High fantasy

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High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy originated with the writings of William Morris, George MacDonald, and Lord Dunsany, and came to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s.[1] High fantasy, along with sword and sorcery, has become one of the two genres most commonly associated with the general term fantasy.

Contents

Genre overview

High fantasy is defined as fantasy fiction set in an alternative, entirely fictional ("Secondary") world, rather than the real ("Primary") world. The secondary world will normally be internally consistent but its rules are in some way different from those of the primary world. By contrast, low fantasy is characterized by being set in the primary world (earth), or a rational and familiar fictional world, with the inclusion of magical elements.[2][3][4][5]

Gamble defines High Fantasy, as a secondary world that exists, or may be entered, in different forms, for example:[4]

  1. A setting in which the primary world does not exist[4] (e.g. Guardians of Ga'Hoole, The Wheel of Time, Discworld,[4] The Sword of Truth, A Song of Ice and Fire)
  2. The secondary world is entered through a portal from the primary world[4] (e.g. Alice in Wonderland; The Chronicles of Narnia;[4] His Dark Materials; Xanth, The Dark Tower)
  3. A distinct world-within-a-world as part of the primary world (e.g. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Gods of Pegana)

Where the primary world does not exist, detailed maps, geography and history of the fictional world will often be provided. The secondary world is often based on, or symbolically represents, the primary world. The Oxford of Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights is similar, a world that is "both familiar and strange". Pullman's preface to that book explains that the setting is "a universe like ours, but different in many ways".[4]

In the case of a world-within-a-world, the secondary world co-exists with the primary world; however the mundane inhabitants of the primary world are unaware of secondary world, with unexplained happenings rationalised into things they can understand. Harry Potter series is again set in the real world; however, the primary setting, mostly the school Hogwarts is said to be located in a secluded place in Scotland[6] ,[7] but is physically separated from the real world and becomes a "world-within-a-world." Hogwarts is therefore as much of an alternative world as C. S. Lewis' Narnia, which means that both series are in the high fantasy subgenre.

There are a few books that do not fit neatly into any of Gamble's three categories, but are still high fantasy. For example, according to J.R.R Tolkien himself, his stories were intended as a kind of mythical 'pre-history' of the primary real world of earth.[8][9][10][11] Arda was meant to be this very earth and Middle-earth was a region within the world (the concept of Middle-earth was not his invention[12][13][14]), and the Shire was set in the region of Europe in the same latitude of modern Oxford.[15][16] Since Tolkien had based the locations of his story off of "northern-interpretation" of the world, "middan-geard", he was surprised that "Many reviewers seem to assume Middle-earth is another planet!". The age in which it takes place is meant to be fictional but not the location.

Setting

These stories are generally serious in tone and often epic in scope, dealing with themes of grand struggle against supernatural, evil forces.[17] It is one of the most popular subgenres of fantasy fiction. Some typical characteristics of high fantasy include fantastical elements such as elves, fairies, dwarves, magic or sorcery, wizards or magicians, invented languages, quests, coming-of-age themes, and multi-volume narratives.

In some fiction, a contemporary, "real-world" character is placed in the invented world, sometimes through devices such as portals to other worlds or even subconscious travels. Purists might not consider this to be "true" high fantasy, although such stories are often categorized as high fantasy due to the fact that they've yet to be classified as their own distinct subgenre, and often resemble this subgenre more closely than any other.

High fantasy worlds may be more or less closely based on real world milieus, or on legends such as Arthurian. When the resemblance is strong, particularly when real-world history is used, high fantasy shades into alternative history.

High fantasy is the most popular and successful subgenre of the fantasy fiction. Its fandom ranges from Tolkien to contemporary. Recent screen versions of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe have contributed to the subgenre's continuing popularity. Moreover, film adaptations of some novels are in preproduction, such as David Farland's The Runelords, and also Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover as well as The Elfstones of Shannara.

Characters

Most high fantasy storylines are told from the viewpoint of one main hero. Often, much of the plot revolves around his heritage or mysterious nature. In many novels the hero is an orphan or unusual sibling, often with some incredible ability or abilities and skills in a particular area (usually either magic or skill with a weapon). He begins the story young, if not an actual child.[18] Some examples of this are: J. R. R. Tolkien's Frodo Baggins of The Lord of the Rings, Kathryn Lasky's Soren of Guardians of Ga'Hoole, David Eddings' Belgarion in the Belgariad and Malloreon, Christopher Paolini's Eragon from The Inheritance Cycle, Terry Brooks' Shea and Wil Ohmsford of The Sword of Shannara and The Elfstones of Shannara, Terry Goodkind's Richard Cypher, Robert Jordan's Rand al'Thor of The Wheel of Time, Pug and Arutha of Raymond Feist's Riftwar Saga and Philip Pullman's Lyra Belacqua of His Dark Materials, Ursula K. Le Guin's Ged. In other works he is a completely developed individual with his own character and spirit — David Eddings' Sparhawk of The Elenium and The Tamuli. High fantasy is not by any means limited to a male protagonist, as seen in such works as Elizabeth Moon's The Deed of Paksenarrion and P.C. Hodgell's Jame, though a man is perhaps more common.[19]

Siegfried kills Fafner, by Arthur Rackham

In the beginning of the storyline, the hero is threatened by the unknown force. One reason for such a threat is that, unlike the typical sword and sorcery adventurer, the hero is seldom bored stiff by ordinary life and therefore will not abandon it quickly and on any excuse. While, like Bilbo Baggins, he may be eager for adventure, he is also usually capable of appreciating the joys of an average life. By the same token, the hero of the high fantasy adventure is capable of completing it and settling down to ordinary life again.

Typically, the hero slowly gains knowledge of his past through legend, prophecy, lost-and-found-again family members, or encounters with "mentor" characters who know more about him than he does. With that knowledge comes power and self-confidence; the hero often begins as a childlike figure, but matures rapidly, experiencing a huge gain in fighting/problem-solving abilities along the way.[20] The plot of the story often depicts the hero's fight against the evil forces as a Bildungsroman. However, the epic adventure is not always quite so stereotyped. A good example of a less stereotyped epic is The Deed of Paksenarrion in which the main character becomes a paladin through her own growing strength instead of it having been forced on her at birth.

In many books there is a knowing, mystical teacher/mentor, associated with the Jungian archetype of Senex, or wise old man. This character is often a formidable wizard or warrior, who provides the main character with advice and help. Examples would be: Tolkien's Gandalf of The Lord of the Rings, Rowling's Dumbledore of Harry Potter, Merlin of Arthurian Legends, Lasky's Ezylryb of Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Brooks' Allanon of The Sword of Shannara, Eddings' Belgarath and Polgara of The Belgariad, Feist's Macros the Black of the Riftwar Saga, Paolini's Brom of The Inheritance Cycle, Jordan's Moiraine of The Wheel of Time (who at least starts out as this kind of character) and Goodkind's Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander of The Sword of Truth.

In books, there is also a mysterious Dark Lord, often obsessed with taking over the world and killing the main hero. This character is an evil wizard or sorcerer, or sometimes a kind of god or demon, who often tortures and kills innocent people. This character commands a huge army and a group of highly feared servants. Examples would be: Tolkien's Morgoth of The Silmarillion and Sauron of The Lord of the Rings, Rowling's Voldemort of Harry Potter, Lasky's Kludd and Nyra of Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Paolini's Galbatorix of The Inheritance Cycle, Brooks's Warlock Lord of The Sword of Shannara, Jordan's Dark One of The Wheel of Time, and Eddings' Torak of The Belgariad and Zandramas of The Malloreon, Rick Riordan's Kronos of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

The progress of the story leads to the character learning the nature of the unknown forces against him, that they constitute a force with great power and malevolence.[21] Facing down this evil is the culmination of the hero's story and permits the return to normal life.

Good versus evil

Good versus evil is a common concept in high fantasy, and the character of evil is often an important concept in a work of high fantasy,[22] as in The Lord of the Rings. Indeed, the importance of the concepts of good and evil can be regarded as distinguishing mark between high fantasy and sword and sorcery.[23] In many works of high fantasy, this conflict marks a deep concern with moral issues; in other works, the conflict is a power struggle, with, for instance, wizards behaving irresponsibly whether they are "good" or "evil".[24] In some works, as in large parts of Jordan's The Wheel of Time, the struggle between good and evil is mainly used as a backdrop for more intricate conflicts of interest, such as conflicts between different factions formally on the same side in the good vs. evil conflict.

Saga or series

Role-playing campaign settings like Greyhawk by Gary Gygax and Dragonlance[25] by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis are a common basis for many fantasy books and many other authors continue to contribute to the settings.

From Tolkien to the modern day, authors in this genre tend to create their own worlds where they set multi-tiered narratives such as the Belgariad, Malloreon and Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Other authors such as Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Stephen R. Donaldson, R. Scott Bakker, Steven Erikson, Raymond E. Feist, David and Leigh Eddings, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Glen Cook, R.A. Salvatore, Paul Edwin Zimmer, Terry Goodkind, and George R. R. Martin write extended stories over several volumes with the same character threads.

Publishers

There are several publishing companies that are devoted entirely to publishing fantasy literature (or fantasy and science fiction). DAW Books was one of the first such publishers established, and others include Baen Books, Roc, Tor Books, and Del Rey Books.

References

  1. ↑ Carter, Lin, Imaginary Worlds – the Art of Fantasy. Ballantine, 1973.
  2. ↑ Buss, Kathleen; Karnowski, Lee (2000). Reading and Writing Literary Genres. International Reading Assoc.. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-87207-257-2. 
  3. ↑ Perry, Phyllis Jean (2003). Teaching Fantasy Novels. Libraries Unlimited. p. vi. ISBN 978-1-56308-987-9. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Gamble, Nikki; Yates, Sally (2008). Exploring Children's Literature. SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. 102–103. ISBN 978-1-4129-3013-0. 
  5. ↑ C.W. Sullivan has a slightly more complex definition in "High Fantasy", chapter 24 of the International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature by Peter Hunt and Sheila G. Bannister Ray (Routledge, 1996 and 2004), chapter 24.
  6. ↑ "Hogwarts ... Logically it had to be set in a secluded place, and pretty soon I settled on Scotland in my mind." Fraser, L., An interview with J.K.Rowling, Mammoth, London, 2000. ISBN 0-7497-4394-8. pp 20–21.
  7. ↑ Happy ending, and that's for beginners". The Herald via AccioQuote!. 24 June 1997. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
  8. ↑ Return of the King, Appendix D, Calenders: '...long ago as those times are now reckoned in years and lives of men, they were not very remote according to the memory of the Earth.'
  9. ↑ Letters 151, 165, 183, 211, Letters 325, 17 July 1971, Letters 328 Autumn 1971
  10. ↑ Letters 212, Letters of Tolkien, pg 285
  11. ↑ Letters 210: "The Lord of the Rings may be a 'fairy-story', but it takes place in the Northern hemisphere of this earth: miles are miles, days are days, and weather is weather.", Letters pg 272
  12. ↑ Letters 151: "Middle-earth is just archaic english...the inhabited world of man. It lay then as it does. In fact just as it does, round and inescapable. That is partly the point. The new situation, established at the end of the Third Age, leads on eventually and inevitably to ordinary History, and we see here the process culminating. If you or I or any of the mortal men (or hobbits) of Frodo's day had set out over sea, west, we should, as now, eventually have come back (as now) to our starting point..."Letters of JRR Tolkien, pg 186
  13. ↑ Letters 165: "'Middle-earth' by the way, is not a name of a never-never land without relation to the world we live in (like Mercury or Edison). It is just a use of Middle English middel-erde (or erthe) altered from Old English Middengeard: the name for the inhabited lands of Men 'between the seas'. And though I have not attempted to to relate the shape of the mountains and land-masses to what geologists may say or surmise about the nearer past, imaginatively this 'history' is supposed to take plance in a period of the actual Old World of this planet.", Letters, pg 220
  14. ↑ Letters 183: "I am historically minded. Middle-earth is not an imaginary world. The name is the modern form (appearing in the 13th century) of midden-erd>middel-erd, an ancient name for the oikoumene, the abiding place of Men, the objectively real world, in use specifically opposed to imaginary worlds (as Fairyland) or unseen worlds (as Heaven or Hell). The theatre of my tale is this earth, the one in which we now live, but the historical period is imaginary. The essentials of that abiding place are all there (at any rate for inhabitants of N.W. Europe), so naturally it feels familiar, even if a little glorified by enchantment of distance in time., Letters pg, 239",
  15. ↑ Letters 211, "", "...steed of the Witch-King...it's description even provides a sort of way in which it could be a last survivor of older geological eras.", "...it would be difficult to fit the lands and events (or 'cultures') into such evidence as we possess, archaeological or geological, concerning the nearer or remoter part of what is now Europe; though the Shire, for instance, is expressly stated to have been in this region (I p. 12).", "Arda 'realm' was the name given to our world or earth...I hope the, evidently long but undefined gap* in time between the Fall of Barad-dur and our Days is sufficient for 'literary credibility', even for readers acquainted with what is known as 'pre-history'. I have, I suppose, constructed an imaginary time, but kept my feet on my own mother-earth for place. I prefer that to the contemporary mode of seeking remote globes in 'space'. However curious, they are alien, and not loveable with the love of blood-kin. Middle-Earth is... not my own invention, It is a modernization or alteration...of an old word for inhabited world of Man, the oikoumene: middle because thought vaguely as set admidst the encircling Seas and (in the northern-imagination) between the ice of the North and the fire of the South. O. English middan-geard, mideavil E. midden-erd, middle-erd. Many reviewers seem to assume Middle-earth is another planet! *I imagine the gap to be about 6000 years: that is we are now at the end of the Fifth Age, if the Ages were of about the same lenth as S.A. and T.A. But they have, I think quickened; and I imagine we are actually at the end of the Sixth Age, or in the Seventh.", The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien, pg 282, 283
  16. ↑ Letters 294, 8 February 1967: "...Middle Earth. This is an old word not invented by me, as a reference to a dictionary such as the Shorter Oxford will show. It is meant to be the inhabitable lands of our world, set amid the surrounding Ocean. The actions of the story take place in the North-west of 'middle-earth', equivalent in latitude to the coastlands of Europe and the north shores of the Mediterranean...Hobbiton and Rivendell are taken (as intended) to be about the latitude of Oxford, the Minas Tirith, 600 miles south, is about the latitude of Florence. The mouths of Anduin, and the ancient city of Pelargir are about the latitude of ancient Troy.", Letters, pg 375,376
  17. ↑ Philip Martin, The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest, p 34, ISBN 0-87116-195-8
  18. ↑ Michael Moorcock, Wizardry & Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy p 84 ISBN 1-932265-07-4
  19. ↑ "EpicFantasyZone homepage". http://www.epicfantasyzone.com. Retrieved 2008-10-02 Note: link is bad. 
  20. ↑ Casey Lieb, "Unlikely Heroes and their role in Fantasy Literature"
  21. ↑ Patricia A. McKillip, "Writing High Fantasy", p 53, Philip Martin, ed., The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest, ISBN 0-87116-195-8
  22. ↑ Tom Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, p 120, ISBN 0-618-25759-4
  23. ↑ Joseph A. McCullough V, "The Demarcation of Sword and Sorcery"
  24. ↑ Ursula K. LeGuin, "The Question I Get Asked Most Often" p 274, The Wave in the Mind, ISBN 1-59030-006-8
  25. ↑ "Dragonlance homepage". http://www.dragonlance.com. Retrieved 2006-03-02. 

See also

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