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Introduction
Definition:
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Fantasy is
any story of the impossible, but it is presented
as if they were possible. Moreover, the
fantasy element has to be fresh and original.
It may include magic, talking animals, time travel, the
supernatural, adventures in alternative worlds – any feature
that is contrary to the laws of nature as we
understand them.
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Fantasy is
a highly imaginative story about characters, places,
and events, yet it is believable. Good fantasy is
rooted in reality and in human nature. Modern fantasies
often contain truths that help the reader to
understand today’s society, though the events they
describe cannot happen in real life.
“The
imaginary world captures us; its underlying reality moves us.”
(Russell, 2009,
p. 217)
Comparison between Folk Literature and Modern Fantasy:
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Fantasy
traces its roots to the folktales, legends, and myths
of ancient peoples. However, traditional tales are
from the oral tradition of stories passed from
generation to generation by word of mouth, while modern
fantasies are original stores that come from the
imaginations of known authors and its
transmission is through the written medium.
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Both
folktales and fantasies contain fantastical elements.
However, folktales are always set in a familiar
world; they have stock characters,
conventional plots, and traditional motifs,
whereas writers of fantasy create a new world
with something unusual and its own possibilities.
Therefore, a fantasy’s settings, characters, and plots tend
to be much more complex than those of the folktales.
“Reading
fantasy is not so much an escape from something as a
liberation into something, into openness and
possibility and coherence.”
(O’Keefe,
2003, p. 11; cited in Russell, 2009,
p. 213)
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