Using a broad definition of fantasy to include myth, folklore, legend and fairy tale, Mathews shows how fantasy
uses the elements of enchantment and the supernatural to explode everyday reality and create profound insights
into essential human realities.
Fantasy gives us an appreciation of the genres roots in antiquity and an understanding of its history. The reader
becomes a witness to how it later evolved into a reaction and counterpoint to the tradition realistic rational
fiction in western literature. Further, we see how fantasy is related to but distinct from such genres as gothic
horror and science fiction.
While giving the reader a solid sense of the genres characteristics and history, Mathews also looks at particular
exemplary works like Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle in detail. This text will be
of inestimable value to anyone seeking to apprehend the nature and almost unlimited creative possibilities of a
genre with a deep history and a long future. A chronology of significant events, works and figures from the genre's
history, notes and references and an extensive bibliographic essay with recommended reading round out the volume.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chronology
1. From Antiquity to Infinity: The Development of Modern Fantas
2. Forging Fantasy Paradigms: Sword Tempered by Water (William Morris's The Well at the World's End
3. Shaping Modern Fantasy: Cosmic Light and Dark (J. R. R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings
5. Shining Past and Future: The Persistence of Camelot (T. H. White's The Oce and Future King
6. Darkening Antiquity: Sword and Sorcery (Robert E. Howard's Conan Series)
7. Completing the Circle: Language, Power, and Vision (Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle)
