"The Enchanted Garden of Messer Ansaldo" by Marie Spartali Stillman: a tale from the Decameron is part of the evolution of the fantasy genre from tales of the fantastic. Marie Euphrosyne Spartali, later Stillman ( March 10 1844 &ndash March 6 1927) was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter of The Decameron (subtitle Prencipe Galeotto) is a collection of 100 Novellas by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, probably begun in

Though the fantasy genre in its modern sense is less than two centuries old, its antecedents have a long and distinguished history. 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 has spawned many new Subgenres with no clear counterparts in the myths or Folklore upon which the tradition of fantasy storytelling is The Fantastique is a French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with Science fiction, horror and Fantasy 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 Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Elements of the supernatural and the fantastic were an element of literature from its beginning. The hallmarks that distinguish the modern genre from tales that merely contain fantastic elements are the logic of the fantasy workings, the acknowledged fictitious nature of the work, and the authorship of the elements, rather than their source in folklore.

Works in which the marvels were not necessarily believed, or only half-believed, such as the European romances of chivalry and the tales of the Arabian Nights, slowly evolved into works that showed these traits. As a Literary genre of High culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic Prose and verse Narrative Such authors as George MacDonald created explicitly fantastic works. George MacDonald ( 10 December 1824 &mdash 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author poet and Christian minister

The publication of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien created an enormous influence on the writing of the field, establishing the form of epic fantasy and also did much to establish the genre of fantasy as commercially distinct and viable. The Lord of the Rings is an epic High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of Fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds.

Differences between fantasy and earlier fantastic works

See also: Sources of fantasy

Even the most fantastic myths, legends and fairy tales differ from modern fantasy genre in three respects:

Illustration to Orlando furioso, featuring the hippogriff, a monster never actually found in folklore. Though

Modern genre fantasy postulates a different reality, either a fantasy world separated from ours, or a hidden fantasy side of our own world. A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games In addition, the rules, geography, history, etc. of this world tend to be defined, even if they are not described outright. Traditional fantastic tales take place in our world, often in the past or in far off, unknown places. It seldom describes the place or the time with any precision, often saying simply that it happened "long ago and far away. " (A modern, rationalized analog to these stories can be found in the Lost World tales of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Lost World Literary genre is a Fantasy or Science fiction genre that involves the discovery of a new world out of time place or both )

The second difference is that the supernatural in fantasy is by design fictitious. In traditional tales the degree to which the author considered the supernatural to be real can span the spectrum from legends taken as reality to myths understood as describing in understandable terms more complicated reality, to late, intentionally fictitious literary works. ^[1]

Finally, the fantastic worlds of modern fantasy are created by an author or group of authors, often using traditional elements, but usually in a novel arrangement and with an individual interpretation. ^[1] Traditional tales with fantasy elements used familiar myths and folklore, and any differences from tradition were considered variations on a theme; the traditional tales were never intended to be separate from the local supernatural folklore. Transitions between the traditional and modern modes of fantastic literature are evident in early Gothic novels, the ghost stories in vogue in the 19th century, and Romantic novels, all of which used extensively traditional fantastic motifs, but subjected them to authors' concepts. Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. A ghost story may be any piece of Fiction, or Drama, that includes a Ghost, or simply takes as a Premise the possibility of ghosts or the belief Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the

By one standard, no work created before the fantasy genre was defined can be considered to belong to it, no matter how many fantastic elements it includes. By another, the genre includes the whole range of fantastic literature, both the modern genre and its traditional antecedents, as many elements which were treated as true (or at least not obviously untrue) by earlier authors are wholly fictitious and fantastic for modern readers. But even by the more limited definition a full examination of the history of the fantastic in literature is necessary to show the origins of the modern genre. Traditional works contain significant elements which modern fantasy authors have drawn upon extensively for inspiration in their own works.

The history of French fantastique literature is covered in greater detail under Fantastique. The Fantastique is a French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with Science fiction, horror and Fantasy

Development of fantasy

Romances

With increase in learning in the middle of the medieval European era, there appeared beside earlier myths and legends also literary fiction. Among the first to appear was the genre of romance. As a Literary genre of High culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic Prose and verse Narrative This genre embraced fantasy, and not only simply followed traditional myths and fables, but, in its final form, boldly created new marvels from the whole cloth. ^[2]

The Damsel of the Sanct Grael, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti: medieval romance. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882 was an English poet Illustrator, painter and Translator.

Romance at first dealt with traditional themes, above all three thematic cycles of tales, assembled in imagination at a late date as the Matter of Rome (actually centered on the life and deeds of Alexander the Great), the Matter of France (Charlemagne and Roland, his principal paladin) and the Matter of Britain (the lives and deeds of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, within which was incorporated the quest for Holy Grail). According to the mediæval poet Jean Bodel, the Matter of Rome was the literary cycle made up of Greek and Roman mythology The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of Legendary history that springs from the Old French Medieval literature The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the Legends that concern the Celtic and legendary History of Great Britain, especially those

The romances themselves were not entirely believed, but such tales as Valentine and Orson, Guillaume de Palerme, and Queste del Saint Graal were only the beginning of the fantasy genre, not fully removed from belief. Valentine and Orson is a romance which has been attached to the Carolingian cycle. Guillaume de Palerme ( "William of Palerne") is a French romance poem which has been translated into English The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend

Portrait of Isabella Saltonstall as Una, a character from The Faerie Queene, by George Stubbs. George Stubbs (born in Liverpool on August 25, 1724 &ndash died in London July 10, 1806) was a British

During Renaissance romance continued to be popular. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere The trend was to more fantastic fiction. The English Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory (c. Le Morte d'Arthur (spelled Le Morte Darthur in the first printing and also in some modern editions Middle French for la mort d'Arthur Sir Thomas Malory (c 1405 – 14 March 1471 was an English writer the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. 1408–1471), was written in prose; this work dominates the Arthurian literature, often being regarded as the canonical form of the legend. ^[3] Arthurian motifs have appeared steadily in literature from its publication, though the works have been a mix of fantasy and non-fantasy works. ^[4] At the time, it and the Spanish Amadis de Gaula (1508), (also prose) spawned many imitators, and the genre was popularly well-received, producing such masterpiece of Renaissance poetry as Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando furioso and Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme Liberata. Amadis de Gaula (original Castilian Spanish version ( English: Amadis of Gaul, Spanish: Amadís de Gaula Ariosto's tale, with its endlessly wandering characters, many marvels, and adventures, was a source text for many fantasies of adventure. ^[5] With such works as Amadis of Gaul and Palmerin of England, the genre of fantasy was clearly inaugurated, as the marvels are deployed to amaze and surprise readers. ^[1]

One English romance is The Faerie Queene of Edmund Spenser. The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590 and later in six books in 1596 Edmund Spenser (c 1552 &ndash 13 January, 1599) was an important English Poet and Poet Laureate best known for The The poem is deeply allegorical and allusive, Leaving allegory aside, however, the action is that of a typical knightly romance, involving knightly duels, and combats against giants and sorcerers. An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation That is probably the first work in which most of the characters are not men, but elves (although the difference seems to be rather little). An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming There are mentioned also the wars between goblins and elves, which were destined to have a great future in fantastic fiction. A goblin is an evil crabby or Mischievous Creature of Folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured or Gnome -like phantom An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming

The tale of Don Quixote deeply satirized the conventions of the romance, and helped bring about the end of this time of romance, although assisted by other historical trends in fiction. es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don ^[6] Nevertheless, large subgenres of the field of fantasy have sprung from the romance genre, either directly or through their imitation by latter fantasy writer William Morris. William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896 was an English Architect, Furniture and Textile designer artist writer and socialist associated ^[7]

The Enlightenment

Illustration by Gustave Doré to Perrault's Cinderella. Cinderella ( French: Cendrillon, Slovak: Popoluška, German: Aschenputtel, Spanish: Cenicienta

Literary fairy tales, such as were written by Charles Perrault, and Madame d'Aulnoy, became very popular, early in this era. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville Baronne d'Aulnoy (1650/1651&ndash 4 January 1705) was a French Writer known for her Fairy tales Many of Perrault's tales became fairy tale staples, and influenced latter fantasy as such. Indeed, when Madame d'Aulnoy termed her works contes de fée (fairy tales), she invented the term that is now generally used for the genre, thus distinguishing such tales from those involving no marvels. ^[8] This would influence later writers, who took up the folk fairy tales in the same manner, in the Romantic era. ^[6]

This era, however, was notably hostile to fantasy. Writers of the new types of fiction such as Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding were realistic in style, and many early realistic works were critical of fantasical elements in fiction. ^[9] Aside from a few tales of witchcraft and ghost stories, very little fantasy was written during this time. ^[6]

Romanticism

Lord Byron's Manfred. Manfred is a Dramatic poem written in 1816 – 1817 by Lord Byron.

In reaction to Enlightenment's cult of Reason, Romanticism highly prized the supernatural, tradition and imagination, together with the age in which they were supposed to rule - Middle Ages. 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 Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the These traits readily borrowed traditional elements of the fantastic. The Romantics invoked the medieval romance as justification for the works they wanted to produce, in distinction from the realistic pressure of the Enlightenment; these were not always fantastic, sometimes being merely unlikely to happen, but the justification was used even from fantasy. ^[10]

One of the first literary results of this fascinations was Gothic novel, a literary genre that began in Britain with The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole. Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 Novel by Horace Walpole. It is generally regarded as the first Gothic novel, and it was indeed the See also 1763 in literature, other events of 1764, 1765 in literature, List of years in literature. Horace Walpole 4th Earl of Orford ( 24 September, 1717 &ndash 2 March, 1797) more commonly known as Horace Walpole, was a politician It is the predecessor to both modern fantasy and modern horror fiction and, above all, has led to the common definition of "gothic" as being connected to the dark and horrific. Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience ^[6] Prominent features of gothic novels included terror, mystery, the supernatural, ghosts, haunted buildings, castles, trapdoors, doom, death, decay, madness, hereditary curses, and so on. The fanastic, dream-like atmosphere pervaded the genre at this point. ^[11] Gothic tales permitted, but did not require, an element of the supernatural. Some stories appeared to contain such elements and then explained them away. The genre straddled the border between fantasy and non-fantasy, but many elements from it, particularly the houses of particular import, being ancient, owned by nobles, and often endowed with legends, were incorporated in modern fantasy. ^[12]

Of particular importance to the development of the genre was that the Gothic writers used novelistic techniques, such as Defoe was using, rather than the literary style of the romance, and also began to use the landscape for purposes of expressing the characters' moods. ^[13]

Modern fantasy

The modern fantasy genre first took root during the 18th century with the increased popularity of fictional travelers' tales, influencing and being influenced by other early forms of speculative fiction along the way, finally unfurling in the 19th century from a literary tapestry of fantastic stories and gaining recognition as a distinct genre (mainly due to the nigh-ubiquitous recession of fantastic elements from "mainstream" fiction) in the late 1800s.

Early modern fantasy

John Tenniel's illustration for "A Mad Tea-Party", 1865

In the early Victorian era, stories continued to be told using fantastic elements, less believed in. Sir John Tenniel (28 February 1820 &ndash 25 February 1914 was an English Illustrator. Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, using novelistic characterization to make his ghost story plausible;^[14] Scrooge at first doubts the reality of the ghosts, suspecting them his own imagination, an explanation that is never conclusively refuted. A Christmas Carol in Prose Being a Ghost Story of Christmas (commonly known as A Christmas Carol) is a Novella by Charles Dickens ^[14]

The literary fairy tale, begun with Giovanni Francesco Straparola and Giambattista Basile and developed by the Charles Perrault and the French précieuses continued in the hands of such authors as William Makepeace Thackeray, but The Rose and the Ring showed many elements of parody. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Giovanni Francesco (or Gianfrancesco) Straparola ( Caravaggio, c Giambattista Basile (1566 or 1575 – February 23, 1632) was an Italian Poet, Courtier, and Fairy tale collector The literary style called préciosité ("preciousness" arose from the lively conversations and playful word games of les précieuses, the witty and educated William Makepeace Thackeray (ˈθækərɪ 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863 was an English Novelist of the 19th century The Rose and The Ring is a satirical work of fiction written by William Makepeace Thackeray and originally published at Christmas 1854 (though dated 1855 ^[15] Hans Christian Andersen, however, initiated a new style of fairy tales, original tales told in seriousness. Hans Christian Andersen (ˈhanˀs ˈkʰʁæʂd̥jan ˈɑnɐsn̩ in Danish or simply H ^[15] From this origin, John Ruskin wrote The King of the Golden River, a fairy tale that uses new levels of characterization, creating in the South-West Wind an irascible but kindly character similar to the latter Gandalf. John Ruskin (8 February 1819 &ndash 20 January 1900 is best known for his work as an Art critic, sage writer, and Social critic, but is remembered The King of the Golden River or The Black Brothers A Legend of Stiria by John Ruskin was originally written for the twelve year old Effie (Euphemia Gray ^[15]

It was in the late 1800s and early 1900s, that modern fantasy genre first truly began to take shape. The history of modern fantasy literature begins with George MacDonald, the Scottish author of such novels as The Princess and the Goblin and Phantastes the latter of which is widely considered to be the first fantasy novel ever written for adults. George MacDonald ( 10 December 1824 &mdash 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author poet and Christian minister The Princess and the Goblin is a children's Fantasy Novel by George MacDonald. Phantastes A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is a Fantasy novel written by George MacDonald, first published in London in 1858 MacDonald was a major influence on both J. R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 Their literary group, The Inklings was originally created for the purpose of studying MacDonald's work and creating new writings in the author's style. The Inklings was an informal literary discussion group associated with the University of Oxford, England, for nearly two decades between the early

"The Funeral of a Viking" by Frank Bernard Dicksee: the influence of Romanticism and traditional stories on Victorian fantasy meant it was an influence on fantasy as a genre. Sir Frank Bernard Dicksee KCVO (b London, November 27, 1853 &ndash October 17, 1928) was an English

The other major fantasy author of this era was William Morris, a socialist, an admirer of Middle Ages, a reviver of British handcrafts and a poet, who wrote several fantastic romances and novels in the latter part of the century, of which the most famous was The Well at the World's End. William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896 was an English Architect, Furniture and Textile designer artist writer and socialist associated The Well at the World's End is a fantasy novel by the British artist poet and author William Morris. He was deeply inspired by the medieval romances and sagas; his style was deliberately archaic, based on medieval romances. ^[16] In many respects, Morris was an important milestone in the history of fantasy, because, while other writers wrote of foreign lands, or of dream worlds, Morris's works were the first to be sent in an entirely invented world: a fantasy world. Dream worlds (also called dream realms or illusory realms) are a commonly used Plot device in Fictional works most notably in Science A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games ^[17]

These fantasy worlds were part of a general trend. This era began a general trend toward more self-consistent and substantive fantasy worlds. ^[18] Earlier works often feature a solitary individual whose adventures in the fantasy world are of personal significiance, and where the world clearly exists to give scope to these adventures, and later works more often feature characters in a social web, where their actions are to save the world and those in it from peril. ^[18]

Authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Oscar Wilde (in The Picture of Dorian Grey) also developed fantasy, in the telling of horror tales,^[19] a separate branch of fantasy that was to have great influence on H. P. Lovecraft and other writers of dark fantasy. 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 The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published Novel written by Oscar Wilde, first appearing as the lead story in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy Dark fantasy is a subgenre that combines elements of fantasy including marvelous abilities with those of horror

Despite MacDonald's future influence, and Morris' popularity at the time, it was not until the turn of the century that fantasy fiction began to reach a large audience, with authors such as Lord Dunsany who, following Morris's example, wrote fantasy novels, but also in the short story form. Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett 18th Baron of Dunsany ( 24 July 1878 &ndash 25 October 1957) was an Anglo-Irish writer and ^[16] He was particularly noted for his vivid and evocative style. ^[16] His style greatly influenced many writers, not always happily; Ursula K. Le Guin, in her essay on style in fantasy "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie", wryly referred to Lord Dunsany as the "First Terrible Fate that Awaiteth Unwary Beginners in Fantasy", alluding to young writers attempting to write in Lord Dunsany's style. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (ˈɝsələ ˈkroʊbɚ ləˈgwɪn (born October 21, 1929) is an American author ^[20]

H. Rider Haggard developed the conventions of the Lost World sub-genre, which sometime included fantasy works as in Haggard's own She. Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE ( 22 June 1856 &ndash 14 May 1925) was a prolific writer of Adventure novels set The Lost World Literary genre is a Fantasy or Science fiction genre that involves the discovery of a new world out of time place or both She A History of Adventure is a novel by H Rider Haggard, first serialized in The Graphic from October 1886 to January 1887 ^[21] With Africa still largely unknown to European writers, it offered scope to this type. ^[21] Other writers, including Edgar Rice Burroughs and Abraham Merritt, built on the convention. Edgar Rice Burroughs ( September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author best known for his creation of the jungle hero Abraham Merritt ( January 20, 1884 &ndash August 21, 1943) who published under the byline A

Illustration from first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Several classic children's fantasies such as Peter Pan and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz were also published around this time. Juvenile fantasy is Children's literature with fantasy elements Fantasy intended for readers not yet adult Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J Indeed, in the earlier part of the 20th century, C.S. Lewis noted that fantasy was more accepted in juvenile literature, and therefore a writer interested in fantasy often wrote in it to find an audience. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 ^[22]

E.R. Eddison, another influential writer, wrote near the end of this era. Eric Rücker Eddison ( November 24, 1882 – August 18, 1945) was an English civil servant and author writing under the name "E He drew inspiration from Northern sagas, as Morris did, but his prose style was modeled more on Tudor and Elizabethan English, and his stories were filled with vigorous characters in glorious adventures. ^[23] His characters were often of great ability and noble, if not royal, birth. These characters have been admired for his work in making his villains, particularly, more vivid characters than Tolkien's. ^[24] Others have observed that while it is historically accurate to depict the great of the world trampling on the lower classes, his characters often treat their subjects with arrogance and insolence, and this is depicted as part of their greatness. ^[25] Indeed, at the end of The Worm Ouroboros, the heroes, finding peace dull, pray for and get the revival of their enemies, so that they may go and fight them again, regardless of the casualties that such a war would have. The Worm Ouroboros (1922 is a Heroic High fantasy Novel by Eric Rücker Eddison. ^[26]

At this time, the terminology for the genre was not settled. Many fantasies in this era were termed fairy tales, including Max Beerbohm's The Happy Hypocrite and MacDonald's Phantastes. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm ( August 24, 1872 &ndash May 20, 1956) was an English parodist and caricaturist. The Happy Hypocrite is a Short story with moral implications written by Max Beerbohm in 1897. ^[27] The name "fantasy" was not developed until later; as late as J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, the term "fairy tale" was still being used. The Hobbit or There and Back Again is an award-winning fantasy

Modern fantasy

In 1923 the first all-fantasy fiction magazine, Weird Tales was created. Weird Tales is an American Fantasy and Horror fiction Pulp magazine first published in March 1923. Many other similar magazines eventually followed, most noticeably The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (later Fantasy & Science Fiction and usually referred to as just F&SF) is a digest-size The pulp magazine format was at the height of its popularity at this time and was instrumental in bringing fantasy fiction to a wide audience in both the U. S. and Britain. Such magazines also played a large role in the rise of science fiction and it was at this time the two genres began to be associated with each other.

Several of the genre's most prominent authors began their careers in these magazines including Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, Ray Bradbury and most noticeably H. P. Lovecraft. Clark Ashton Smith ( January 13, 1893 - August 14, 1961) was a Poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy This article refers to the science fiction writer For the actor see Fritz Leiber Sr Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22 1920 is an American mainstream, Fantasy, horror, Science fiction and mystery Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy Lovecraft was deeply influenced by Edgar Allan Poe and to a somewhat lesser extent, by Lord Dunsany; with his Cthulhu Mythos stories, he became one of the most influential writers of fantasy and horror in the twentieth century. The Cthulhu Mythos is a Shared universe created in the 1920s by American horror writer H ^[28] The early works of many Sword and Sorcery authors such as Robert E. Howard also began at this time. Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, By 1950, sword and sorcery had begun to find a wide audience, with the success of Howard's Conan the Barbarian, and Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories. Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian, from the name of his homeland Cimmeria) is a Fictional character often associated with This article refers to the science fiction writer For the actor see Fritz Leiber Sr Howard's works, especially Conan, were to have a noteworthy, even defining, influence on the sword and sorcery subgenre. Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts ^[29] They were tales of vivid, larger-than-life action and adventure,^[30] and after the work of Tolkien, the most widely read works of fantasy. ^[31] Leiber's stories were particularly noted for their uncommon realism for the time; Unknown developed this trait, with many stories in it showing credibility and realism. Unknown (also known as Unknown Worlds) was a pulp Fantasy fiction magazine, edited by John W ^[32] Like Morris and Eddison before him, Leiber continued the tradition of drawing on Northern European legend and folklore. ^[33] C.L. Moore was among Howard's first imitators, with "The Black God's Kiss", in which she introduced Jirel of Joiry and the heroine protagonist to sword and sorcery. Catherine Lucille Moore ( January 24, 1911 – April 4, 1987) was an American Science fiction and Fantasy Jirel of Joiry is one of the most notable creations of writer C ^[34]

In 1938, with the publication of The Sword in the Stone, T. H. White introduced one of the most notable works of comic fantasy. The Sword in the Stone is a novel by T H White, published in 1938, initially a stand-alone work but now the first part of a tetralogy The Once Terence Hanbury White ( 29 May 1906 &ndash 17 January 1964) was an English Author best known for his sequence of Arthurian Comic fantasy is a subgenre of Fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone ^[35] This strain continued with such writers as L. Sprague de Camp. Lyon Sprague de Camp, ( November 27 1907 – November 6 2000) was an American science fiction and fantasy author ^[36]

Tolkien

"Creation of the Two Trees" from Tolkien's work

However, it was the advent of high fantasy and, most importantly, the popularity of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings which finally allowed fantasy to truly enter into the mainstream. The Hobbit or There and Back Again is an award-winning fantasy The Lord of the Rings is an epic Tolkien had published The Hobbit in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in the 1950s; while the first was a juvenile fantasy, the second was an epic fantasy of great scope and seriousness. High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of Fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ^[37] Although Tolkien's works had been successful in Britain, it was not until the late 1960s that they finally became popular in America; however, at the point, they began to sell, and sell steadily, in large numbers. ^[38] Numerous polls to identify the greatest book of the century found The Lord of the Rings being selected by widely different groups. ^[38]

It is difficult to overstate the impact that The Lord of the Rings had on the fantasy genre; in some respects, it swamped all the works of fantasy that had been written before it, and it unquestionably created "fantasy" as a marketing category. ^[39] It created an enormous number of Tolkienesque works, using the themes found in The Lord of the Rings. ^[39]

While fantasists had created fantasy worlds from the time of William Morris, Tolkien's influence enormously boosted them, with a decline of such devices as dream frames to explain away the fantastical nature of the setting. A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games This stemmed not only from his example, but from his literary criticism; his "On Fairy Stories", in which he termed such settings "secondary worlds" was a formative work of fantasy criticism. "On Fairy-Stories" is an essay by J R R Tolkien which discusses the fairy-story as a literary form ^[40]

The impact that his books, combined with the success of several other series such as C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea, helped cement the genre's popularity and gave birth to the current wave of fantasy literature. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (ˈɝsələ ˈkroʊbɚ ləˈgwɪn (born October 21, 1929) is an American author Earthsea is a Fictional realm created by Ursula K Le Guin for her short story " The Word of Unbinding " published in 1964 but that became more

Post-Tolkien fantasy

With the immense success of Tolkien's works many publishers began to search for a new series which could have similar mass-market appeal. For the first time publishing fantasy was looked at as a profitable business venture and fantasy novels began to replace the fiction magazines as the heart of the genre.

Lin Carter edited the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series, when Ballantine pursued the fantasy market; it was so titled to avert its being filed as children's literature. Linwood Vrooman Carter ( June 9, 1930 - February 7, 1988) was an American author of Science fiction and Fantasy The Ballantine Adult Fantasy series was an imprint of Ballantine Books. The line contained mostly reprints, but also introduced some new fantasy works. This series reprinted many fantasy works from prior to that time, increasing their influence by bring them to the new writers. The series included works of William Morris, Lord Dunsany, and George MacDonald, and other works: Hope Mirrlees's Lud-in-the-Mist, Ernest Bramah's Kai Lung books, and most influential of all, Evangeline Walton's The Island of the Mighty, the success of which lead to the publication of the other three novels she had written in that series, and to a distinct strain of Celtic fantasy in later fantasy. William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896 was an English Architect, Furniture and Textile designer artist writer and socialist associated Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett 18th Baron of Dunsany ( 24 July 1878 &ndash 25 October 1957) was an Anglo-Irish writer and George MacDonald ( 10 December 1824 &mdash 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author poet and Christian minister Helen Hope Mirrlees (1887 &ndash 1978 was a British translator poet and novelist Lud-in-the-Mist (1926 is the third novel by Hope Mirrlees, and the only one still in print as of 2005 Ernest Bramah ( 20 March 1868 - 27 June 1942) whose real name was Ernest Bramah Smith, was an English author Kai Lung (開龍) is a Fictional character in a series of books by Ernest Bramah, consisting of The Wallet of Kai Lung (1900 Evangeline Walton (24 November 1907 – 11 March 1996 was the pen name of Evangeline Wilna Ensley an American author of fantasy fiction The Island of the Mighty is a Fantasy Novel by Evangeline Walton, the earliest in a series of four based on the Welsh Mabinogion Historical fantasy is a subgenre of Fantasy, related to Historical fiction. ^[41] Another work in this series that was influential for the Celtic fantasy subgenre was Katherine Kurtz's Deryni Rising. Katherine (Irene Kurtz (born 18 October 1944) is the author of numerous Fantasy novels especially the Deryni novels. Deryni Rising is a Historical fantasy Novel by American -born author Katherine Kurtz.

Although many fantasy novels of this time proved popular, it was not until 1977's The Sword of Shannara that publishers found the sort of breakthrough success they had hoped for. The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The book became the first fantasy novel to appear on, and eventually top New York Times bestseller list. The New York Times Best Seller List is widely considered to be the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. As a result the genre saw an incredible boom in the number of titles published in the following years.

While fantasy has remained somewhat of a niche market, that has began to change in recent years. The long-running series of light fantasies by Piers Anthony (Xanth) and Terry Pratchett (Discworld) regularly hit the bestseller lists from the 1980s onward. Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born August 6, 1934 in Oxford England) is an English American writer in the Science fiction Xanth is a Fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for a series of novels Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat Thanks largely to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, which have become the best selling book series of all time, fantasy is becoming increasingly intertwined with mainstream fiction. Joanne "Jo" Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965 who writes under the Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J The blockbuster success of several film adaptations of fantasy novels such as The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has helped further this trend. Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a Feature film. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three Live action Fantasy Epic films The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001 The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 Fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson based on The Lion

Today fantasy continues as an expansive, multi-layered medium encompassing many sub-genres of literature; from traditional high fantasy and sword and sorcery, to magical realism, fairytale fantasy, horror-tinged dark fantasy and more. High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of Fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts Magic realism, or magical realism, is an artistic Genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" Fairytale fantasy is distinguished from other subgenres of Fantasy by the works' heavy use of motifs and often plots from folklore Dark fantasy is a subgenre that combines elements of fantasy including marvelous abilities with those of horror

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