High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a
subgenre of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
defined by the
epic nature of its
setting or by the epic stature of its
characters,
themes, or
plot.
[ Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Plymouth. 2005. ] High fantasy is usually set in an
alternative, fictional ("secondary") world, rather than the "real" or "primary" world.
This secondary world is usually internally consistent, but its rules differ from those of the primary world. By contrast,
low fantasy is characterized by being set on Earth, the primary or real world, or a rational and familiar fictional world with the inclusion of magical elements.
Characteristics
The term "high fantasy" was coined by
Lloyd Alexander in a 1971 essay, "High Fantasy and Heroic Romance", which was originally given at the New England Round Table of Children's Librarians in October 1969.
"High fantasy" often serves as a broad term to include a number of different flavors of the fantasy genre, mythic fantasy,
dark fantasy, and
wuxia. It typically is not considered to include the
sword and sorcery genre.
High fantasy is typically set in a quasi-
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
world, is frequently inspired by various mythological or legendary traditions, and often but not always features supernatural
sorcery and imaginary beings such as
dragons.
Many high fantasy stories are told from the viewpoint of one main hero. Often, much of the plot revolves around their heritage or mysterious nature, along with a world-threatening problem. In many novels the hero is an orphan or unusual sibling, and frequently portrayed with an extraordinary talent for magic or combat. They begin the story young, if not as an actual child, or are portrayed as being very weak and/or useless.
The hero often begins as a naïve or childlike figure but is forced by circumstances to mature rapidly, experiencing a considerable gain in fighting or problem-solving abilities along the way. The progress of the story leads to the character's learning the nature of the unknown forces against them, that they constitute a force with great power and malevolence. The
villain
A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
s in such stories are usually completely evil and unrelatable.
The romances of
William Morris, such as ''
The Well at the World's End'', set in an imaginary
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
world, are sometimes regarded as the first examples of high fantasy.
Other early examples of the genre are some works of American novelist
James Branch Cabell which were set in a fictional world inspired by medieval France and published starting in 1919, known collectively as ''
Biography of the Life of Manuel''.
E.R. Eddison's novels
The Worm Ouroboros (1922) and the
Zimiamvian Trilogy (1935–1958) are also important in epic fantasy.
The works of English
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...
, especially ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
'' (1954-55), are regarded as
archetypal works of high fantasy.
Themes
High fantasy has often been defined by its themes and messages. "
Good versus evil" is a common one in high fantasy, and defining the character of evil is often an important theme in a work of high fantasy, such as ''The Lord of the Rings''. The importance of the concept of good and evil can be regarded as the distinguishing mark between high fantasy and sword and sorcery.
[Joseph A. McCullough V,]
The Demarcation of Sword and Sorcery
" In many works of high fantasy, this conflict marks a deep concern with moral issues; in other works, the conflict is a power struggle, with, for instance,
wizards behaving irresponsibly whether they are "good" or "evil".
Game settings
Role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
s such as ''
Dungeons & Dragons'' with
campaign settings like ''
Dragonlance'' by
Tracy Hickman and
Margaret Weis and ''
Forgotten Realms'' by
Ed Greenwood are a common basis for many fantasy books and many other authors continue to contribute to the settings.
["Most role-playing games draw upon a universe based in high fantasy; this literary genre, half-way between traditional fantasy ..." Squedin, S., & Papillon, S. (2008). U.S. Patent Application 12/198,391.]
See also
*
*
*
List of genres
*
List of high fantasy fiction
*
References
External links
"Fantasy Genre Lecture"€”A paper by Michael Joseph discussing high fantasy and referencing Alexander's theories, via Rutgers' School of Communication and Information.
"The Flat-Heeled Muse"by Lloyd Alexander, the inventor of the term "high fantasy", discusses fantasy world-building and "the problems and disciplines of fantasy"
"Fantasy book writing: 7 tips"€”Now Novel discusses the origin of the term, referencing Lloyd Alexander and offering high fantasy writing tips
{{DEFAULTSORT:High Fantasy
1971 neologisms
Fantasy genres