High fantasy

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

Literary history

JRR Tolkien's novels - such as The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit - occupy a key position within high fantasy because they represent the formative works of this subgenre. With the novel's slightly belated success in the 1960s, more writers began writing and drafting high fantasy novels. Many were inspired by Tolkien or used his motifs directly. The authors Raymond Feist , Terry Brooks and Tad Williams see themselves in the Tolkien tradition; other authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin , Steven Erikson or George RR Martin , on the other hand, use Tolkien's preparatory work to independently process the classic motifs.

As forerunners of Tolkien's works, 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) , as well as The Princess and the Goblin (1872) and TH White's The Once and Future King (1936). Numerous motifs from fantasy literature can already be found here, which are now considered fundamental to high fantasy.

Features of high fantasy

High fantasy usually takes place in an independent world, the cultural and social design of which often resembles an idealized European Middle Ages. This world is furnished in detail with its own flora, fauna, history, religions and partly - as in the case of the Lord of the Rings - even with its own languages ​​including their history. Mythological aspects are of particular importance; they are often closely related to the actual plot. Mostly they depict similar motifs as well-known sagas and legends . Magic is just as central to the world as alien beings, peoples and monsters .

Adventurous quests

The plot often follows a schematic structure; To fend off a global threat - for example from a dark force - the human or human-like protagonists go on a quest , i. H. a long journey , and mature into heroes during this journey . They show weaknesses, make mistakes like every normal person, and try to solve problems as non-violently as possible, for example verbally, through the mind. The quest serves the self-discovery. This narrative form is reminiscent of the Arthurian epic and the heroes say , in which the Aventiure is also the focus. Modern high fantasy, however, is noticeably breaking away from these templates and often places greater emphasis on realistic action and ambivalent characters.

High fantasy in role play

In the field of pen & paper role-playing games , high fantasy refers to those fantasy worlds that are strongly characterized by magical and fantastic elements right into the everyday life of the characters. These worlds are characterized by a multitude of fictional and exotic beings and countries. Historical epochs or traditional legend motifs are seldom adopted directly, but rather supplemented by new creations. The contrast to this is the more realistic Low Fantasy .

Well-known representatives

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Frances Sinclair: Fantasy fiction. School Library Association, 2008, ISBN 978-1-903446-46-1 , pp. 47ff.
  2. ^ Gardner Dozois : Preface. In: Derselbe (Ed.): Modern Classics of Fantasy . St. Martin's Press, New York 1997, pp. XVI ff.
  3. ↑ Sybille Zahn: What is Fantasy? A treatise based on the example of a story by the Russian author Mikhail Uspensky . 1st edition. GRIN Verlag , Norderstedt 2007, ISBN 978-3-638-64773-1 , p. 8-9 (36 pp.).