Many people see
the word “fantasy” and have a concrete impression of the genre. Any singular image for a genre as large as
fantasy will leave out a lot. Fantasy is
a very complex genre with many subgenres.
In order to consider fantasy as a whole in any context, one must have knowledge
of at least most of those subgenres.
The four most
prevalent subgenres of fantasy are epic fantasy, urban fantasy, contemporary
fantasy, and heroic fantasy.
Epic fantasy,
interchangeably called high fantasy, although some writers consider them
separate subgenres, is notable for its massive scope, slow pacing, and high
amount of magic. Lord of the Rings is the most widely-known epic fantasy novel/series.
Urban fantasy is
often set in urban areas, although the subgenre has grown to the point that
location is not of chief importance.
Urban fantasy crosses real-world society with supernatural society,
often fey society. Mentor/student foils
are very common in urban fantasy.
Television shows and novels like Buffy
the Vampire Slayer with a “chick kicking butt in leather” are urban
fantasy.
Contemporary
fantasy is tough to nail down. The Harry Potter series may be considered
contemporary fantasy, although the case can be made that it fits better as
urban fantasy. Contemporary fantasy,
like urban, tends to be set in the real world at the current time. The distinction, typically, is that in
contemporary fantasy the fantastical qualities of the world are known to many,
while in urban fantasy very few people are aware.
Heroic fantasy,
sometimes mislabeled as Sword and Sorcery, is characterized by a heroic
protagonist and small or medium-sized scope.
Swords, sorcery, and mythology, typically German or Norse mythology, are
often present. Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories are heroic fantasy.
Regardless of
subgenre, any type of fantasy can be labeled “dark fantasy” under certain
conditions. “Dark fantasy” denotes
fantasy with qualities of horror fiction or general macabre. Garth Nix’s Abhorsen Chronicles books are dark fantasy.
Paranormal is
the term attached to any genre with basic, but only basic, qualities of
fantasy. Currently, paranormal romance
is the most popular form of paranormal fiction.
The Twilight Saga is “paranormal.”
If a work of fiction is “paranormal,” it’s inherently fantasy, although
it is probably multiple genres.
There are
several subgenres of fantasy that are also subgenres of other genres. The two most common are steampunk and space
opera.
Steampunk is a
combination of several genres. One is
fantasy. Steampunk stories are typically
set in the Victorian era, but the technology is different. As the name may suggest, steam-power is
almost always important in steampunk settings.
The most recent remake of The
Three Musketeers contains steampunk elements, which in themselves include
elements of fantasy, science-fiction, historical fiction, alternate history,
romance, and/or horror.
Space opera is
where the line between fantasy and science-fiction blurs. Some consider it fantasy, others
science-fiction. Star Wars and Star Trek
are both considered space opera. Science
as we know it is completely disregarded on multiple planets in both settings,
which some argue makes space opera a subgenre of fantasy. The often futuristic settings of space opera
stories make them appear to be science-fiction.
To be fair, space opera can be regarded as a subgenre of both
science-fiction and fantasy.
Sword and
Sorcery is probably the least-respected subgenre of fantasy. It used to be one of the main fantasy
subgenres, but has become a niche genre.
If there are wizards and rogues working together in a story, it is probably
Sword and Sorcery. The role-playing game
Dungeons & Dragons is the
foremost example of Sword and Sorcery.
Low fantasy has
low levels of magic. Sometimes works are
classified as low fantasy without containing any magic whatsoever, so long as
they have a secondary-world setting. Low
fantasy is fairly rare and the term is rarely used.
Magic realism is
sometimes called a subgenre of fantasy and other times considered a genre of
its own. Magic realism is essentially
low fantasy with a real-world setting.
Often only one or two fantastical qualities exist in each story. Writers such as Ray Bradbury experimented a
lot with magic realism before science-fiction hit big in the early twentieth
century.
With almost a
dozen subgenres and distinctions, fantasy covers many different types of
stories, some of which barely resemble one another. All things considered, fantasy is probably
the most complex genre out there.
Even as someone who loves fantasy, I know very little about all the different genres and what they entail. I know when something is fantasy, and that a lot of things can be fantasy, but I suck at terminology so this was a really interesting read. I'll have to read into some of the lesser known fantasy genres to get a better idea of what they entail. Where would something set in a futuristic/alternative universe, like Panem in the Hunger Games trilogy, fit into the fantasy spectrum?
ReplyDeleteIn my brain, dystopia and fantasy are somehow linked. I don't know fit that's a thing or if I'm just silly.
DeleteDystopia is typically considered closer to science fiction than to fantasy. However, you could write a fantasy story with clear dystopian elements and call it dystopia. As far as I can remember, everything from the Hunger Games was at least possible, so I feel safe calling it sci-fi over fantasy. There's a fine line though.
DeleteThanks for the breakdown! Space opera always makes me smile, b/c c'mon, the name is a bit silly. Though I am not knocking it, I promise! =)
ReplyDeleteNo problem. "Space opera" was originally a derogatory term, but everyone liked it so it didn't matter.
DeleteThanks for the break down, Patrick. Though I write fantasy, I know so little about the different types of fantasy fiction.
ReplyDeleteBtw, must tell you that I loved your flash fiction. I always enjoy your shorter pieces. They are very well written.
You're welcome. And thank you.
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