WEEK 3/4 Fantasy

Week Four

How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least five definitions.

-       W.R. Irwin defines fantasy as: “an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility… whatever the material, extravagant or seemingly commonplace, a narrative is a fantasy if it presents the persuasive establishment and development of an impossibility…”

    Irwin, W.R. (1976) The game of the impossible: A rhetoric of fantasy. University of Illinois Press: Illinois.

-       “Fantasy, then, presupposes a reality which it goes on to contradict.” 

   – Attebury, B. (1980) The fantasy tradition in American literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Indiana University Press: Bloomington.

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   E.M. Forster speaks of the reader of fantasy having to ‘pay something extra.’ To go against traditional conventions and subscribe to an unlikely narrative. 

   Forster, E.M. (1927) Aspects of the novel. Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc: New York.

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    Manlove insists that all fantasy must create wonder in the reader, ultimately suggesting that all fantasy be good fantasy. Manlove, C.N. (1975). Modern fantasies: Five studies. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

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  “Any narrative which includes as part of its make up some violation of what the author clearly believes to be natural law- That is fantasy.” – Attebury, B.

From these definitions cited by Attebury (1980) we build up a complex characterisation of the fantasy genre. My understanding of fantasy is a boiled down combination of the above. For a work to come under the fantasy umbrella, the reader must be willing to subscribe to an impossible narrative that presents itself in an alternate reality; all the while retaining some characteristics of plausible fiction to hold the reader’s attention.

Le Guin achieves this by illustrating an alternate universe that ethically resembles our own. Ged presents himself as a relatable example of the human condition: impulsive, bold and arrogant. He grows to overcome his deficiencies and matures into a powerful wizard. We can draw parallels from his character into our own lives by recognising Ged’s flaws as our own. The relatable narrative despite logical implausibility makes Earthsea an excellent example of the fantasy genre. It strikes me as odd that any work of fiction as morally sound and clear in its intentions could ever be interpreted as ‘satanic.’