Fantasy is a genre with mythical elements and magic. It has various sub-genres including classic, epic, contemporary, historical, sword and sorcery, humorous, fairytale, and dark fantasy. Each category has common settings or themes.
Fantasy is a genre that employs otherworldly or mythical elements. An imaginary world where magic dwells is a common theme. Numerous authors have contributed to the variety of fantasy genres and sub-genres popular today. Each category has common settings or themes, including classic, epic, contemporary, historical, sword and sorcery, humorous, fairytale, and dark fantasy genres.
Classical fantasy is one of the oldest fantasy genres. Roman and Greek mythologies are well-known examples of classic fantasy. Homer’s epic works, featuring strange creatures, heroes and quests, contain all the elements of the classic fantasy genre.
Some of the fantasy genres overlap. For example, the classic and epic fantasy genres share the theme of a hero who must embark on a quest and overcome great challenges. The epic hero typically begins as an ordinary person and evolves over the course of the story, acquiring traits or powers that transform him into a heroic figure. Epic fantasies often take place in medieval settings with castles, wizards and unusual creatures. The fantasy genres high fantasy and sword and sorcery employ the same magical themes.
Historical fantasies usually take place during a certain period in the earth’s history and contain some fantastic elements. Sometimes they are set in a fictional world reminiscent of a historical era. Arthurian legends have been a common theme for a number of historical fantasy authors. Mary Stewart’s popular Merlin trilogy, for example, combines the elements of a sword and fantasy sorcery with historical fiction.
Humorous fantasies are written in a lighthearted tone. They often satirize other works of fiction. A well-known example is Bored of the Rings, which satirized JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, one of the most beloved fantasies of the 20th century.
Fairy tale fantasies written for adults usually have a much darker flavor than fairy tales that have been popularized for children. The fairy in adult fantasy can be evil and cause irreparable harm to human characters. The people in fairy tale fantasies aimed at adults don’t always live happily ever after as they ultimately do in modern children’s fantasies. Fairy tales read to children today have been purged of many of the darker elements present in the original fairy tales.
Dark fantasy includes creatures such as zombies, vampires and werewolves. This genre is closely related to horror fiction, but is generally less scary and with supernatural elements. The vampire books written by Ann Rice are dark fantasies, and the television series Dark Shadows, very popular in the latter part of the 20th century, is another example of this genre.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
