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it's been a while for me. I've been updating the bylaws of my local RWA® and I think they ate my writing brain. Now it's all in the hands of the powers that be, I can think like a writer again.
While flipping channels, I came across a biography of H.G.Wells, with emphasis on the effects of his writings. He did a lot of futuristic tales, though many of them were termed "romance" because anything that was fantastical in nature was considered to be adventure, and, therefore, romantic fiction. Romance meant a love story, but also a tale of adventure, as well.
I started a thread a good many months ago on the Romance Diva's forums, asking what other people thought of when they heard the word fantasy. I was surprised that the thread was still going, and peeked in. As I began to make my answer, I decided to share my opinion with my blog readers, as well.
Personally, I think fantasy is anything that can't be done via science. It has to be. I can't even say that there isn't anything technical in it, because many types of magic have some technicality to it--procedures, tools, perhaps specific clothing or words to be used. But it isn't the same as technology, gadgets or what I call the "MacGyver Factor."
While some peopole say fantasy is on the decline, I think what's really glutted is the fantasy sub-genre of Sword-and-Soceror. Fantasy does not have to have that element to be fantasy.
One of my favorites of all time by George MacDonald is titled Lillith and has elves and pixies and such, but it's a tale of a young man raised in the human world finding his birthright as the son of an elfin woman. He finds his room transformed and a new world that has engulfed it. His travels are amazing, and take only the whole of one night. Not something we'd see now, we don't tell stories in the same way.
Another one, and an older story as well, is H. Rider Strong's novel She, about a man who finds an eternal love as he discovers a hidden tribal society of which this woman had been a priestess.
Since Tolkein and his four book trilogy, fantasy has come to mean something in a Dark Ages type setting with elves, dragons, wizards, warriors, etc. It is the best thing he gave us--a market for stories of the fantastic--and the worst thing he gave us--an idea that this is the only type of story that is a fantasy story.
What a limiting thing this is! You see the influence even in the Harry Potter series--everything in the wizarding world built by J.K. Rowling has an "auld" feel to it. Very nice to set it apart, but also making the world subject to the Sword-And-Sorceror sub-genre. I have to now say, however, my hat is off to Jo Rowling for the balance and the research of the old ways she's put into her novels. Well done, Ms. Rowling.
However, what if you don't write that sort of thing? Classifying where your story fits in is difficult now. Fantasy must have magic. Right? Wrong?
What do you think?
Don't Stop Writing,
Sandra
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But that's a different debate than what the publisher (or library) should paste on the spine, or what section they should put it in. (Though luckily, SF and F are almost always in the same section, which makes at least that a little easier.)
There's certainly a ton of fantasy which isn't high fantasy, or sword and sorcery. Has been for a long time. My fave author is Diana Wynne Jones, who does some very original stories, very few of which are either of the above.
To be honest, I think the adult fantasy market has been more hurt by what you're talking about than the juvenile market. Children's and YA fantasy has always had authors like E Nesbit, Lewis Carroll, Edward Eager, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, et al, who do all sorts of different kinds of fantasy...
Cara
But in general -- who knows? Maybe library sales keep things steadier in the kid's book world, allowing authors and publishers to take certain risks?
Cara
High Fantasy is what most people think of as traditional fantasy, set in a high magic medieval-esque world with lots of mythological critters, heroes with swords, and the like.
Sword-and-Sorcery is more like a sub-sub-genre: Fantasy > High Fantasy > Sword-and-Sorcery. It hasn't been popular for many years, to be honest. S&S usually deals with a lesser scope than saving the entire world, and directly involves swordsmen and sorcerors. Conan the Barbarian is S&S, as are Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorcess anthologies, and Mercedes Lackey's Tarma and Kethry novels.
Epic Fantasy isn't necessarily a sub-sub-genre, because it describes the scope of the story more than the setting. However, almost all Epics are set in a High Fantasy realm, so when people talk about Epic Fantasy, they're really talking about Epic High Fantasy.
The problem with EHF is that there are a lot of authors who have ongoing massive serials. It's too much for the reader to keep up with -- and in all honesty, it's stagnated. I see a lot of agent blog posts that are basically saying, "Oh god not ANOTHER must-find-the-magic-item series."
There are plenty of people who love epic and high fantasy, but, as with Regency romances, it's difficult to find anything fresh and original. When you're reading "same old" again and again, it gets boring.
I have no doubt that should someone write a truly *original* high/epic fantasy novel, that it will be published. For instance, the Dhampir novels by Barb and JC Hendee are high/dark fantasy about a dhampir and her elven companion. I'm not going to go off on a tangent here, but they're an ongoing series that is apparently doing very well. I haven't seen anything quite like them before.
Paranormal romance and fantasy novels with strong romantic elements have become very popular in the past few years. Part of the reason that urban fantasy is so popular, IMO, is that fantasy readers are tired of the "same old" and want something different -- and romance readers are interested because some (not all) of the urban fantasies aren't that much different than romances.
Ultimately, though, the same thing is going to happen with urban fantasy. It's going to get overbought with the "same old," people will get tired of it, and probably in a few years, everyone will be lamenting the death of fantasy again. It's just the way it goes. *shrugs*
I think my themes will get old really quick on my readers. Mostly because no matter what else there is as a theme, they all deal with love being the ultimate power. But, who knows? Maybe people will like that sort of thing anyway and read them (when published) no matter how boring it gets.