Fantasy - Fanlore

Fantasy

For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation).

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Synonyms: sword & sorcery
See also: science fiction, horror, speculative fiction
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Fantasy is a genre defined by an interest in magic or the supernatural, as opposed to realism or a focus on science/technology. It's considered to be closely related to the science fiction and horror genres, with a certain amount of overlap between the three. Debra Doyle described the overlap during a panel at a convention like this:

If there's a zeppelin, it's alternate history.
If there's a rocketship, it's science fiction.
If there are swords and/or horses, it's fantasy.
A book with swords and horses in it can be turned into science fiction by adding a rocketship to the mix.
If a book has a rocketship in it, the only thing that can turn it back into fantasy is the Holy Grail.[1]


History

Themes

References

  1. Teresa Nielsen Hayden, quoting Debra Doyle on Making Light. accessed 15 October, 2008