Fantasy essay PDF

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Jennings 1 Caitlin Jennings Professor Carmen Gindi HUMA-7028-40-20W 26 February 2020 The Fantasy Genre: Realism or Escapism The fantasy genre as a whole is normally seen as an escapist genre. It is not normally a genre that is taken very seriously and is most likely considered one of the least realistic genres being published today. Many people feel that fantasy is a genre created for children and teenagers to entertain them, but that is not the case anymore. Fantasy literature offers a mixture of realism and escapism. On the one hand, it includes realistic dilemmas and ethical actions; on the other hand, it features unrealistic storylines and worlds, both of which allow readers to escape the dreary realities of everyday life. In fantasy stories, there is always a chance of having a storyline with a realistic dilemma or ethical action while being within a fantasy world. Within Stormdancer, there is a storyline of toxic waste damaging the environment, which is exactly what the world is currently fighting. This gives more of a realistic feel to the genre, and it gives fantasy worlds a more real purpose than just to entertain the reader and whisk them away to a fake world. While being transported to a strange new world created by the author, the reader can give thought to an issue that is actually happening in today’s world. Fantasy literature is not just about creating these strange worlds and characters, but it gives a chance for readers to think about real life issues while learning about the author’s creation. Fantasy comes from the Greek word φαντασια (fantasia), which means ‘making visible’. This is precisely the job of the author while creating storylines and worlds. While there can be realistic components, there is almost always an unrealistic storyline within the novel. For example, within Alice and Wonderland, the entire story begins by Alice meeting a rabbit with a

Jennings 2 waistcoat and a pocket watch. It is not realistic in any sense for a teenager to climb down a ‘rabbit hole’ and to be swept away into a magical forest with many interesting characters. This kind of storyline may not be realistic, but it is characteristic of the fantasy genre to have a strange storyline. This gives some of the wonder and curiosity to the reader to keep them engaged within the storyline. Some worlds that authors create give readers a chance to explore a different world that they might have never discovered without the help of the author. Many readers would not have come close to the Wonderland of Alice in Wonderland or the crazy world within Stormdancer. Many authors have the creative power to create these unrealistic fantasy worlds for readers to enjoy while describing them thoroughly and creating a picture for readers. A great example of a description of a fantasy world for readers is in the novel Stormdancer. Within the chapters, the author creates a visual image of the world that they created by saying, “Cigar-shaped canvas balloons with rusted metal exoskeletons filled the sky” (Kristoff, 18). Many people would not have this kind of creative power to create this kind of world, but many fantasy authors have the power to do such to take readers on a journey through the world that has been created for them. In conclusion, many people see the fantasy genre just as an escapist genre without any realistic content within it. However, there are examples that prove that there are realistic dilemmas and ethic actions within these fantasy genres. While there may be realistic issues within the novels, all fantasy novels have an unrealistic storyline as a whole, along with crazy worlds, but that gives fantasy the amazement and engagement it does for people. Sometimes everyone needs to escape from the stress of daily life, and fantasy books can be a great way.

Jennings 3 Trabajos citados Kristoff, J. Stormdancer. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Press, 2012. Literary Terms. “Fantasy.” Literary Terms (2020): https://literaryterms.net/fantasy/. Accessed 26 February 2020...