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Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1960s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other media.

History

Stories involving , paranormal magic and terrible monsters have existed in spoken forms before the advent of printed literature. Homer's Odyssey satisfies the definition of the fantasy genre with its magic, gods, heroes, adventures and monsters. Fantasy literature, as a distinct type, emerged in Victorian times, with the works of writers such as William Morris and George MacDonald.

J. R. R. Tolkien played a large role in the popularization and accessibility of the fantasy genre with his highly successful publications The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Rarely does one consider modern fantasy without conjuring the memory and image of Tolkien and his creations. Tolkien was largely influenced by an ancient body of Anglo-Saxon myths, particularly Beowulf, as well as modern works such as The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison. It was after the publication of his work that the genre began to receive the moniker "fantasy" (often applied retroactively to the works of Eddison, Carroll, Howard, et al.). Tolkien's close friend C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and a fellow English professor with a similar array of interests, also helped to publicize the fantasy genre.

Modern

Authors such as John Flanagan, Terry Pratchett, R.A. Salvatore, J.K.Rowling, Jim Butcher, Peter S. Beagle, Terry Brooks, Steven Erikson, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Rick Riordan, Scott Lynch, Ursula K. Le Guin, David Eddings, Tamora Pierce, Charles de Lint, Raymond E. Feist, Brandon Mull, and partly Laurell K. Hamilton and Angie Sage are maintaining the genre's popularity.

Though it is not uncommon for fantasy novels to be ranked on The New York Times Best Seller list, to date the only fantasy novelists whose works have debuted at number one on the list are Robert Jordan in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2009, George R. R. Martin in 2005, and 2011, Neil Gaiman in 2005, Terry Goodkind in 2006, and Patrick Rothfuss in 2011.

Style

Fantasy has been distinguished from other forms of literature by its style and its freedom of expression wherein an author has the ability to use any story-telling element to strengthen the narrative; whether it be dragons, magic and castles or the lack thereof.

Ursula K. Le Guin, in her essay "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie", presented the idea that language is the most crucial element of high fantasy, because it creates a sense of place. She analyzed the misuse of a formal, "olden-day" style, saying that it was a dangerous trap for fantasy writers because it was ridiculous when done wrong. She warns writers away from trying to base their style on that of masters such as Lord Dunsany and E. R. Eddison, emphasizing that language that is too bland or simplistic creates the impression that the fantasy setting is simply a modern world in disguise, and presents examples of clear, effective fantasy writing in brief excerpts from Tolkien and Evangeline Walton.

Michael Moorcock observed that many writers use archaic language for its sonority and to lend color to a lifeless story. Brian Peters writes that in various forms of fairytale fantasy, even the villain's language might be inappropriate if vulgar.

See also

Novels portal

• List of fantasy novels
• Fantastique

Footnotes