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Genre Conventions: What is fantasy?
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<blockquote data-quote="Andor" data-source="post: 2275685" data-attributes="member: 1879"><p><strong>Let me explain... No, let me sum up.</strong></p><p></p><p>Look, guys, the fundamental problem here is simple. </p><p></p><p>Whether you think Fantasy looks to the past and SF looks to the future...</p><p></p><p>Whether you think Fantasy discusses morality and SF discusses humanity...</p><p></p><p>Whether you think Fantasy breaks physical laws and SF adheres to them...</p><p></p><p>You must recognize that any story can be cast in the trappings of the either. EG: Seven Samurai = Magnificent Seven = Battle Beyond the Stars</p><p></p><p>Even if you think Fantasy is magic and SF is blasters you can see that a single tale can contain elements of both. EG: Star Wars</p><p></p><p>It is therefore impossible to come up with definitions that are mutually exclusive. </p><p></p><p>Of course that wasn't the goal of the discussion in the first place. What is fantasy? I'd say it is something that has one, some or all of the following elements:</p><p></p><p>The supernatural. The distinction between the supernatural and technology being that the supernatural can never be fully understood or controlled. I would consider the prophesies of the computer in Alpha Ralpha Boulevard to be supernatural, but DnDs Arcane magic seems like technology to me. It is because of that lack of understanding/control that the supernatural must touch on morality. Conversely you can call something magic but if it acts like technology it need touch on morality no more than a butter knife must.</p><p></p><p>A backward looking aesthetic. If the glories of the past can never be reached, but only dreamed of, if progress is only illusion, then the work is fantasy (And anti-thetical to the central trope of SF.)</p><p></p><p>Heros. Individuals can shape the course of events by sheer willpower/chutzpah/coolness. </p><p></p><p>The trappings of Fantasy. These being magic (howeverso mechanical it may be), fantastic creatures(dragons, griffons, talking corgis), anachronistic elements (like 14th century technology, 12th century politics, and 20th century morality), non-human sentients, etc...</p><p></p><p>Anyone have a definition of fantasy that this doesn't encompass?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Andor, post: 2275685, member: 1879"] [b]Let me explain... No, let me sum up.[/b] Look, guys, the fundamental problem here is simple. Whether you think Fantasy looks to the past and SF looks to the future... Whether you think Fantasy discusses morality and SF discusses humanity... Whether you think Fantasy breaks physical laws and SF adheres to them... You must recognize that any story can be cast in the trappings of the either. EG: Seven Samurai = Magnificent Seven = Battle Beyond the Stars Even if you think Fantasy is magic and SF is blasters you can see that a single tale can contain elements of both. EG: Star Wars It is therefore impossible to come up with definitions that are mutually exclusive. Of course that wasn't the goal of the discussion in the first place. What is fantasy? I'd say it is something that has one, some or all of the following elements: The supernatural. The distinction between the supernatural and technology being that the supernatural can never be fully understood or controlled. I would consider the prophesies of the computer in Alpha Ralpha Boulevard to be supernatural, but DnDs Arcane magic seems like technology to me. It is because of that lack of understanding/control that the supernatural must touch on morality. Conversely you can call something magic but if it acts like technology it need touch on morality no more than a butter knife must. A backward looking aesthetic. If the glories of the past can never be reached, but only dreamed of, if progress is only illusion, then the work is fantasy (And anti-thetical to the central trope of SF.) Heros. Individuals can shape the course of events by sheer willpower/chutzpah/coolness. The trappings of Fantasy. These being magic (howeverso mechanical it may be), fantastic creatures(dragons, griffons, talking corgis), anachronistic elements (like 14th century technology, 12th century politics, and 20th century morality), non-human sentients, etc... Anyone have a definition of fantasy that this doesn't encompass? [/QUOTE]
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