High Fantasy

(Also called epic fantasy ) high fantasy is a sub-category of fantasy genre. It stands in contrast to the low fantasy. The term was first used in 1971 by Lloyd Alexander.

History of Literature

JRR Tolkien's novels - like The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit - take a key position within the high fantasy, because they are the formative works of this subgenre. With the slightly belated success of the novel in the 1960s, other authors began to write high fantasy novels and design. Many let themselves be inspired by or attacked directly back to his motives of Tolkien. Thus, as the authors Raymond Feist, Terry Brooks and Tad Williams see in the tradition of Tolkien; other authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Steven Erikson and George RR Martin on the other hand use Tolkien groundwork for an independent processing of the classical motifs.

As a precursor of Tolkien's works can Lewis Carroll's Alice 's Adventures in Wonderland ( 1865), William Morris ' The Well at the World 's End (1896) and The Wood Beyond the World ( 1894), George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind (1871 ), and The Princess and the Goblin (1872 ) and TH White's The Once and Future King ( 1936) are considered. Here there are already lots of images of fantasy literature, are now regarded as fundamental to the high fantasy.

Characteristics of High Fantasy

The high fantasy plays usually in a separate world, their cultural and social shaping sometimes resembles an idealized medieval Europe. This world is detailed with its own flora, fauna, history, religions, and partly - as in the case of the Lord of the Rings - even equipped with their own languages ​​, including their history. Mythological aspects plays a special meaning; they are often closely intertwined with the actual story. They usually form similar motifs from such well-known myths and legends. Magic is as a central part of the world as alien creatures, races and monsters.

Adventurous Quests

The action often follows a schematic structure; to ward off a global threat - for example by a sinister power - the human or human-like protagonists embark on a quest, ie a longer trip, and mature during this heroes. They have weaknesses, make mistakes like any normal person, and try possible problems without violence, about verbally to solve about the mind. The quest serves to self-discovery. This narrative form is reminiscent of the Arthurian epic and the heroic sagas, in which also the Aventiure is the focus. Modern high fantasy but dissolves rapidly from these templates and often puts a stronger emphasis on a realistic plot and ambivalent characters.

High fantasy role-play

In the area of ​​pen -and- paper role-playing games High Fantasy refers to those fantasy worlds that are strongly influenced by the daily life of the characters in magical and fantastic elements. These worlds are characterized by a variety of fictional and exotic creatures and lands. Historical eras or traditional legends motifs are rarely taken directly, but complemented by new creations. The contrast to this is the more realistic held Low Fantasy.

Known representatives

T. H. White R. A. Salvatore
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