Research paper, Fantasy.

Fantasy Genre

Melissa Woodward

English 10

4/17/12

Realizing the importance of Fantasy takes a lot of work, no one knows how important Fantasy is to society. Fantasy goes back to when people first told stories, because it is simply just stretching the truth, while adding false comments. Sometimes a simple “Once Upon a Time” is a part of Fantasy, but readers do not ever realize it. Fantasy takes a toll on how the society believes in things. People believe that the stuff that is being written in the Fantasy books are very well true. There are three well-known authors that set an example of the Genre Fantasy. They are J.K. Rowling who wrote Harry Potter, Stephenie Meyers who wrote the Twilight Saga, and P.C. Cast who wrote The House of Night. J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyers, and P.C. Cast demonstrate Fantasy very well because in their works they use magic, sorcery, and enchantment.
“Fantasy describes those stories that could not happen in real life” (Bennett). When writers write in Fantasy it is fun and challenging. It is fun because writers get to make up the world around the characters, bringing the otherness to life (Sanks). During the writing, writers describe everything fully so that the readers have a chance to accept all that is happening (Sanks). Drawing everyday fears, often making realms, and creatures that are not of our world (Sanks).
An example of this ‘otherness’ would be vampires and werewolves. Readers see a lot of this type of otherness in the Twilight Saga written by Stephneie Meyers. Throughout the entire series of Twilight, Bella, a human, is falling in love with a vampire, who is also falling in love with her. Bella’s best friend is a werewolf, who has fallen in love with her. During the entire saga, she learns more about being a vampire, and always wants to become a vampire because she loves Edward (“Stephenie Meyer”). “About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part that him- and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be-but that thirst for my blood. And Third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him,” said Bella in the book Twilight.
The writing structure is complicated; writers have to thoroughly explain the characters surroundings. Have detailed settings to describe the ‘otherness,’ which often takes place. The genre often has “contrasts, good and bad, light and dark. But here the light emerges victorious” (Sanks). Most of the time, the characters will hide themselves, because they want to seem different then the others. They want to seem normal, and have a desire to fit in. They do not like being themselves because they fear being themselves is too outgoing, too different (Sanks).
An example of this is the House of Night Zoey Redbird is a normal teenager, then she got marked and the Goddess specially marked her, calling Zoey her own. Throughout the story, Aphrodite one of Zoey’s friends, was hiding who she was to seem like she has it all under control, when she is really starting to feel stressed. This was only until Zoey and her friends caught Aphrodite in the act. This was gathered from the book Marked written by P.C. Cast. The readers have the same teenage point of view, romance, and magic, with the fight of good and bad, or in this case darkness and light (Sanks).
“The world of Faerie, magic, sorcery, and enchantment all live on in Fantasy” (Sanks). Fantasy is made by each and every detailed settings, and feelings. A faerie is something that is made up, and mythical. Magic is something that is used by supernatural forces. Currently, there has been a lot of this, because magic is having that imaginary awesome force. Not that many people believe in magic, some say it is imaginary. Sorcery is the art of using magic.  Enchantment is wonderful and unusual; fantasy has enchantment to have that ‘fairytale ending.’
A simple “Once Upon a Time…” helps display enchantment, sorcery, magic, and faerie. Lately, there has not been many novels that require the “Once Upon a Time…” because the “happily ever after” scares them away, because being happy does not last forever. This is how Fantasy started. Phillip Farmer was the first known Fantasy author to publish a novel. But this is a tentative author, knowing that Fantasy relates to imaginary, mythical, supernatural forces, and fairytale facts. Anyone could write a novel just on Fantasy.
Fantasy draws everyday fears and produce realms and creatures that are not of our world (Sanks). When a writer is writing in Fantasy, they just let their mind travel, they write exactly what they want to. There is a lot of darkness verses light fighting going on in these Novels. An example of this would be the House of Night Series written by P.C. Cast. In the series, Zoey is a normal teenager until she gets marked. When she got marked, her entire world changed. She realized that she was unusual and her Goddess marked her very well of her own. Throughout the entire series of books, Zoey and her friends find her fighting against darkness, and they find themselves imminent to fighting. Throughout the entire series, there is also this birdman darkness creacher.
This shows the importance of imaginary beings, writers get to imagine while they have detailed explanations. Having to explain everything thoroughly, for instance in Tempted the sixth book, Zoey Redbird was again battling the darkness and the crazy birdman. “The air behind me changed. I knew I wasn’t alone in the tunnel anymore,” says Zoey Redbird, just as the creepy birdman appears. Fantasy has that aspect, of whatever happens is set and stone. Throughout the entire Series of The House of Night Zoey and her friends are dealing with death, love, being a teenager, and battling darkness.
The writings contain unrealistic settings or magic (Sanks). Some settings could be flying, throwing magic at the darkness. Fighting against darkness is normal and having unusual settings is also normal. In Harry Potter “Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That is only because he is being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he is really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changed when Harry is summoned to attend a infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a loveable giant, to the curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his noble destiny,” (J.L. Rowling). Harry Potter is always facing against evil as he is learning who he truly is.
Harry Potter, Zoey Redbird, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen and writers of the Fantasy genre clearly defines the definition of Fantasy. The genre Fantasy has enchantment, magic, and sorcery, all written in it. Fantasy is exciting and interesting, fantasy is also a lot of work ties in with the writing structure. There is a lot of imagination tied in with a simple “Once Upon a Time.”

Works Cited

Bennett, Steve. “Fantasy Fiction.” Find me an author
2009. Web. http://www.findmeanauthor.com/fantasy_fiction_genre.htm
“J.K. Rowling.” Fantasy Genre
2007. Web. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/rowlingjk.html
Sancks, Joyce “Fantasy.” The Readers Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago,
American Library Association. 2001: 36-60. Print.
“Stephenie Meyer.” Fantasy Genre
2008. Web. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/meyerstephenie.html