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Power Point Notes
Critical Eye for the
Fantasy Guy
English 12 CP/ English102 Research Paper
March 2004
Literary Phenomena:
The Harry Potter series has sold over 101 million copies between 1997-Nov. 2003.
11 million copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, all hardcover books, sold in the first 12 weeks of its release (June-Nov. 2003)
The 3 films based on Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings book series have smashed box office records
WHY ?
Why now?
What do I need to do?
Choose a fantasy book written between 2001-2004. Parents and your instructor must approve of your choice.
Before you commit to the book, make sure critics’ reviews are available on the book AND the author. Check Alabama Virtual Library and news magazines (TIME, NEWSWEEK). Check with librarians for book review sources.
Write a 5-7 page (typed) paper analyzing the fantasy novel, which incorporates critical reviews of the book
Minimum of 6 sources: books, periodicals, AVL. Avoid non-AVL internet sources for this assignment. No encyclopedias.
Make sure you analyze why fantasy novels have gained the attention of the reading world, why their popularity continues to grow, and why your chosen novel has attracted attention.
Due Dates
Rough Draft:
March 31, 2004
Final Draft:
April 2, 2004
Fantasy Versus Science Fiction
Fantasy
Imaginative world
Unusual creatures
Rules of magic integral to story
Very unusual places
Looks inward where wonder and wishes overcome knowledge
Belief rules over science
Magic replaces natural laws of science
Deals with good and evil; right and wrong
Science Fiction
Extends already exisitng natural laws
Turns science on its edge
Pushes and twists limits to create new futures or otherworlds that remain connected to our real world by reasoning
Key Aspects of Fantasy
Key aspects of fantasy
Recovery
Recovering the power to see the world magically, much as we did as children
Escape
Leaving behind the restraints of the modern mechanistic world so that we can momentarily converse with animals (for example) as in the Garden of Eden before the fall.
Consolation
At the end of the fantasy story, to be able to return to the normal world
Purpose of Fantasy
As we step through Alice’ inWonderland’s
looking glass or gaze into the mirror of Erised
(desire, reflected) in Rowling’s books, when we
don the enchanted rings of Tolkien or dodge
the dragons of Le Guin and Stephen King, we
are reminding ourselves that some things are
too important to be kept in the silver
cage of reason. ---Philip Martin
Five Golden Rings of Fantasy
High Fantasy
Adventure Fantasy
Fairy Tales
Magic Realism
Dark Fantasy
High Fantasy
Is about lofty purposes and great noble causes
Views evil as a great force, sometimes personified
Often a social misfit with destructive powers
Feature the hero’s journey or quest pattern: review your notes on this
Small band of foolhardy and oddly matched characters who become heroes forced to battle with forces far more powerful
Contemporary high fantasy often runs to multiple volumes
(3, 4, or 7 are common)Adventure Fantasy
Accepts notion of adventure for its own sake
Escapades are shaped mostly by the internal struggles of the protagonists rather than epic struggles between good and evil
Popular in America where we promote self-made adventures
Usually have male heroes with females relegated to stock roles
Animals and children are sometimes the story’s heroes
Adventures usually end with a happy return to home but readers are left with a suspicion that the characters will soon venture out again.
Chaos appears more often than evil
Strong moral codes keep forces of chaos at bay
Heroes are honest, charming, chivalrous, and willing to sacrifice to helper the weak
Teach positive codes of behavior
Fairy Tales
Tend to deal with personal transformation
People and creatures change in dramatic and often miraculous ways
Explore the invisible boundary between the safety of home and the dangers that lie beyond
Set mostly at home or out in the everyday world
Offers a practical lesson, usually learned the hard way
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." –deal with choices individuals make every day.
Magic Realism
Produces stories in which magical things happen; often unexpectedly, in the midst of very realistic, everyday settings and events
Protagonists do not change the world; instead they, themselves, are changed
Offers Tolkien’s "consolation"
Amazing return home to normalcy throughout the story, not just at the story’s end
Line between reality and fantasy is blurred as are the lines between history and story, reality perceived and actual
Sometimes asks the question: What if the world we believe is reality is really some sort of dream?
Believes magical transformation is from outside, mysterious powers
Dark Fantasy
Encircles historic core of horror and gothic fiction
Includes monster stories and ghost stories
Often questions the finality of death
Fantastic creatures are usually evil to the core
Evil appears early, usually after a brief opening scene of calm
Evil intensifies as story continues
Morality plays: often plot hinges on the unraveling of a mystery of what was done wrong by someone AND on discovering the manner in which this can be corrected or revered
Explores consequences of misguided actions
One constant moral: "Don’t go out into the dark alone."
folks have visited this page since its initial upload on March
4, 2004
Questions?
adams@studyguide.org