Week 8 Flashcards
has its roots in traditional fantasy, from which motifs, characters, stylistic elements, and, at times, themes have been drawn. Many of the most revered works of children’s literature fall into the genre of modern fantasy. The Adventures of Pinocchio, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Wind in the Willows, Winnie-the-Pooh, Pippi Longstocking, and Charlotte’s Web immediately come to mind. The creation of stories that are highly imaginative— yet believable—is the hallmark of this genre.
Modern Fantasy
refers to the body of literature in which the events, the settings, or the characters are outside the realm of possibility. A fantasy is a story that cannot happen in the real world, and for this reason this genre has been called “the literature of the fanciful impossible.”
Modern Fantasy
in which one book is linked to another through characters, settings, or both, is especially prevalent in modern fantasy. Elleman (1987) states, “Events in [fantasy] cycle books are often strung out over three or four volumes. Authors attempt to make each novel self- contained, with varying degrees of success, but usually readers need the entire series for full impact” (p. 418). The cycle format appeals to readers who become attached to certain characters and then delight in reading the next book in the series. An example of the cycle format can be found in the Annals of the Western Shore series by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Cycle Format
literary folktales as they are also called, are tales told in a form similar to that of a traditional tale with the accompanying typical elements: little character description, strong conflict, fast-moving plot with a sudden resolution, vague setting, and, in some cases, magical elements. But these modern tales have a known, identifiable author who has written the tale in this form.
Modern Folktales
can be defined as traditional folktales with a contemporary twist or a tale told from a new perspective. A humorous example in which the characters of the well-known nursery rhyme run away to become vaudeville stars is The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon by Mini Grey.
Fractured Folktales
are an important counterbalance to traditional tales. As was noted in Chapter 6, many of the traditional tales present an old-fashioned, stereotypical view of male and female characters. Many of the modern tales present more assertive female characters who are clearly in charge of their own destinies. Examples are Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale and Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
Modern Folktales
are stories in which animals behave as human beings in that they experience emotions, talk, and have the ability to reason. Usually, the animals in fantasies will (and should) retain many of their animal characteristics. In the best of these animal fantasies, the author will interpret the animal for the reader in human terms without destroying the animal’s integrity or removing it from membership in the animal world
Animal Fantasy
Stories in which admired objects or beloved toys are brought to life and believed in by a child or adult character in the story are the focus of this type of fantasy. An early classic example of these stories is The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (Carlo Lorenzini), in which a mischievous puppet comes to life, runs away from his maker, and has many exciting and dangerous escapades. In these stories, the object, toy, or doll becomes real to the human protagonist and, in turn, becomes real to the child reader (who has perhaps also imagined a toy coming to life).
Personified Toys and Objects
Some authors approach fantasy through reality but take it beyond reality to the ridiculous or exaggerated. Generally, those stories can be best described as having unusual characters or strange situations. Without doubt, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is the best known of this type of modern fantasy.
Unusual Characters and Strange Situations
Some authors have written about worlds inhabited by miniature people who have developed a culture of their own in this world or who live in another world. In Barb Bentler Ullman’s The Fairies of Nutfolk Wood, Willa Jane, the protagonist, defends a band of fairies living in the nearby woods who are threatened by humans. In The Dark Ground and The Black Room, the first books of a series by Gillian Cross, ant-sized people face psychological adventures, fantasies appealing to students age 11 and older. Stories of little people delight children because they can identify with the indignities foisted on little and powerless people and because the big people in these stories are invariably outdone by the more ingenious little people.
Worlds of Little People
Many recent fantasies evoke the supernatural. One common form of supernatural literature found in children’s books is the ghost story. Some ghost stories intrigue younger children, especially when the topic is treated humorously and reassuringly. The goblins of Hilari Bell’s The Goblin Wood eventually become allies of the protagonist. Ghosts in children’s books can be fearful threats or helpful protectors, as is the ghost of Cynthia DeFelice’s The Ghost of Fossil Glen, who is seeking revenge for a murder. Many authors write mysteries for children in which the solution is partially supernatural or arrived at with supernatural assistance.
Supernatural events and Mystery Fantasy
, a blend of fantasy and realism, has the appearance of a work of realism but gradually introduces the fantastic as an integral, and necessary, part of the story. The fantastic is merged into these stories such that the distinction between realism and fantasy is blurred, often leaving the reader in some doubt as to what is real and what is fantasy. Magical realism with its origins in Latino literature has stories with the feel of realism, but the magical elements cause them to fall outside of the definition of realistic fiction.
Magical Realism
sometimes called time-warp fantasy, is a story in which a present-day protagonist goes back in time to a different era. A contrast between the two time periods is shown to readers through the modern-day protagonist’s discoveries of and astonishment with earlier customs. Historical fantasies must fully and authentically develop the historical setting, both time and place, just as in a book of historical fiction.
Historical Fantasy
are adventure stories with a search motif. The quest may be pursuit for a lofty purpose, such as justice or love, or for a rich reward, such as a magical power or a hidden treasure. Quest stories that are serious in tone are called high fantasy. Many of these novels are set in medieval times and are reminiscent of the search for the holy grail.
Quest Stories
is a form of imaginative literature that provides a picture of something that could happen based on real scientific facts and principles. Therefore, story elements in science fiction must have the appearance of scientific plausibility or technical possibility. Hypotheses about the future of humankind and the universe presented in science fiction appear plausible and possible to the reader because settings and events are built on extensions of known technologies and scientific concepts.
Science Fiction and Science Fantasy
