Description
Book SynopsisThe first fantasy-writing textbook to combine a historical genre overview with an anthology and comprehensive craft guide, this book explores the blue prints of one of the most popular forms of genre fiction. The first section will acquaint readers with the vast canon of existing fantasy fiction and outline the many sub-genres encompassed within it before examining the important relationship between fantasy and creative writing, the academy and publishing. A craft guide follows which equips students with the key concepts of storytelling as they are impacted by writing through a fantastical lens. These include:
- Character and dialogue
- Point of view
- Plot and structure
- Worldbuilding settings, ideologies and cultures
- Style and revision
The third section guides students through the spectrum of styles as they are classified in fantasy fiction from Epic and high fantasy, through Lovecraftian and Weird fiction, to magical realism and hybrid fa
Trade Review
A thorough take on the Fantasy genre by someone who clearly loves the genre, and a welcome addition to an academic field that deserves more scholarship. * Nicole Peeler, Director of the Writing Popular Fiction Program, Seton Hill University, USA *
Jennifer Pullen’s Fantasy Fiction: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology is the book students and teachers of not only Fantasy fiction but also fiction writ large have been waiting for. Capacious, generous, and wise, it deftly embraces history, inhabits our current cultural moment, and enables the future. An instant classic. * Stephanie Vanderslice, Professor of Creative Writing and Co-Director Arkansas Writers MFA Workshop, University of Central Arkansas, USA *
Table of Contents
Table of Contents Section 1: An Introduction to Fantasy Writing Introduction Chapter 1: Fantasy and Its Evolution Chapter 2: Fantasy Genres (a mostly comprehensive review) Chapter 3: Fantasy Fiction, Publishing, and Creative Writing in the Academy Section 2: The Craft of Fantasy Writing Chapter 4: Character and Dialogue Chapter 5: Point of View Chapter 6: Structure and Plot Chapter 7: Worldbuilding Part 1 Chapter 8: Worldbuilding Part 2 Chapter 9: Worldbuilding Part 3 Chapter 10: Style and Revision Discussion Questions and Writing Activities Section 3: Genres and Styles of Fantasy Writing Chapter 11: Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, and Sword and Sorcery Fantasy Chapter 12: Historical Fantasy Chapter 13: Weird Fiction, Lovecraftian Fantasy, Gothic Fantasy, and Cosmic Horror Chapter 14: Contemporary and Urban Fantasy Chapter 15: Fabulism and Magical Realism Chapter 16: Mythic, Fairy Tale, Folkloric, and Fairy Fantasy Chapter 17: Hybrid Fantasy Conclusion Anthology Cooney—Martyr’s Gem Donaldson—The Albatrosses Goss—England Under the White Witch Jones—The Night Bazaar for Women Becoming Reptiles Le Guin—The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas Liu—Good Hunting Miéville—The Condition of New Death Murray—La Llorona Roanhorse—Harvest Samatar—Meet Me in Iram Singh—A Handful of Rice Ulmer—Red Valentine— From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Marvelous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire) Notes and References