The Magic of Magic and Imagination in Fantasy Literature: A Study Based on JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series Abstract: Fantasy has the longest and richest literary heritage of all of the forms of genre fiction. Indeed, fantasy could be said to be the progenitor of other forms of literature. Fantasy has been distinguished from other forms of literature by its style, its constituents, and its freedom of expression when an author has the ability to use any story telling element to strengthen the narrative
the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Without the Christian conversion of C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’s content would not change but the focus on the meaning would change from a Christian allegory to a children’s fantasy novel. The first fact that would support this theory is Lewis’s childhood. Lewis did not live the life of the average boy; creating interests in cars, wrestling figures, super heroes, action figures, water guns, sports, and mud. He had an imaginary
Magical Realism as a Fusion of Fantasy and Reality One month ago, I had never heard of Magical Realism. Since reading the four essays by Franz Roh, Angel Flores, Luis Leal and Amaryll Chanaday and various internet articles, I have a much better understanding of Magical Realism - what it is, how it applies to literature, how it applies to art, and its theory, history, and style. Magical Realism is a fusion of fantasy and reality. According to Flores, it is a "transformation of common and
quiet, timid life with her glass figurines greatly differs from the vivacious, successful, gentlemen- seeking life that Amanda wishes her to pursue. And Tom wants to escape the stifling home he inhabits with his mother and sister, and become lost in literature, movies, liquor, and adventure, and just get away, like his father did. But Amanda wants Tom to become a thriving businessman, and simply escape the shoe factory that employs him. These conflicts complicate the relationships that the characters
Whether you are a fan or not, Science Fiction and Fantasy is, or has been, present in your life at some point. The genre has helped progress society in many ways. Sci-fi and Fantasy are for the creative. One cannot embrace the wild and imaginative plot lines without the ability to think creatively. Sometimes the fantastical ideas presented in the books and shows are absorbed by these creative and inventive minds and applied to the real world. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek once said,
themes and underlying meaning present throughout the chapter are more pertinent to the novel as a whole than any other aspect of this particular section. Specifically, themes of love, power, masochism, and consciousness watermark the literature throughout the chapter. What is more, we, as readers, face the battle between mind and body as well as the idea that Circe is a symbol for the entire novel. Regardless of which theme or idea we refer to, one cannot deny the potency
High Fantasy is a relatively new genre, having only been introduced in the late 1800s. Through the novels that fall under this category, authors have had the opportunity to respond to critical social issues that are prevalent in their lifetime. This has allowed the genre to mature along with the advancement of our culture. High Fantasy has rapidly developed into a genre that is widely appreciated and accepted; George R.R. Martin has contributed to this progression through his novel The Game of Thrones
Fantasy and Magical Realism in Violin Violin is a novel by Anne Rice. The genre of the book is fantasy and the text allows for many comparisons to made between fantasy and magical realism. I felt that there were a lot of fantastic elements in this book. An example of a fantastic element is when Tirana laid in bed with Karl after he died. She kept him in the house for about four days after his death because she didn't want the funeral parlor to burn him; she wanted to be with him forever
Seven Deadly Sins of Fantasy Imagination is the key to the universe. In order for one to use it, they may create a world of their own. Fantasy literature uses imagination as its key source, and everyday life as its secondary. Not one element can bring a piece of the art form together. Society lives on both factors as well. Fantasy art can either make or brake a world, just by the ideas and thoughts that are used with the imagination. This fantasized world is mainly inspired by reality and especially
C.S. Lewis on Misunderstanding Fantasy “Good stories often introduce the marvelous or supernatural and nothing about Story has been so often misunderstood as this.” On Stories—C.S. Lewis The early decades of the last century saw the loss of credibility of fantasy literature among the academic elite who ruled it a popular genre with little to no scholarly merit. Little that had had the misfortune of being dubbed fantasy had escaped the blacklist cast upon the field. Many critics had
example of the Fantastical genre. Published in 1989, "Catwings Return" has some elements similar to those found in Magical Realism, but the story mostly has elements of Fantasy in it. By examining the American story "Catwings Return," a reader will be able to see the similarities and differences between Magical Realism and Fantasy. In order to have some characteristics similar to those in Magical Realism, a text must contain both realistic elements and magical elements (Flores 112). In "Catwings
understand fantasy literature. As Rosemary Jackson stipulated in her text Fantasy: the Literature of Subversion the limitations of realist novels comes from their “rational, ‘mono- logical’ world” (172) were “otherness cannot be known or represented except was foreign, irrational” (172). She goes on to suggest that since the other cannot be accepted it is “either rejected altogether… or written out as romance or as fable” (172). The concept of the “I” and the “not- I” within fantasy literature is what
me to understand at first. I found myself asking questions such as "Will I understand what I am reading?" "Is this going to make sense to me?" "What am I suppose to see in this American Fiction?" I did learn that magical realism has to deal with fantasies written in Spanish (Flores 110-111). Then looking at Amaryll Chanady, I learned that Flores stated that, "practitioners of magical realism clings to reality as if to prevent their myth from flying off, as in fairy tales, to supernatural realism."
a positive tone from the author. In pieces of writing associated with fantasy, however, it would only be more suitable to call these characters, heroes. Particularly in high fantasy, the hero ventures on an aptly named “hero’s journey.” However, the hero will always discover the “call to adventure” at the beginning of the story. At that point, the protagonist realizes that he or she possesses a unique ability. In high fantasy, that ability generally involves magic. Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of
The Perils of Certain English Prisoners: Dickens' Defensive Fantasy of Imperial Stability Note: "The Perils of Certain English Prisoners" consists of three chapters. Chapters one and three consist of material written by Dickens, whilst chapter two comprises the work of Wilkie Collins', completed under the auspices of Dickens. As the material under consideration in this essay is taken from the first and third chapters, and considering Dickens' creative control over the second chapter, "Perils"
Often times, children’s literature addresses more than what originally meets the eye. E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web is considered a classic in today’s era, though it presents controversial themes throughout the book, namely, Charlotte’s Web explores death and the circle of life. Charlotte’s Web challenges many common assumptions about children’s literature as many individuals would not explore such a weighty topic in a children’s book. It is quite apparent that White’s intended audience is for younger
Science Fiction For the science fiction portion of this paper, I choose to use the definition of Isaac Asimov. Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions. That branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advantage upon human beings. This definition reflects the both the experiences I have had reading the genre, as well as the probable
In J.R.R Tolkien’s essay On Faerie Stories, he argues in the defense of myth and fantasy in literature. He claims that their purpose is to access the transcendent, thus myth is fundamental in the understanding of the Primary World. In this essay, I shall argue the Peter Jackson’s film Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring cannot fully embody the literary transcendence of the fantasy genre as Tolkien seeks to portray in his novel, The Fellowship of the Ring, as films are restricted to the
Identifying The Day We Were Dogs Whether or not "The Day We Were Dogs" (1993) is a magical realist story is questionable. Often stories are misidentified because of the closeness of literature such as magical realism, the fantastic, and the sublime. The story leaves a lot to one's imagination instead of presenting it in the text. Elena Garro blends two days and two completely different worlds together in this story. The magical elements depend on how one uses his or her imagination throughout
J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is the home of one of the most complex and intriguing characters in literature, Holden Caulfield. Holden seems to always be running away, always trying to escape reality. He desperately tries to handle his life and emotions, but he can hardly do it. The novel depicts Holden frantically trying to cope by creating a fantasy world, filled with perfect and simple people that he idolizes. He places himself in this world, making himself into a hero. Whenever