Modern Fantasy

1
Modern Fantasy

• ELE 300
• Childrens Literature

2
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.

3
Six Basic Fantasy Motifs

• Magic
• Other worlds
• Good versus evil
• Fantastic objects
• Special character types
• Heroism

4
Categories of Modern Fantasy

• Literary Folk and Fairy Tales
• Fantasy Novels
• Science Fiction

5
Animal Fantasy

• Animals behave as humans
• Many animal characteristics retained
• Author interprets the animal
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• Runaway Ralph

6
Personified Toys and Objects

• Toys and objects brought to life
• Objects become real to human protagonist
• Responsibilities of parenthood often assumed by
  child protagonist
• The Adventures of Pinocchio

7
Worlds of Little People

• Miniature people who developed culture own own in
  this or another world
• The Borrowers
• Gullivers Travels

8
Peculiar Characters andStrange Situations

• Ridiculous or exaggerated situations
• Alices Adventures in Wonderland
• James and the Giant Peach
• Tuck Everlasting

9
Supernatural Tales

• Ghost stories
• Mysteries
• Witchcraft

10
Historical Fantasy

• Time Warp - the protagonist goes back in time to
  a different era
• Contrast between two time periods is shown
  through the eyes of the protagonist
• The Devils Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

11
High Fantasy

• Adventure stories with a search motif
• Pursuit for a lofty purpose
• High fantasy

• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S.
  Lewis

12
Variants, Lampoons, and Sequels

• Varies by point of view or story line
• May offer a different perspective to the
  traditional tale