1、History of the fantasy literatureThough the genre in its modern form is less than two centuries old, its antecedents have a long and distinguished history. Fairy tales and legends, such as Dobrynya Nikitichs rescue of Zabava Putyatichna from the dragon Gorynych, have been an important source for fan
2、tasyBeginning perhaps with the Epic of Gilgamesh and the earliest written documents known to humankind, mythic and other elements that would eventually come to define fantasy and its various subgenres have been a part of some of the grandest and most celebrated works of literature. From The Odyssey
3、to Beowulf, from the Mahabharata to The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, from the Ramayana to the Journey to the West, and from the Arthurian legend and medieval romance to the epic poetry of the Divine Comedy, fantastical adventures featuring brave heroes and heroines, deadly monsters, and secr
4、et arcane realms have inspired many audiences. In this sense, the history of fantasy and the history of literature are inextricably intertwined. Many works are unclear as to the belief of the authors in the marvels they contain, as in the enchanted garden from the DecameronThere are many works where
5、 the boundary between fantasy and other works is not clear; the question of whether the writers believed in the possibilities of the marvels in A Midsummer Nights Dream or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight makes it difficult to distinguish when fantasy, in its modern sense, first began.5The history of
6、 modern fantasy literature begins with George MacDonald, the Scottish author of such novels as The Princess and the Goblin and Phantastes, the latter of which is widely considered to be the first fantasy novel ever written for adults. MacDonald was a major influence on both J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S
7、. Lewis. The other major fantasy author of this era was William Morris, a popular English poet who wrote several novels in the latter part of the century, including The Well at the Worlds End.Despite MacDonalds future influence and Morriss contemporary popularity, it wasnt until the turn of the cent
8、ury that fantasy fiction began to reach a large audience. Edward Plunkett, better known as Lord Dunsany, established the genres popularity in both the novel and the short story form. Many popular mainstream authors also began to write fantasy at this time, including H. Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling
9、 and Edgar Rice Burroughs. These authors, along with Abraham Merritt, established what was known as the lost world sub-genre, which was the most popular form of fantasy in the early decades of the 20th century, although several classic childrens fantasies, such as Peter Pan and The Wonderful Wizard
10、of Oz, were also published around this time.Indeed, juvenile fantasy was considered more acceptable than fantasy intended for adults, with the effect that writers who wished to write fantasy had to fit their work in a work for children.6 Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote many works verging on fantasy, but i
11、n A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, intended for children, wrote fantasy.7 For many years, this created the circular effect that all fantasy works, even The Lord of the Rings, were therefore classified as childrens literature.In 1923 the first all-fantasy fiction magazine, Weird Tales, was created.
12、Many other similar magazines eventually followed, most noticeably The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The pulp magazine format was at the height of its popularity at this time and was instrumental in bringing fantasy fiction to a wide audience in both the U.S. and Britain. Such magazines we
13、re also instrumental in the rise of science fiction, and it was at this time the two genres began to be associated with each other.By 1950 sword and sorcery fiction had begun to find a wide audience, with the success of Robert E. Howards Conan the Barbarian and Fritz Leibers Fafhrd and the Gray Mous
14、er stories. However, it was the advent of high fantasy, and most of all the popularity of J. R. R. Tolkiens The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the late 1960s, that allowed fantasy to truly enter the mainstream. Several other series, such as C. S. Lewiss Chronicles of Narnia and Ursula K. Le Gui
15、ns Earthsea books, helped cement the genres popularity.The popularity of the fantasy genre has continued to increase in the 21st century, as evidenced by the best-selling status of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter books. Several fantasy film adaptations have achieved blockbuster status, most notably The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.
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