Английская Википедия:High fantasy
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Other uses Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Fantasy Шаблон:Sidebar
High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy[1] defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.[2] High fantasy is set in an alternative, fictional ("secondary") world, rather than the "real" or "primary" world.[2] This secondary world is usually internally consistent, but its rules differ from those of the primary world. By contrast, low fantasy is characterized by being set on Earth, the primary or real world, or a rational and familiar fictional world with the inclusion of magical elements.[3][4][5][6]
Characteristics
The romances of William Morris, such as The Well at the World's End, set in an imaginary medieval world, are sometimes regarded as the first examples of high fantasy.[7] The works of J. R. R. Tolkien—especially The Lord of the Rings—are regarded as archetypal works of high fantasy.[7] The term "high fantasy" was coined by Lloyd Alexander in a 1971 essay, "High Fantasy and Heroic Romance", which was originally given at the New England Round Table of Children's Librarians in October 1969.[2]
Many high fantasy stories are told from the viewpoint of one main hero. Often, much of the plot revolves around their heritage or mysterious nature, along with a world-threatening problem. In many novels the hero is an orphan or unusual sibling, and frequently portrayed with an extraordinary talent for magic or combat. They begin the story young, if not as an actual child, or are portrayed as being very weak and/or useless.[8]
The hero often begins as a childlike figure, but matures rapidly, experiencing a considerable gain in fighting/problem-solving abilities along the way.[9]
The progress of the story leads to the character's learning the nature of the unknown forces against them, that they constitute a force with great power and malevolence. The villains in such stories are usually completely evil and unrelatable.[10]
"High fantasy" often serves as a broad term to include a number of different flavors of the fantasy genre, including heroic fantasy, epic fantasy, mythic fantasy, dark fantasy, and wuxia.[11] It typically is not considered to include the sword and sorcery genre.[12]
Themes
High fantasy has often been defined by its themes and messages.[13] "Good versus evil" is a common one in high fantasy, and defining the character of evil is often an important theme in a work of high fantasy,[14] such as The Lord of the Rings. The importance of the concept of good and evil can be regarded as the distinguishing mark between high fantasy and sword and sorcery.[12] In many works of high fantasy, this conflict marks a deep concern with moral issues; in other works, the conflict is a power struggle, with, for instance, wizards behaving irresponsibly whether they are "good" or "evil".[15]
Game settings
Role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons with campaign settings like Dragonlance[16] by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis and Forgotten Realms by Ed Greenwood[17] are a common basis for many fantasy books and many other authors continue to contribute to the settings.[18]
See also
- Шаблон:Annotated link
- Шаблон:Annotated link
- List of genres
- List of high fantasy fiction
- Шаблон:Annotated link
- Шаблон:Annotated link
References
External links
- "Fantasy Genre Lecture"—A paper by Michael Joseph discussing high fantasy and referencing Alexander's theories, via Rutgers' School of Communication and Information.
- "The Flat-Heeled Muse" by Lloyd Alexander, the inventor of the term "high fantasy", discusses fantasy world-building and "the problems and disciplines of fantasy"
- "Fantasy book writing: 7 tips"—Now Novel discusses the origin of the term, referencing Lloyd Alexander and offering high fantasy writing tips
Шаблон:Fantasy fiction Шаблон:Film genres
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ 2,0 2,1 2,2 Brian Stableford, The A to Z of Fantasy Literature, (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Plymouth. 2005. Шаблон:ISBN
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ C.W. Sullivan has a slightly more complex definition in "High Fantasy", chapter 24 of the International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature by Peter Hunt and Sheila G. Bannister Ray (Routledge, 1996 and 2004), chapter 24.
- ↑ 7,0 7,1 Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ Patricia A. McKillip, "Writing High Fantasy", p 53, Philip Martin, ed., The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest, Шаблон:ISBN
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ 12,0 12,1 Joseph A. McCullough V, "The Demarcation of Sword and Sorcery Шаблон:Webarchive"
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Tom Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, p 120, Шаблон:ISBN
- ↑ Ursula K. Le Guin, "The Question I Get Asked Most Often" p 274, The Wave in the Mind, Шаблон:ISBN
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite journal
- ↑ "Most role-playing games draw upon a universe based in high fantasy; this literary genre, half-way between traditional fantasy ..." Squedin, S., & Papillon, S. (2008). U.S. Patent Application 12/198,391.
