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Fantasy
Fantasy
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Definition:
Fiction contains unrealistic or unworldly elements and magical adventure. Six basic motifs are covered: magic, secondary worlds, good versus evil, heroism, special character types, and fantastic objects.
Purposes:
- To transport the reader into an imaginary world
- To entertain and provide enjoyment
- To encourage thinking about reality and possibility
- To present a satirical view of an event or system
- To teach a life lesson
- To critically reflect upon actions, values and morals
- To extend the reader’s horizons
Characteristics:
- Highly imaginative narrative fiction in which any or all narrative elements are fictionalized
- High fantasy is characterized by conflict between good and evil
- Six basic motifs are covered: magic, secondary worlds, “perfect” worlds, good versus evil, heroism, special character types, and fantastic objects
- Involves imaginary characters in places, events and problems that may seem real
- Overlapping characteristics with the genres of science fiction and adventure
- Magic plays a key role
- Often realistic main characters experience fantastic places, events, time periods, and problems
- Example subcategories include:
- Sword/sorcery or Bestiary (e.g. fairy, dragon or unicorn)
- Saga, myth, legend, fairy tales
- Humorous fantasy
- Contemporary, alternate and/or parallel worlds
- Time travel or paranormal powers
- Dark or romantic fantasy
Themes:
- Provides perspectives related to a moral, life lesson, or universal truth
- Insight into enduring human struggles and values
Characters:
- Fictionalized
- Magical/supernatural powers
- Represent stereotypes of good/evil or extraterrestrial qualities
- Animals talk, feel, and act like people (anthropomorphism)
- Physical or character transformation
- Preposterous characters have some realistic characteristics but could not be real
Setting:
- Opening literary language such as “Once upon a time” sets the stage
- Imaginary, “enchanted” or other-worldly
- Often characterized in terms of possible future worlds
- Set in past, present or future
- May include ideal elements of political/societal systems
Plot:
- Narrative elements
- High levels of action that depend on magic, the supernatural, or imaginary circumstances
- Progressive plot
- May push science/physics principles
- Real world problem or conflict is solved in an unreal way
- Limited explanations for strange behaviors/events
- Happy endings (often, but not always)
Author’s craft:
- Illustrations to match imaginary mood
- Characteristics specific to subgenres: fairy tales, folk tales, science fiction (e.g., fairytales begin with “Once upon a time” and end with “happily ever after”)
- Developing imaginary settings, characters and events
- Developing manipulations to setting (e.g., flash forward, flashback), character, or time
- Fictionalizing and developing one or more fantastic elements
- Consistent/logical story despite elements of magic and supernatural
- Utilizing high levels of action in plot development
- Developing motif (a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary work)
- Personification (metaphorical figure of speech in which animals, ideas, or things are represented as having human qualities) of characters
- Developing humor and using imagery
- Voice and style
- Depth of idea development, reflection and/or insight
- Details (elaborated, relevant, pertinent, engaging)
Grade Level Instructional Scope for COMPREHENDING the Genre and Text of Fantasy:
| Grade 1
Opportunities to Teach: | Grade 2
Opportunities to Teach: | Grade 4
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| Grade 5
Opportunities to Teach: | Grade 6
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Grade Level Instructional Scope for COMPOSING the Genre and Text of Fantasy:
| Grade 2
Opportunities to Teach: | Grade 4
Opportunities to Teach: | Grade 6
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Booklists:
Access to the Documents:
Complete K-8 Genre Project
From the Michigan Department of Education
Complete K-8 Genre Booklist
From Kent Intermediate School District
Page last modified on August 16, 2010, at 02:15 PM