"Imagination is more
important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.
Imagination encircles the
world." --Albert
Einstein
In a very real sense all fiction, including its
film, stage and TV counterparts, is fantasy.
Legends like Robin Hood, King Arthur, the earliest ballads,
Blackbeard the Pirate and the swashbuckling stories of Dumas have
provided enjoyable imaginary worlds for centuries.
As
young children we're exposed to these worlds in the form of fairy
tales, like those of the Brothers Grimms (remember Cinderella, Hansel
& Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood?), Hans Christian Anderson and
Andrew Lang's Fairy Books. If
you missed any of these, they're all available in electronic
form on the Internet.
The fantasy legends of Beowulf, the Vikings, Roland
and plays like Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth have entertained and
captivated millions of readers throughout the ages. These and similar
legends have provided the inspiration for opera and much classical
music. Many of these legends are online.
Readers of fantasy literature have formed The
Mythopoeic Society, an international literary and educational
organization for the study, discussion, and enjoyment of fantasy and
mythic literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis,
and Charles Williams.
Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings set the framework
from which all
epic/quest fantasy since has built upon. Through the urgings of the
enigmatic wizard Gandalf, young hobbit Frodo Baggins embarks on an
urgent, incredibly treacherous journey to destroy the One Ring.
This ring--created, and then lost, by the Dark
Lord, Sauron, centuries earlier--is a weapon of evil, one that Sauron
so desperately wants returned to him; with the power of the ring once
again his own, the Dark Lord will unleash his wrath upon all of
Middle-Earth. The only way to prevent this horrible fate from becoming
reality is to return the Ring to Mordor, the only place it can be
destroyed; unfortunately for our heroes, Mordor is also Sauron's lair.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy is
essential reading not only for fans of fantasy but for lovers of
classic literature as well. Currently,
the story's film version has topped the favorites list.
It's also been nominated for six Academy Awards. For those who
want to delve further into the legend, view the official website for
the film
version.
eye
of Sauron
Fantasy
Worlds
is a site intended to provide information on the genre of
fantasy in books, movies, television, writing and other areas.
A reading list of Foundation books, Epic, Contemporary, Mythic,
Arthurian and Historical and All Ages Fantasy has been compiled to
help readers locate the best works in the genre. The site also
features a number of book reviews as well as articles about fantasy
films.
One of the currently most popular fantasy worlds,
that of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, has not only topped popular
fiction lists, but has been breaking records at cinemas around the
world. What accounts for
Harry Potter's popularity among both children and adults?
Here's what Amazon's editors had to say about The Sorcerer’s
Stone:
"Say you've spent the first 10 years of your
life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in
an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by
wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans
that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and
sardine.
"Not
only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is
exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's
enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
In the non-magic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry
is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly
inherited him when the evil Voldemort killed his parents.
"But in the world of wizards, small, skinny
Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He
is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously
refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him
that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and
spoiled, pig like cousin Dudley."
For
more...
Children always feel a bit like nobodies in the
realm of adults who control almost every move. Could it be that not
only children, but adults as well feel like nobodies in a world where
they have little or no control over their lives?
Living in a fantasy world like Harry Potter's offers brief
respite from the harsh realities of daily life.
Fictionwise is a site where you can order out of
print Fantasy and Science Fiction stories and novels in E-book format.
They have formats for several different types of electronic devices.
It's perfect for those who don't have the time to read whole books.
Though Fictionwise
has many other categories of books, they have large collections of
Fantasy, Dark Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Delight's Fantasy
Art site with acrylic and digital images in her collection is the web site of
Fantasy artist Delight Prescott of California.
Her artwork is representational with a lot of bright colors.
She does work that ranges from serious to whimsical to humorous.
Mervius Fantastica Daily features daily news on
Fantasy, Science Fiction
and other genre related things. Also contains book and movie reviews.
There are two reviews of The Lord of the Rings among others,
like Star Trek: Nemesis and Final Destination 2.
Mervius also provides a comprehensive alphabetical list of
science fiction and fantasy films. The site also offers an impressive
list of fantasy book
reviews.
Among the most popular fantasy genres has been
science fiction. Scifan
is dedicated to helping readers discover new science fiction and
fantasy books and authors. At the time of writing, the site included
39688 books, 9848 writers, 4084 series & 2522 web links.
The Science
Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has announced the final
nominees for the 2002 Nebula Awards, honouring outstanding creative
performance in the science fiction and fantasy field. The awards will
be presented during the annual Nebula Awards weekend in Philadelphia,
April 18-20.
They nominate works in a number of categories,
including Novels, Novelettes, Novellas, short stories and scripts. The
nominees in the novel category include: Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge,
American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin,
Picoverse by Robert A. Metzger, Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
and Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick.
Games
provide another area of fantasy worlds for both young and old.
There's actually a game called Final
Fantasy. A
number of games based on earlier fictions have online sources for
hints, tips, hacks and screenshots on Games like Baldur's Gate and
Icewind Dale. See the Sorcerer's
Place.
Some fantasy world games, like War
of Wizards can be played online WoW is a strategy, fantasy, PBeM
(Play By e-Mail) game involving wizards raising armies, managing
resources and researching magic.
As a player you can: Send heroes exploring towers,
caves and graveyards, build armies and send them out to conquer your
enemies, research the magic arts in areas ranging from Necromancy to
Druidic, construct towns, defenses and buildings such as Sages Guilds,
Taverns, Ship Yards and Beast Pits, feed peasants generously or
enslave them.
Magic, like wizardry, is a means of control and
figures among the realms of fantasy imagination.
It's popular among all ages when performed on stage by skilled
magicians, who often refer to their work in a "world of
illusion".
'Magic', is a very elusive category.
No definition of "magic" has ever found universal
acceptance. Unlike the stage magician, the image of the lone magician
in his or her room manipulating voodoo dolls and chanting hymns of
violence and destruction has fascinated, attracted and frightened
many.
Often labeled 'Black Magic', has attracted more
attention than other types of magic, if only because of the sinister
tone attached to its use. Spells have been cast to protect and to
harm. People, from
ancient times to the present have worn amulets or kept good luck
stones or gems to protect them against evil spirits.
The University of Michigan site devoted to the
classification and illustration of these types of magic has detailed
information on magic.
We inhabit these temporary worlds when we read a
Fantasy or Science Fiction novel, think about casting magic spells,
attend a fantasy film or play a fantasy game.
For those brief moments, we enjoy a feeling of power and
control that eludes us at other times.
As the French writer Jules de Gautier wrote,
"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality."
