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- This article is about the word, for other meanings see Quest (disambiguation)
A quest is a journey towards a goal used in mythology and literature as a plot. 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 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 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 The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter Mythos (Aristotle In literature the plot comprises all the events in a story particularly rendered towards the achievement of some particular Artistic or Emotional Quests can be found in the folklore of every nation. [1] In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and the overcoming of many obstacles, typically including much travel. Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and Travel is the change in location of people on a trip through the means of Transport from one location to another
This travel also allows the storyteller to showcase exotic locations and cultures, which may, indeed, be the writer's objective if not the characters. [2]
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Quest objects
The hero's or heroine's normal aim is to obtain something, or someone, by the quest and with this object return home. Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (Виктор Михайлович Васнецов ( Lop'jal, May 15 ( N [3] The object can be something new, that fulfills a lack in his/her life, or something that was stolen away from him/ her. It can also be a lack in the life of, or something stolen from, someone with authority to dispatch him/her. [4]
Sometimes the hero has no desire to return. Sir Galahad's quest for the Holy Grail is to find it, not return with it. Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur 's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. 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 A return may, indeed, be impossible: Aeneas is questing for a homeland, having lost Troy at the beginning of Virgil's Aeneid he does not return to Troy to refound it but settles in Italy, to become an ancestor of the Romans. This article is about the Roman hero For other uses see Aeneas (disambiguation. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or
Even if s/he does return after the culmination of the quest, s/he may face false heroes who attempt to pass themselves off as him/her,[5] or his initial response may be a rejection of that return, as Joseph Campbell describes in his critical analysis of quest literature "The Hero With a Thousand Faces. The false hero is a Stock character in Fairy tales and sometimes also in Ballads The character appears near the end of a story in order to claim to be the Joseph John Campbell ( March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American Mythology Professor, Writer The Hero with a Thousand Faces (first published in 1949 is a non-fiction book and seminal work of Comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell "
If dispatched, the claim may be false, with the dispatcher actually sending him/her on the difficult quest in hopes of his/her death in the attempt, or in order to remove him/her from the scene for a time, but the story often unfolds just as if the claim were sincere, except that the tale usually ends with the dispatcher being unmasked and punished. [6] Stories with such false quest-objects include the legends of Jason and Perseus, the fairy tales The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird, Go I Know Not Whither and Fetch I Know Not What, and the story of Beren and Lúthien in J. R. R. Tolkien's Silmarillion. Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas ( Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας) the Legendary founder The Dancing Water the Singing Apple and the Speaking Bird is an Italian Fairy tale collected by Thomas Frederick Crane in Italian Popular Tales Go I Know Not Whither and Fetch I Know Not What is a Russian Fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki. Character overview He was the son of Emeldir and Barahir, a Man of the royal House of Bëor of Dorthonion. Character overview Lúthien was the only child of Elu Thingol, king of Doriath, and his queen Melian the Maia. The Silmarillion is a collection of J R R Tolkien 's mythopoeic works edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in
Literary analysis
The quest, in the form of the Hero's Journey, is central to the Monomyth described by Joseph Campbell; the hero sets forth from the world of common day into a land where adventures, tests, and magical rewards are found. Joseph John Campbell ( March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American Mythology Professor, Writer
Historical Examples
An early quest story is the quest of Gilgamesh, who seeks a secret to eternal life after the tragic death of Enkidu, including the search for an emerald. Gilgamesh was the son of Lugalbanda and the fifth king of Uruk (Early Dynastic II first dynasty of Uruk ruling circa 2600 BC according to the Sumerian king First Tablet Enkidu is the quintessential savage person in the beginning of the epic The whole of his body was hairy and his (uncut locks were like a woman's or the hair of
Another ancient quest tale, Homer's Odyssey, tells of Odysseus, who is cursed to wander and suffer for many years before Athena persuades the Olympians to allow him to return home. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. A home is a place of Residence or Refuge. It is usually a place where an individual or a family can rest in and be able to store Personal property. Recovering the Golden Fleece is the object of the travels of Jason and the Argonauts in the Argonautica. In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece (Χρυσόμαλλον Δέρας is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos (Χρυσόμαλλος Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological For other uses of this term see Argonaut. In Greek mythology, the Argonauts ( Ancient Greek:) were a band of heroes The Argonautica ( Greek:) is a Greek Epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BCE. Psyche, having lost Cupid, hunted through the world for him, and was set tasks by Venus, including a descent into the underworld. The Tale of Cupid and Psyche (or The Tale of Amor and Psyche) first appeared as a digressionary story told by an old woman in Lucius Apuleius ' Novel,
Many fairy tales depict the hero or heroine setting out on a quest, such as East of the Sun and West of the Moon where the heroine seeks her husband, The Seven Ravens where the heroine seeks her transformed brothers, The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was, or The Golden Bird where the prince sets out to find the golden bird for his father. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving East of the Sun and West of the Moon is the Norwegian version of an old Scandinavian Fairy tale. The Seven Ravens is a German Fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was or The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear is a German Fairy tale collected " The Golden Bird " is a Brothers Grimm Fairy tale, number 57 about the pursuit of a golden bird by a king's three sons Other characters may set out with no more definite aim that to seek their fortune, or even be cast out instead of voluntarily leaving, but learn of something that could aid them along the way and so have their journey transformed from aimless wandering into a quest. [7] Other characters can also set forth on quests — the hero's two older brothers commonly do — but the hero is distinguished by his success.
Many medieval romances set the knight out on quests. William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896 was an English Architect, Furniture and Textile designer artist writer and socialist associated As a Literary genre of High culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic Prose and verse Narrative The term "Knight-errant" sprang from this, as "errant" meant roving or wandering. A knight-errant (plural knights-errant) is a figure of medieval chivalric romance literature. Sir Thomas Malory included many in Le Morte d'Arthur. Sir Thomas Malory (c 1405 – 14 March 1471 was an English writer the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. 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 The most famous -- perhaps the most famous quest in western literature -- centers on the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. 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 This story cycle recounts multiple quests, in multiple variants, telling stories both of the heroes who succeed, like Percival (in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival) or Sir Galahad (in the Queste del Saint Graal), and also the heroes who fail, like Sir Lancelot. Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur 's legendary Knights of the Round Table. Parzival is a major medieval German Epic poem attributed to the poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, written in the Middle High German Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur 's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend In the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot ( Lancelot du Lac, also Launcelot) is one of the Knights of the Round Table. This often sent them into a bewildering forest. In literature an enchanted forest is a forest under or containing enchantments. Despite many references to its pathlessness, the forest repeatedly confronts knights with forks and crossroads, of a labyrinthine complexity. [8] The significiance of their encounters is often explained to the knights -- particularly those searching for the Holy Grail -- by hermits acting as wise old men -- or women. 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 A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" The wise old man (also called sage or " Senex " is an Archetype as described by Carl Jung. [9] Still, despite their perils and chances of error, such forests, being the location where the knight can obtain the end of his quest, are places where the knights may become worthy; one romance has a maiden urging Sir Lancelot on his quest for the Holy Grail, "which quickens with life and greenness like the forest. "[10]
So consistently did knights quest that Miguel de Cervantes set his Don Quixote on mock quests in a parody of chivalric tales. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( in modern Spanish; September 29, 1547 &ndash April 22, 1616) was a Spanish Novelist es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don His attempt to ridicule knight-errantry into non-existence was not successful; quests remain a vital part of fantasy literature to this day.
Modern Literature
Quests continued in modern literature. Many, perhaps most, stories can be described as a quest in which the main character is seeking something that he desires,[11] but the literal structure of a journey seeking something is, itself, still common. Quests often appear in fantasy literature,[12] as in Rasselas by Samuel Johnson, or The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion go on a quest for the way back to Kansas, brains, a heart, and courage respectively. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting The History of Rasselas Prince of Abissinia, often Samuel Johnson (often referred to as Dr Johnson) (18 September [13]
A familiar modern literary quest is Frodo Baggins's quest to destroy the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings is an epic [14] The One Ring, its baleful power, the difficult method which is the only way to destroy it, and the spiritual and psychological torture it wreaks on its Bearer, is used by J. R. R. Tolkien to tell a meaningful tale of friendship and the inner struggle with temptation, against a background of epic and supernatural warfare. Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more beings A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual It is usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and as such tends to lead a person to Regret An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation
Some writers, however, may devise the arbitrary quests for items without any importance beyond being the object of the quest. These items are known as MacGuffins, which is sometimes merely used to compare quests and is not always a derogatory term. A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is a Plot device that motivates the characters or advances the story but the details of which are of little or no importance Writers may also motivate characters to pursue these objects by meanings of a prophecy that decrees it, rather than have them discover that it could assist them, for reasons that are given. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true
Role-playing Games
The quest is a basic plot in role-playing games. A quest in Role playing games, including Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs is a Task that a player-controlled character A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters.
A common quest in a role-playing game will announce that the heroes must assemble some artifact, which has been broken into several pieces, each of which has a challenge the heroes must overcome. A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and In Role-playing games and fantasy literature an artifact is a magical object with great power A plot coupon, and the somewhat less-well-known plot voucher, are the names given by literary critic Nick Lowe to specimens of Plot devices in his 1986 essay The carefully designed quest may allow the heroes to shine and show the qualities that make them heroic.
In literature as well as video games, side-quests are often used to develop character depth and reveal the world setting. These miniature plots may or may not have to do with the story's focus (being hereafter called the main quest), such as a romantic interest or providing help to other characters. In Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, for example, the major quest is the binding or destruction of the dark one, with side quests being the securing of political power, romantic interests, and the growth of personal strength or power. Robert Jordan was the Pen name of James Oliver Rigney Jr ( October 17, 1948 &ndash September 16, 2007) under which he The Wheel of Time (abbreviated by fans to WoT) is a series of epic fantasy novels written by the late American author James Oliver Often these side quests are stepping stones to the completion of the final goal.
In the beginning of the game, the player may need to learn how to effectively play the game, and the character may lack the abilities or equipment to embark on the main quest. The game may provide side-quests that are menial in nature and have little to no bearing on the main quest, and include such actions as finding a lost book, finding a lost child, or ridding a basement of rats. Luckily, the gamer quickly passes through this level. This may also be a tutorial teaching the basics of gameplay with relatively little danger to the character in contrast to what shall cross their paths when their adventure begins. In regards to the Monomyth, the player may is unlikely to have defeated the guardian at this stage.
Another form of side quest is a distraction or minigame. This includes activities such as fishing, raising pets, roleplaying social activities, buying drinks at a bar, dancing and horseback archery.
See also
References
- ^ Josepha Sherman, Once upon a Galaxy p 142 ISBN 0-87483-387-6
- ^ Michael O. Riley, Oz and Beyond: The Fantasy World of L. Frank Baum, p 178-9, ISBN 0-7006-0832-X
- ^ W. H. Auden, "The Quest Hero", Understanding the Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism, p35 ISBN 0-618-42253-6
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folk Tale, p 36, ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folk Tale, p60, ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folk Tale, p77 ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Maria Tatar, The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales, p63, ISBN 0-691-06722-8
- ^ Penelope Reed Doob, The Idea of the Labyrinth: from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages, p 177, ISBN 0-8014-8000-0
- ^ Penelope Reed Doob, The Idea of the Labyrinth: from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages, p 179-81, ISBN 0-8014-8000-0
- ^ Penelope Reed Doob, The Idea of the Labyrinth: from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages, p 181, ISBN 0-8014-8000-0
- ^ Robert McKee, Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, p 196-7 ISBN 0-06-039168-5
- ^ John Grant and John Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Quest ", p 796 ISBN 0-312-19869-8
- ^ L. Wystan Hugh Auden (21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973 ˈwɪstən ˈhjuː ˈɔːdən who signed his works W Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp (Владимир Яковлевич Пропп &mdash 22 August 1970) was a Russian formalist scholar who Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp (Владимир Яковлевич Пропп &mdash 22 August 1970) was a Russian formalist scholar who Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp (Владимир Яковлевич Пропп &mdash 22 August 1970) was a Russian formalist scholar who Frank Baum, Michael Patrick Hearn, The Annotated Wizard of Oz, p 126-7, ISBN 0-517-500868
- ^ W. H. Auden, "The Quest Hero", Understanding the Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism, p45 ISBN 0-618-42253-6
- Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folk Tale