High Fantasy
- Thread starter Gellion
- Start date
NoOneofConsequence
First Post
Epic story lines and run away heroics.
Plot lines are about "saving the world/universe" level events and the action is resolved by a relatively small number of high powered heroes.
For example: GRR Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" covers whole continents, but all of the characters have mundane levels of power - not High Fantasy
Luke Skywalker and his few personal friends rescue the galaxy (yes with a cast of thousands in the background, but they're more props than characters) - runaway High Fantasy.
LotR - tough call, probably High Fantasy but a paragon of the genre.
all IMHO
Plot lines are about "saving the world/universe" level events and the action is resolved by a relatively small number of high powered heroes.
For example: GRR Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" covers whole continents, but all of the characters have mundane levels of power - not High Fantasy
Luke Skywalker and his few personal friends rescue the galaxy (yes with a cast of thousands in the background, but they're more props than characters) - runaway High Fantasy.
LotR - tough call, probably High Fantasy but a paragon of the genre.
all IMHO
G'day
The introduction to t book I have called "Visions of Wonder" explains it this way:
'Myths and faery tales belong to the category of high fantasy, while such stories as tall tales, animal fables, and Thurber-tye farces are included in the category of low fantasy. In the letter group the setting is the real, or primary, world, and the rationally unexplainable phenomena have no assignable cause; they are simply anomalies. In high fantasy, by contrast, the setting is a secondary world, set apart from our familiar one, in which rationally unexplainable elements find a proper explanation in terms of magical 9faery tales) or supernatural (myths) causality.'
Regards,
Agback
The introduction to t book I have called "Visions of Wonder" explains it this way:
'Myths and faery tales belong to the category of high fantasy, while such stories as tall tales, animal fables, and Thurber-tye farces are included in the category of low fantasy. In the letter group the setting is the real, or primary, world, and the rationally unexplainable phenomena have no assignable cause; they are simply anomalies. In high fantasy, by contrast, the setting is a secondary world, set apart from our familiar one, in which rationally unexplainable elements find a proper explanation in terms of magical 9faery tales) or supernatural (myths) causality.'
Regards,
Agback
Shadowlord
Member
High fantasy has nothing to do with epic stories, powerful heroes, or accomplishing meaningful tasks. That's part of every good RPG. The opposite of this isn't low fantasy but (poor) hack & slash and (primitive) dungeon delving. Agback wrote a good definition of high fantasy, it's how "fantastic" and extraordinary the world is.
For ex Warhammer is a setting that resembles our world very much. The same map, the same continent names and countries, same language influences etc. It's a setting where magic is rare and technology has undergone a revolution. It's a place though where PCs will have a significant impact on the world, saving the Empire from the Chaos hordes for instance. It's thus a low fantasy setting for the former reason, not the latter.
For ex Warhammer is a setting that resembles our world very much. The same map, the same continent names and countries, same language influences etc. It's a setting where magic is rare and technology has undergone a revolution. It's a place though where PCs will have a significant impact on the world, saving the Empire from the Chaos hordes for instance. It's thus a low fantasy setting for the former reason, not the latter.
Last edited:
Dr. Strangemonkey
First Post
I think the bit of info on second world tropes is a pretty important distinction, though there are still some border line areas like Conan, Slaine, or the later Greek myths.
Hrmm, generally high fantasy has a fairly distinct discrete narrative of good vs. evil in struggle as distinct and seperate forces. Not too many Oedipul struggles against internal human evils taking the fore except as side notes to the major external struggle. Things tend to be recognizable in high fantasy, trickster characters aren't a common trope.
Look at the change in tone in Time Bandits between when evil shows up, changing it to high fantasy, and then the final appearance of God, who flips the switch on the whole plotline and takes into satire again, only to be followed by recognizable evil yet again.
Heroes do tend to be the personifications of good not its servants.
Magical people, magical beings.
I do think there is a category of Fantasy beyond high fantasy. Most high fantasy is sort of restrained in my mind.
Hrmm, generally high fantasy has a fairly distinct discrete narrative of good vs. evil in struggle as distinct and seperate forces. Not too many Oedipul struggles against internal human evils taking the fore except as side notes to the major external struggle. Things tend to be recognizable in high fantasy, trickster characters aren't a common trope.
Look at the change in tone in Time Bandits between when evil shows up, changing it to high fantasy, and then the final appearance of God, who flips the switch on the whole plotline and takes into satire again, only to be followed by recognizable evil yet again.
Heroes do tend to be the personifications of good not its servants.
Magical people, magical beings.
I do think there is a category of Fantasy beyond high fantasy. Most high fantasy is sort of restrained in my mind.
Viking Bastard
Adventurer
I usually judge high vs. low fantasy on how much farther it is from reality.
Rather realistic = Low Fantasy.
Cinematic Unrealism = High Fantasy.
Rather realistic = Low Fantasy.
Cinematic Unrealism = High Fantasy.
Wow! I had a completely different impression of what High Fantasy meant -- I thought it was based on our concept of High Medieval. I had assumed that High Fantasy more closely resembled both the fiction and the reality of 12th and 13th century Western Europe -- the times when the first Arthurian romances and epics were written.
Similar Threads
