The Literature of Fantasy

Catalog description

Perhaps more than any other genre of speculative fiction, fantasy is richly varied. This course examines the development of literary traditions in fantasy literature from their earliest origins in mythology and folklore, through the historical development of classic fantasy works, into the books, movies and other fictions of the modern day. The course specifically considers how the fantasy genre has incorporated a range of international traditions. The course also explores different critical and theoretical approaches to the student of fantasy literature and related artistic traditions, as surrealism and magical realism.