Fantasy in Contemporary Literature Criticism
Fantasy literature, pervasive throughout literary history, wields significant influence in modern writing. From early allegories like Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene to J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, fantasy elements are integrated across genres, often serving as structural and allegorical devices. T. E. Apter discusses the role of fantasy, suggesting it parallels realism but operates from the premise of the fantastic, creating a world that feels real yet profoundly different from reality. This complexity allows authors to impart layered meanings and redefine language. As Lucie Armitt notes, female authors frequently employ fantasy to present alternative perspectives, while Nancy A. Walker points out their use of fantasy and irony to transform language and convey intricate messages, exemplified by Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
In contemporary literature, Richard Alan Schwartz posits that fantasy helps writers address the uncertainties and bleakness of the modern age, as seen in John Barth's and Thomas Pynchon's works. Meanwhile, Neil Cornwell distinguishes between science fiction, horror, and "pure" fantasy, emphasizing the latter's exploration of intersecting worlds linked to reality. Some critics, like Mikita Brottman and David Sterritt, argue for fantasy's escapism, providing readers with imaginative realms and a reprieve from mundane life. These narratives often navigate sociological and theological themes, using allegory to delve into human conflicts within imaginative contexts.
Contents
- Representative Works
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Criticism: Overviews And General Studies
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Introduction: Fantasy and Psychoanalysis
(summary)
In the following essay, Apter explores the role and significance of fantasy in literature, contending that psychoanalytic theory offers a useful means of studying the unique difficulties posed by fantasy literature.
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The Fantastic in Contemporary Fiction
(summary)
In the following essay, Schwartz reflects upon the resurgence of fantasy literature in the twentieth century, theorizing that this return to the fantastic is a means for modern authors to create a sense of order in a fast-changing and chaotic world.
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On the ‘Fantastic’ Trend in Recent Soviet Prose
(summary)
In the following essay, Rougle expounds on the increasing use of fantasy elements in Russian literature, especially during the 1970s and later. He also examines the major sources for fantasy elements as they are used in modern Russian literature, as well as common themes in these works, attempting to determine a common ideological ground in order to place this trend in a historical perspective.
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Allegory and Enigma: Fantasy's Enduring Appeal
(summary)
In the following essay, Brottman and Sterritt discuss the renewed popularity of traditional fantasy elements, such as wizards and goblins, in contemporary literature, contending that the idealized settings of many modern works of fantasy provide a welcome escape from the mundane and ordinary aspects of life.
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Introduction: Fantasy and Psychoanalysis
(summary)
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Criticism: Language, Form, And Theory
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Form, Formula, and Fantasy: Generative Structures in Contemporary Fiction
(summary)
In the following essay, McCaffery expounds on the “inadequacy of the concept of fantasy” as it is currently defined as useful in understanding the “nature and purpose of much contemporary literature” identified with that label.
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Language, Irony, and Fantasy
(summary)
In the following essay, Walker identifies language and the means to expression as a central component of women's writing, further explaining that language has a special and interdependent relationship with such literary devices as fantasy and irony. According to Walker, fantasy and language are tied together in unique ways, and she illustrates this connection through an analysis of several works of fantasy by women writers.
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Magical Realism and Postmodernism: Decentering Privileged Centers
(summary)
In the following essay, D'Haen defines the origins of magical realism and postmodernism in literature, examining the use of the former in the works of Salman Rushdie and Angela Carter. D'Haen proposes that elements of magical realism and fantasy are often used by writers who are writing from a non-centric point of view.
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Form, Formula, and Fantasy: Generative Structures in Contemporary Fiction
(summary)
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Criticism: Major Writers
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Djinn by Alain Robbe-Grillet: Or the Architecture of the Fantastic
(summary)
In the following essay, Harger-Grinling and Chadwick address the ways in which Robbe-Grillet uses the image of the traditional Arabian genie to guide readers through fantastical elements in Djinn while setting large parts of the book in a realistic world.
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Misfires in Eden: García Márquez and Narrative Frustration
(summary)
In the following essay, Olsen focuses on the narrative frustration commented upon by many critics of García Márquez's work, noting that the uncertainty and nebulous nature of the writer's work is intentional, and very much in line with many other works of postmodern fantasy which resist the idea of closure or completeness.
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The Presence of Absence: Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians
(summary)
In the following essay, Olsen analyzes Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians as a groundbreaking work of postmodern fantasy, one that “recharts, interrogates, challenges, and dismantles dominant cultural myths.”
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Earthsea
(summary)
In the following essay, Cummins provides a detailed analysis of Le Guin's “Earthsea” trilogy as a coming-of-age journey set in the realm of the fantastic, where fantastical elements resonate with “ethical, emotional, and aesthetic meaning.”
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Supernatural Genres: Horror, Gothic, and Fantasy
(summary)
In the following essay, Smith traces various literary influences on the writing of Anne Rice, including the Romantics, the Victorians, and writers of Gothic fiction.
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Fantasizing It As It Is: Religious Language in Philip Pullman's Trilogy, His Dark Materials
(summary)
In the following essay, Gooderham places the trilogy His Dark Materials in the context of modern works of fantasy literature, noting that although the work has been enthusiastically received by critics and readers, the resistance it has inspired in religious groups can be largely attributed to Pullman's language usage.
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Djinn by Alain Robbe-Grillet: Or the Architecture of the Fantastic
(summary)
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Criticism: Women Writers And Fantasy
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Fantasy and the Feminine
(summary)
In the following essay, Spivack provides a brief overview of fantasy literature and theory, focusing on ways in which women writers have modified the fantasy genre to demonstrate self-fulfillment and the preservation of community.
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The Grotesque Utopia: Joanna Russ, Jeanette Winterson, Angela Carter, Jane Palmer and Monique Wittig
(summary)
In the following essay, Armitt discusses the significance and use of utopian fantasy worlds in the writings of several women authors.
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Fantasy and the Feminine
(summary)
- Further Reading