Why read fantasy? What defines fantasy? By exploring my answers to these questions in this, the first in a series of blog posts, I hope to better define my own appreciation for the genre as a reader and writer. My ulterior motive is to motivate myself to pursue better blogging habits. It's possible the below will be tripe, and I can only strive for less tripe in the future.
But in the meantime…
Undoubtedly, one of the defining features of fantasy is escapism. The genre is full of strange characters embarking on strange quests and facing strange opposition in strange worlds.
And yet escapism cannot be said to be exclusive to this genre.
All of science fiction can be described as escapist and yet it is distinct from fantasy. The Walking Dead is escapist yet takes place in our own world, with the added wrinkle of zombies. Treasure Island is escapist and nobody doubts that pirates exist, even if they've seen nary an eyepatch nor peg leg in their life.
So the precise escapism of fantasy must be further defined. I think "escapism into a world unlike our own" Gets closer to the truth, but that's still leaves a prominent thread of kinship with the entire science fiction genre. Indeed these two genres often mashed together on bookstore shelves, so this definition is probably the terminal point for many readers, right or wrong.
But it is most definitely wrong. For all the similarities in the realm of invented worlds, fantasy and science-fiction cannot be appropriately compared, even when the science fiction is of the space opera flavor, like Star Wars.
The clue for how to advance the definition lies in the "science" part of the science fiction name. The escapist world of science fiction is, at the end of the day, rooted in science even if the explanation requires enough handwaving to conduct a John Williams orchestral score.
“No, I hate the Simpsons. Why do you ask?
There's also something lacking in the idea of the "world unlike our own." What about urban fantasy, a sub-genre that takes our normal world and blends in magic systems and fantastical creatures?
A "world divorced from our own by magic" doesn't cut the mustard either: examples are few, but it's absolutely possible to have fantasy without magic.
Fantasy stories can be defined as escapist literature taking place in a world divorce from her own by magic or strange creatures.
So I think this is where we arrive at the proper definition. Fantasy stories can be defined as escapist literature taking place in a world divorce from her own by magic or strange creatures.
This is a conclusion I can live with. However it leaves a wide berth of variety within the fantasy genre itself.
In future posts, I'll explore the sub genres of fantasy, and the ways authors use fantasy tropes to achieve different goals.