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Magic, monsters and myth, oh my! A study of essential vs commonly recurring generic memes in modern fantasy

Document
Call Number
LE3 .A278 2024
Date Issued
2024
Supervisor
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Degree Level
Masters
Degree Discipline
Abstract

Given an ongoing lack of consensus amongst Fantasy scholars on how to approach understanding the genre, my project aims to determine that Fantasy and the subgenres of Fantasy can be recognized and defined on the basis of certain essential generic features – features that are so common to a genre, they have become a part of its very foundation. By adapting the methods of genre theorists Helen Cooper, Kevin Whetter and Alistair Fowler, my project demonstrates how, for all the variety and evolution of genre over time, there are defining characteristics through which humans can determine patterns and recognize categories into which specific instances of literature, film, and other forms of storytelling are placed. By no means do I suggest that genre is merely a reductive system of compartmentalizing stories – but understanding a text’s genre is a key aspect of understanding its meaning. And, in the case of Fantasy, even those scholars who do give the genre credence disagree over what it is and how it works. Thus, in three chapters, I isolate the essential generic features acting as the supporting pillars of not only Fantasy, but two of its subgenres: the Dark Fantasy, and the High or Epic Fantasy. I do this by illustrating possible manifestations of these generic features through an analysis of three case studies consisting of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda, Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal franchise, and Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time. In my first chapter, I focus on Fantasy as an encompassing genre by isolating the essential generic features of magic, questing, and realism in my case study The Legend of Zelda. My second chapter then shifts the focus from Fantasy in its entirety to Dark Fantasy, outlining the essential generic features of transformation prompted by the acquisition of wisdom or knowledge, a noticeably grim aesthetic, and the presence of specific monsters; here, my case study is The Dark Crystal. My third and final chapter is reserved for the High or Epic Fantasy – arguably the most popular form of Fantasy to date – whose essential generic features consist of extensive geographical and cultural worldbuilding, historical worldbuilding, and real-world influences; in this instance, my case study is Jordan’s The Wheel of Time.

Rights
The author retains copyright in this thesis. Any substantial copying or any other actions that exceed fair dealing or other exceptions in the Copyright Act require the permission of the author.
Publisher
Acadia University

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