How has fantasy as a genre been defined? Find at least five formative definitions in Attebery (1980). How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guinn?
Fantasy as a genre has been difficult to define as it shares so many things in common with other genres and writing such as science fiction, grotesque, gothicism , etc. However, W. R. Irwin has stated that the main feature that makes a work unable to be fantasy is “an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility”. Therefore a piece of work can only fit into the fantasy genre if it includes something that is seen as impossible. Attebery (1980) tells us how fantasy’s treat impossibilities without hesitation. How they reconcile things that are impossible with our understandings of things to make us believe that these kinds of things could be seen or become true. We can see the difference between fantasy and similar genres as fantasy tells impossible stories without trying to convince you that the impossibilities can be explained through science which is what science fiction does. We know that what’s happening is impossible and don’t need any explanation as to how it could be explained. Fantasy is also different to other fiction as in other fiction there is some lack of truth but it is all based on real things. Whereas Attebery (1980) explains that fantasy needs consistency. It must remain in this impossible world for the reader to be able to stay in that so called “secondary belief” a term referred to by Tolkien. For example Le Guinn's "A Wizard of Earthsea" strongly shows the definition of Fantasy as we are never shown ideas that whats happening could be real.
Le Guinn also gives us reasons as to how science fiction is different from fantasy as she also believes,“science fiction is a branch of realism”. She tells us how most science fiction pretends that the future is the present or the past, and then tells us what happened in it. That in general, science fiction does what realistic fiction does, covering realistic expectations of how people act, and either avoiding events that the reader will see as improbable, or sufficiently explaining them. Le Guinn , “Realism and science fiction both employ plausibility to win the reader's consent to the fiction”. It's often said that science fiction is the modern mythology as it is something that is seen as too far fetched to be real, but not completely ridiculous that it becomes impossible like fantasy does.
References:
Attebery, B. (1980). Locating fantasy. In The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guinn (pp.2-9). Bloomington: Indiana U P, 1980.
Le Guinn (2005). Plausibility Revisited. http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html
Le Guinn, U. (1993; 1968). A
Wizard of Earthsea. In The
Earthsea Quartet (pp.13-167).
London: Penguin.
Hi Savannah, I like your definition of fantasy as telling an impossible story without feeling the need to explain the science behind it. Is science fiction a branch of realism because in many cases the fiction has, in time, become the reality?
ReplyDeleteGood, thanks Max.
DeleteThanks Max. Yes I think in that case it could be definitely depends!
DeleteThanks Savannah, Good. You have engaged well with the secondary readings and done so with your own 'voice'. Take care to cite all your quotes if they are direct. Still no reference to the primary text! Perhaps you could have discussed how Earthsea does or does not fit one or more of these definitions.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I didn't realise I left that out. I included one sentence that states how A Wizard of Earthsea is a strong example of a fantasy story !
ReplyDelete