Some of the major contributors of the period include:

• Dadaism began as a nihilistic artistic movement that paralleled the political anarchist movements of the times. In France, it was heralded by Guillaume Apollinaire with L'Enchanteur Pourrissant [The Rotting Enchanter] (1909), a poetic dialog between Merlin and Viviane, and L'Hérésiarque et Cie. Guillaume Apollinaire (in French ɡijom apɔliˈnɛʁ ( August 26, 1880 &ndash November 9, 1918) was a French Poet (1910), a collection of short stories written between 1899 and 1910, dealing with a variety of fantasy themes such as magic, invisibility, etc.
• In La Révolte des Anges [The Revolt Of The Angels] (1914), Anatole France wrote a startling tale in which the Fallen angel Arcade schemes to organize a new revolt among the fallen angels who are living on Earth, posing as artists. Anatole France (16 April 1844—12 October 1924 born François-Anatole Thibault, Anatole France studied at the Collège Stanislas and after graduation In most Christian traditions a fallen angel is an Angel that has been Exiled or banished from Heaven.
• Guillaume Apollinaire was the first, true herald of surrealism. Guillaume Apollinaire (in French ɡijom apɔliˈnɛʁ ( August 26, 1880 &ndash November 9, 1918) was a French Poet By the time of his death, in 1918, he had made it possible for the never-ending search for the bizarre in literature to be viewed not just as an amusing but pointless game, but as a true method, a metaphysical quest, reflecting more profound concerns and higher literary ambitions.
• Blaise Cendrars openly declared his admiration for Gustave Le Rouge. Frédéric Louis Sauser ( September 1, 1887 &ndash January 21, 1961) better known as Blaise Cendrars, was a Swiss novelist and poet Gustave Henri Joseph Le Rouge (22 July 1867 Valognes - 24 February 1938 Paris was a prolific French writer who embodied the evolution of modern Science fiction His La Fin du Monde Filmée par l'Ange [The End Of The World Filmed By An Angel] (1919) and Moravagine (1926) are surrealist novels, the latter named after, and telling the story of, an evil madman whose crimes rival those of Fantômas, a character much appreciated by the Surrealists. Fantômas is a Fictional arch- Villain and master criminal by French Writers Marcel Allain (1885–1970 and Pierre
• Pierre Benoit's classic L'Atlantide (1919) was a superb variation on a theme introduced by H. Rider Haggard in She, and told the story of two French Officers who find the last city of Atlantis in the midst of the Sahara, and fall in love with its beautiful queen, Antinea. Pierre Benoit ( July 16 1886 - March 3 1962) was a novelist and member of the Académie française. Atlantida (L'Atlantide is a French Novel by Pierre Benoit published in February 1919 Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE ( 22 June 1856 &ndash 14 May 1925) was a prolific writer of Adventure novels set She A History of Adventure is a novel by H Rider Haggard, first serialized in The Graphic from October 1886 to January 1887 Atlantis (in Greek,, "island of Atlas " is the name of a Legendary Island, first mentioned in Plato 's dialogues The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest It was filmed several times. [1]
• The Faustian Marguerite de la Nuit [Marguerite Of The Night] (1922), by Pierre Mac Orlan, was also made into a film. Faust or Faustus ( Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky" is the protagonist of a classic German Legend in which he makes Pierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan (born Pierre Dumarchey February 26, 1882 - June 27 1970) was a French novelist and songwriter
• Jean Cocteau produced such acclaimed works as the poems of L'Ange Heurtebise [The Angel Heurtebise] (1925), the plays Orphée [Orpheus] (1926) and Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde [The Knights Of The Round Table] (1937), and the hauntingly beautiful and surreal 1945 film version of La Belle et la Bête aka Beauty and the Beast. Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 &ndash 11 October 1963 was a French Poet, Novelist, Dramatist, Designer, Boxing Orpheus ( Orphée) is a 1950 French film directed by Jean Cocteau and starring Jean Marais. Beauty and the Beast ( La Belle et la Bête) is a 1946 French romantic Fantasy film adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Le Prince
• Jules Supervielle, a writer of Basque descent, incorporated Hispanic vistas and fantasy themes in his novel L'Enfant de la Haute Mer [The Child From The High Sea] (1931). Jules Supervielle ( January 16 1884 - May 17 1960) was a French Poet and Writer born in Uruguay The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France.
• One of the greatest literary figures in Belgian history was eccentric playwright Michel De Ghelderode, a true visionary whose folkish morality plays and stories resonated with Hieronymus Bosch-like humor and fantasy. Michel de Ghelderode (1898 - 1962 was an Avant-garde Belgian Dramatist, writing in French. Hieronymus Bosch ( Dutch, born Jeroen Anthonissen van Aken c 1450 &ndash August 9, 1516) was an Early Netherlandish Magie Rouge [Red Magic] (1934) and La Ballade du Grand Macabre [The Ballad Of The Great Macabre] (1935) brought to life the macabre tradition of Flemish culture.
• Belgian author Henri Michaux created a series of novels which read like voyages extraordinaires of the surreal with Voyage en Grande Garabagne [Voyage In Great Garabagne] (1936), Au Pays de la Magie [In The Land Of Magic] (1941) and Ici, Poddema [Here, Poddema] (1946), creating imaginary lands, peopled with colorful inhabitants who followed strange customs. Henri Michaux ( May 24, 1899 - October 18, 1984) was a highly idiosyncratic Belgian Poet, Writer and painter
• Playwright Jean Giraudoux combined tragedy, humor and fantasy in Intermezzo (1937), where a timid ghost revolutionizes a small town, and Ondine (1939) about a water sprite who falls in love with a mortal. Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux ( August 15, 1882 &ndash January 31, 1944) was a French Novelist, Essayist, Diplomat
• Julien Gracq's first novel, Au Château d'Argol [At The Castle Of Argol] (1938) combined the effects of the roman noir with the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud. Julien Gracq ( July 27, 1910 &ndash December 22, 2007) born Louis Poirier in St "Rimbaud" redirects here For other uses see Rimbaud (disambiguation Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (ræm'boʊ or in French aʁtyʁ The book takes place in a Gormenghast-like castle where the young owner, his friend and the beautiful Heide spend their time playing morbid and decadent games. Gormenghast is a fictional castle of titanic proportions that features prominently in a series of fantasy works penned by Mervyn Peake. In 1951, Gracq published the brilliant Le Rivage des Syrtes [The Shores Of The Syrtes] (1951) which won the Prix Goncourt and takes place in the fictional country of Farghestan. The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given to the Author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year" A fictional country is a Country that is made up for fictional stories
• Finally, Marcel Aymé deserves a sprecial mention for his humorous and fantastic universe that combines wit and social satire with fantasy, in works such as Le Passe-Muraille [The Walker Through The Walls] (1943) about an obscure clerk who acquires the power to walk through solid objects and his animal fables, Les Contes du Chat Perché [The Tales Of The Crouching Cat] (1931). Marcel Aymé ( March 29, 1902 - October 14, 1967) was a French Novelist, Children's writer, humour writer and Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human

20th Century post WWII

World War II exacted both a huge physical and psychological toll on French culture. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including France’s defeat in 1940, followed by four years of occupation, confronted writers with choices they never before had to face. The discovery of the atom bomb and the Cold War introduced sharp new fears. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Mainstream French culture increasingly frowned upon works of imagination and preferred instead to embrace the more naturalistic and political concerns of the existentialists such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives and that this essence follows from their existence Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (21 June 1905 &ndash 15 April 1980 commonly known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (ʒɑ̃ pol saʁtʁə was a French Albert Camus ( (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960 was an Algerian born French Author, philosopher, and journalist who won the Nobel prize Yet, paradoxically, despite being marginalized by critics and the literary establishment, the fantastique thrived as never before, both in terms of quality and quantity.

Significant foreign influences on French modern fantastique include Franz Kafka, Jorge Luis Borges, H. P. Lovecraft, Dino Buzzati, Julio Cortazar, Vladimir Nabokov and Richard Matheson. Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy Dino Buzzati Traverso ( October 16, 1906 - January 28, 1972) was an Italian Novelist, Short story writer Julio Cortázar, born Jules Florencio Cortázar ( August 26, 1914 &ndash February 12, 1984) was an Argentine Author This page is about the novelist For his father the politician see Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov. Richard Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American Author and Screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror Other more recent influences included Stephen King, J. R. R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard (who did not become household names in France until the early 1980s). Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American Author, Screenwriter, Musician, Columnist, Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, The growth in popularity of heroic fantasy during the last decade is a tribute to the Americanization of world culture. Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of Fantasy literature which chronicles the tales of heroes and their conquests in imaginary lands

Some of the most interesting authors and works up to the 1980s are:

• Marcel Béalu's fantasy followed the path of Hoffman, Poe and Gérard de Nerval. Marcel Béalu was born in Selles-sur-Cher on October 30, 1908, and raised in impoverished circumstances in Saumur In his stories, hapless souls became slowly trapped in dream-like realities where inhuman forces held sway. L'Expérience de la Nuit [The Experience Of Night] (1945) deals with the power to see into other dimensions. L'Araignée d'Eau [The Water Spider] (1948) is about an impossible love between a man and a watery creature who slowly turns into a girl.
• Marcel Brion’s approach of the supernatural almost always referred to the romantic tradition and the search for a mystical absolute. His most famous collection of stories is Les Escales de la Haute Nuit [The Shore Leaves Of The Deepest Night] (1942).
• André Pieyre de Mandiargues' gift was to make the invisible visible with an implacable sense of logic and an almost maniacal precision. André Pieyre de Mandiargues ( March 14, 1909 - December 13, 1991) was a French writer born in Paris. His stories are collected in Le Musée Noir [The Black Museum] (1946) and Soleil des Loups [The Sun Of The Wolves] (1951).
• André Dhôtel used adolescents as protagonists to make us experience wondrous events, always presented in a disturbingly matter-of-fact way, in La Chronique Fabuleuse [The Fabulous Chronicle] (1955) and Le Pays où l'on n'arrive Jamais [The Unreachable Country] (1955).
• Noël Devaulx' own brand of fantastique relied of the intrusion of strange and unexplainable into everyday reality. His short stories were dubbed "parables without keys. " His best collections are L'Auberge Parpillon [The Parpillon Inn] (1945) and Le Pressoir Mystique [The Mystic Press] (1948).
• In 1954, publisher Fleuve Noir launched a dedicated horror imprint, Angoisse, which continued monthly until 1974, publishing a total of 261 horror novels, including books by Marc Agapit, B. -R. Bruss, Maurice Limat, Kurt Steiner, André Caroff's Madame Atomos series and Jean-Claude Carrière's series of Frankenstein novels. Maurice Limat ( September 23, 1914 - January 23, 2002) was a French Author of Science fiction. André Ruellan (Born 1922 is a French science fiction and horror Writer who has also used the pseudonym of Kurt Steiner, Kurt Wargar Madame Atomos is the name of a Fictional Villain who appears in a Book series of Novels written by French Writer André Jean-Claude Carrière (born September 17, 1931 in Colombières-sur-Orb, Hérault, France) is an award-winning Screenwriter Frankenstein in popular culture lists many ways the novel Frankenstein, and Frankenstein's monster, have influenced film TV games and popular culture
• The prolific Claude Seignolle's brand of fantastique was influenced by his “sorcerous childhood” spent in the misty plains of his native Sologne, and a terrifying encounter with the Devil incarnated in a local warlock which he claimed to have experienced at age 15 in 1932. Sologne ( Secalaunia from Lat secale, Rye) a region of north-central France extending over portions of the départements This conferred a real sense of authenticity to Seignolle’s books, which were almost devoid of any literary artifices. His major works include La Malvenue [The Illcome] (1952) and the collections Histoires Maléfiques [Maleficent Tales] (1965) and Contes Macabres [Macabre Stories] (1966).
• One writer who defied any attempt at classification was Pierre Gripari who first wrote truculent, colorful genre novels, such as La Vie, la Mort et la Resurrection de Socrate-Marie Gripotard [Life, Death And Resurrection Of Socrate-Marie Gripotard] (1968), about a Candide-like superman and L'Incroyable Equipée de Phosphore Noloc [The Incredible Voyage Of Phosphore Noloc] (1964), an homage to Jules Verne in which the hero discovers that our cosmos is really inside a woman's womb, before penning modern fairy tales such as Contes de la Rue Broca [Tales Of Broca Street] (1967), which became very popular in the 1980s. Pierre Gripari ( 7 January 1925 - 23 December 1990 in Paris) was a French writer --> Candide ou l'Optimisme (1759 is a French Satire by the Enlightenment Philosopher Voltaire, English translations of which
• Christia Sylf’s Kobor Tigan't (1969) and its sequel, Le Règne de Ta [The Reign Of Ta] (1971), take place 30,000 years ago, during the reign of the Giants, a mythical pre-Atlantean race. Christia Sylf was the Pseudonym of Christiane Léonie Adélaïde Richard, born 28 September 1924 in Paris, died on 28 November The novels tell of the conflict between the sorcerous Queen-Mother, Abim, and her daughters Opak, who rules Kobor Tigan’t, the five-levelled City of the Giants, and her sister, Ta. The world of Kobor Tigan’t is inhabited by a race of reptilian bisexual humanoids, theT’los, who are used as sex slaves by the Giants. The novels also features the crystal-like Elohim, messengers of alien powers from beyond. The Kobor Tigan’t novels cannot be compared to anything published in England or America. They contain erotic scenes as well as esoteric elements that one rarely finds in the literary worlds of Tolkien or Howard.
• Charles Duits belonged to the same rich and colorful tradition. Charles Duits (1925-1991 was a French Writer of the Fantastique. With Ptah Hotep (1971) and Nefer (1978), he wrote a heroic-fantasy saga that takes place on a parallel Earth with two moons -- Athenade and Thana -- during the time of Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire.

Other notable authors include:

• Pierre Barbet
• Michel Bernanos
• Jean-Louis Bouquet
• Serge Brussolo
• Christian Charrière
• Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud
• Lise Deharme
• Alain Dorémieux
• Michel Grimaud
• Nathalie Henneberg
• Thomas Owen
• Alain Paris
• Gérard Prévot
• Yves Rémy and Ada Rémy
• Jacques Sadoul
• Marcel Schneider
• Bernard Simonay
• Jacques Sternberg
• Roland Topor
• Julia Verlanger

Awards

Some Awards for French-language fantastique include or have includes the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (1974- ), the Prix Julia Verlanger (1986- ), the Prix Ozone (1977-2000) and the Prix Tour Eiffel (1997-2002). Pierre Barbet ( May 16, 1925 - July 20, 1995) was the main Pseudonym used by French science fiction Writer Claude Serge Brussolo (born May 31 1951) is a French writer Biography Born in Paris, Brussolo had a tormented childhood Lise Deharme (née Hirtz (1898-1979 was a French Writer associated with the Surrealist movement Nathalie Henneberg (1917-1977 was French science fiction Writer, a precursor of modern French Heroic fantasy. Thomas Owen (1749 &ndash May 1812 was a Welsh Anglican priest and translator of works on agriculture Jacques Sadoul (b 1934, in Agen) is a French author He has produced a number of anthologies on the history of Science fiction Jacques Sternberg ( April 17 1923, Antwerp, Belgium – October 11 2006, Paris) was a French -language Roland Topor ( January 7, 1938 — April 16, 1997) was a French Illustrator, painter, Writer and Gilles Thomas and Julia Verlanger were Pseudonyms of the female French science fiction Writer whose real name was Héliane Taïeb maiden name

Every year since 1994 the Fantastic'Arts festival awards Fantastique films in the French town of Gerardmer. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Fantastic'Arts is an international festival of the fantastic film which is held each year since 1994 in Gérardmer in the Vosges, France towards the end Gérardmer (ʒeʁaʁme Gerdsee or archaic Geroldsee) is a town and commune in the Vosges département, Lorraine

References

Source: The information contained in this article was excerpted from:

See also

• Fantasy
• Fantastic
• Science fiction
• French literature
• French science fiction
• Category:French fantasy writers

Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Fantastic is a literary term that describes a quality of other literary genres and in some cases is used as a genre in and of itself although in this case it is often conflated with the This article is a general introduction to French literature For detailed information on French literature in specific historic periods see the separate historical articles in the French science fiction is a substantial genre within French literature.

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