Some Fantastic story features Most important are the construction of an imaginary world and magic.
Fantastic fiction is a genre of writing in which the plot does not happen in real life as we know it. Often, the plot involves some magic or witchcraft and takes place on another planet or in an unknown dimension.
Most of the time, the overall theme is a medieval tone setting, which means a combination of architecture, clothing, language and technology that resembles the Middle Ages European level. Often, the plot also involves mythical creatures or talking animals, witches or sorcerers.
It is also common for fantastic story writers to dedicate a series of books to the same world or characters, called sagas.
Some of the most famous examples of fantastic fiction are The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. Also the saga of Harry Potter Qualifies as fantastic fiction, even though books take place in the contemporary world.
The characteristics of the most important fantastic stories
1- Fantastic fiction is not science fiction
Fantastic fiction is sometimes confused with Science fiction , Which incorporates some of the same tones and themes, but the plot of a science fiction story depends fundamentally on technology and science, advanced beyond what we know today.
The movies of Star Wars Are an example: even though Star Wars is set in the past, takes place in another galaxy and has mythical creatures as characters, the plot focuses on science. Therefore, Star Wars is more science fiction than fantasy.
2- Build a world
The construction of a world is extremely important for fantasy. It is estimated that 50-60% of the work of a fantasy author is related to the construction of the world.
The reason is simple: the fantasy rests in the use of distant and strange worlds. Authors must create cultures, races, religions, stories, climates, clothes, food, music, etc., all elements we take for granted in our own world.
The author's task is to make this world rich and profound enough, especially when one considers the implications that a world has on the plot and its characters.
3- The importance of subgenera
There are many subgenres within fantastic fiction. Some of them are:
- Epic fantasy, distinguished by books and sagas extremely extensive.
- High fantasy, which includes the books of J. R. R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) and George R. R. Martin (which is based on the TV series Games of Thrones). They stand out for being extensive and occurring in an absolutely parallel world.
- Dark fantasy, which mixes fantasy with somber themes.
- Historical fantasy, which incorporates magic into historical fiction.
- Urban fantasy, which mixes magical ideas with myth with modern worlds.
4- Magic
Magic is almost a prerequisite for the genre, though there are fantasy books that have no magic and deal with mundane events.
In general, the magic system is called the way magic works in the fantasy world.
For example, reading spells aloud is a form of magic system. The limits of magic are always diffuse, so it is important that the magic system has its own logic.
5- Mythology in fantastic fiction
In classical mythology, fantasy plays an important role: there are monsters, creatures and magic, and both classical mythology and fantastic fiction share content and themes.
Tolkien, for example, borrowed much of mythology when he built Middle-earth, using Norse, Germanic, and archaic myths and legends.
6- Thematic
Some of the themes that characterize fantastic fiction are simple, at least in their approach. The theme of good versus evil is often present. But other themes often also appear, for example:
- Teen problems.
- Fears.
- Justice and injustice.
- Happiness, friendship, loyalty.
- The basic values of people.
- The reaches of magic.
- Treachery.
7- The weapon
Harry Potter has his wand, Eragon has his sword and Bella has the ability to hide his thoughts from others. Whatever the weapon, it has to be special, not only in its powers, but also in the reason behind its existence.
8- The scenario
From Middle-earth to Narnia, Alagaesia, Hogwarts and even Forks, the setting is another character in the story. It is the unique quality of the landscape that allows most events in history to take place and to be plausible.
Remember that, although it sounds contradictory, reality is very important in fantastic fiction, since the reader needs to cling to the internal logic not to get lost in the narration.
9- Language
Whether it is a fabricated language, such as that spoken of in Tolkien's works, or manipulation of how an existing language is spoken, the inclusion of a fantasy language increases the reader's ability to be transported to a different world.
10- Fight
As in any good story, whether it be science fiction, horror, or any other, there must be some form of struggle, which does not have to be physical but there must be"something"that"someone"can overcome.
In fantastic fiction, that fight is almost always as simple as Good vs. Evil, and in most cases it comes down to an epic battle between the Chosen and the Dark Lord, or some similar description.
As we have already mentioned, the stories of fantastic fiction follow in the footsteps of classical mythology. That is why we see similarities between the Lord of the Rings and The Iliad and The Odyssey. Thus, the traditional battle of good versus evil is usually central to the plot of a fantastic fictional story.
References
- Travis Gurley. What are the defining characteristics of the high fantasy genre? (February 2016). Recovered from quora.com.
- Daniel Marvello. The 5 Characteristics of Magical Fantasy (April 2013). Recovered from danielrmarvello.com.
- Modern Fantasy - description of story elements and quality characteristics (s.f.). Retrieved from homeofbob.com.
- Introduction: The Fantastic as a Literary Genre (s.f.). Retrieved from temple.edu.
- Genre Characteristics (s.f.). Retrieved from readwritethink.org.