Week3-How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least five definitions.

The question “what is Fantasy?’ was raised for several decades; how its formation came about and whether or not it’s a genre or a technique. Attebery (1980) simply defines fantasy by looking some of the world renowned works of books, (which was personally chosen), which includes Tolkien’s The lord of the Ring Series, Lewis’s Narnia and Perelandra books, Alice’s books The Wind in the Willows, The princess and the Goblin and of George Macdonald’s magical stories and etc. Attebery (1980) goes on and states that those were the standards, and therefore decides whether themes of Gothic, grotesque, science fiction (Sci-Fi) and utopia defines fantasy, although some the characteristics are linked with fantasy, there are crucial characteristics that outlines it.

Attebery (1980) takes a definition from W.R. Irwin that there is a prime feature of fantasy and if it goes without it, the work is impossible to be fantasy; this definition is ‘an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility”. Moreover, W.R. Irwin states any narrative is a fantasy as long as it implements the creation of impossibility. Furthermore, fantasy then can be an assumption of views that exceeds beyond the reality that goes on to become contradictive. According to Attebery (1980), any particular narrative that proclaims the nature of fantasy has to have the existence of impossible characters, scenes, event, and objects such likes dragons, horses that fly, castles and possessive voices and sounds.

Fantasy has no limits as long it treats the mind without hesitation of the impossibility, and unexplainable abstract of the reality without trying to understand or make sense of it which leads one to believe that it can come true and it is real. I think the fantasy genre challenges our minds intellectually and it feeds our imagination, also it makes us cognitive think and question if these are possible. Furthermore, fantasy is great way to make us think critically and go beyond where we can imagine with a whole new dimension of thoughts and escape the reality, at least for a moment.

Reference:

Attebery, B. (1980). The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guinn. Bloomington: Indiana U P.