Fantasy fiction is defined as "a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world."
"Fairy tales are a part of the world’s vast common stock of stories, literally folktales. Fairy tales have, however, their own special quality and not all folk tales are fairy tales. The essence of a fairy tale is a story of growing up, maturation, usually with a strong element of wish-fulfillment by way of fantasy, and normally with a happy ending."
Text: "fantasy." 1.3. Oxford Dictionaries. 2018, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fantasy. Accessed 31 Mar. 2018.
Brewer, Derek. "fairy tales." Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature, edited by Steven Serafin, and Valerie Grosvenor Myer, Continuum, 1st edition, 2006. Credo Reference, http://sc4.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/britlit/fairy_tales/0?institutionId=5065. Accessed 31 Mar 2018.
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75 Classical Myths Condensed from Their Primary Sources by
When you ask students what they take away from classical mythology courses, their answers are often the same: the stories. Interpretations of the subject matter come and go, but the stories tend to stick with students long after the class has ended. 75 Classical Myths Condensed from their Primary Sources is designed to familiarize students with these stories in the most economical and accessible way possible. This text provides condensed versions of the essential myths and legends of the Greeks and Romans, as told by their primary sources. The streamlined stories, which retain much of the drama, irony, and pathos of the originals, include Homeric epics, Greek tragedies, Vergil's Aeneid, the most famous episodes of Ovid's Metamorphoses and Hesiod's poems, and more. Based on their primary sources, the stories selected for this book are not adapted to or enmeshed in the author's interpretation of them. 75 Classical Myths is an unpretentious work that fulfills a genuine need in a way that saves students both time and money. Students will acquire a foundation of familiarity with the whole range of classical Greek and Roman myths and legends with relative ease.
The Arabian Nights by
The Arabian Nights is the title which encompasses all of the Persian, Arabian and Indian folk tales which have made their way into western culture over hundreds of years. This collection was edited by Andrew Lang, and his selections were made with the purpose of making the tales more suitable and interesting to a general audience.
Gulliver's Travels by
After failing to maintain a successful practice as a surgeon, Lemeul Gulliver departs London for the excitement of the open seas. Shipwrecked on his voyage, Gulliver awakens on an unfamiliar island, where he is held captive by a race of people a fraction of his size. From here, Gulliver's fantastical adventures continue, as he goes on to visit other bizarre nations, where his language, customs, and way of life render him a complete misfit. Through Gulliver's unbiased narration of these events, Irish author Jonathan Swift creates a brilliant satire examining the arrogance, ignorance, and corruptibility of eighteenth century society. Swift's novel was originally published in 1726, but the publisher edited out controversial portions. The entire manuscript was published in 1735. This unabridged version uses text from an 1892 edition and includes illustrations by Thomas Morten, which were published in a 1900 edition.
Hidden and Visible Realms: Early Medieval Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic by
Chinese culture of the Six Dynasties period (220-589) saw a blossoming of stories of the fantastic. Zhiguai, "records of the strange" or "accounts of anomalies," tell of encounters with otherness, in which inexplicable and uncanny phenomena interrupt mundane human affairs. They depict deities, ghosts, and monsters; heaven, the underworld, and the immortal lands; omens, metamorphoses, and trafficking between humans and supernatural beings; and legendary figures, strange creatures, and natural wonders in the human world. Hidden and Visible Realms, traditionally attributed to Liu Yiqing, is one of the most significant zhiguai collections, distinguished by its varied contents, elegant writing style, and fascinating stories. It is also among the earliest collections heavily influenced by Buddhist beliefs, values, and concerns. Beyond the traditional zhiguai narratives, it includes tales of karmic retribution, reincarnation, and Buddhist ghosts, hell, and magic. In this annotated first complete English translation, Zhenjun Zhang gives English-speaking readers a sense of the wealth and wonder of the zhiguai canon. Hidden and Visible Realms opens a window into the lives, customs, and religious beliefs and practices of early medieval China and the cultural history of Chinese Buddhism. In the introduction, Zhang explains the key themes and textual history of the work.
The New Voices of Fantasy by
What would you do if a tornado wanted you to be its Valentine? Or if a haunted spacesuit banged on your door? When is the ideal time to turn into a tiger? Would you post a supernatural portal on Craigslist? In these nineteen stories, the enfants terribles of fantasy have arrived. The New Voices of Fantasy captures some of the fastest-rising talents of the last five years, including Sofia Samatar, Maria Dahvana Headley, Max Gladstone, Alyssa Wong, Usman T. Malik, Brooke Bolander, E. Lily Yu, Ben Loory, Ursula Vernon, and more. Their tales were hand-picked by the legendary Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) and genre expert Jacob Weisman (The Treasury of the Fantastic). So go ahead and join the Communist revolution of the honeybees. The new kids got your back.
Norse Mythology : Tales of the Gods, Sagas and Heroes by
The myths and legends of the Norsemen have entertained both old and young alike for hundreds of years. This fascinating collection contains stories retold from the Icelandic Eddas, the principal sources of knowledge of Norse mythology, and the Sagas of the ancient world of the Vikings. Following the deeds of the powerful Norse gods, such as Odin, Thor and Loki, and filled with a host of fantastic creatures and objects containing magical properties, the tales in Norse Mythology will conjure up a world of heroism and romance that will enthrall readers.
The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by
When Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their Children's and Household Tales in 1812, followed by a second volume in 1815, they had no idea that such stories as "Rapunzel," "Hansel and Gretel," and "Cinderella" would become the most celebrated in the world. Yet few people today are familiar with the majority of tales from the two early volumes, since in the next four decades the Grimms would publish six other editions, each extensively revised in content and style. For the very first time, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm makes available in English all 156 stories from the 1812 and 1815 editions. These narrative gems, newly translated and brought together in one beautiful book, are accompanied by sumptuous new illustrations from award-winning artist Andrea Dezsö. From "The Frog King" to "The Golden Key," wondrous worlds unfold--heroes and heroines are rewarded, weaker animals triumph over the strong, and simple bumpkins prove themselves not so simple after all. Esteemed fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes offers accessible translations that retain the spare description and engaging storytelling style of the originals. Indeed, this is what makes the tales from the 1812 and 1815 editions unique--they reflect diverse voices, rooted in oral traditions, that are absent from the Grimms' later, more embellished collections of tales. Zipes's introduction gives important historical context, and the book includes the Grimms' prefaces and notes. A delight to read, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm presents these peerless stories to a whole new generation of readers.
A Skinful of Shadows by
A Skinful of Shadows is a dark YA historical fantasy set in the early part of the English Civil War. Makepeace is an illegitimate daughter of the aristocratic Fellmotte family, and as such, she shares their unique hereditary gift: the capacity to be possessed by ghosts. Reluctant to accept her appointed destiny as vessel for a coterie of her ancestors, she escapes. As she flees the pursuing Fellmottes across war-torn England, she accumulates a motley crew of her own allies, including outcasts, misfits, criminals, and one extremely angry dead bear. From Costa Book of the Year winner Frances Hardinge comes a new dark historical fantasy that's sure to satisfy her leagues of fans who are eager for more.
Through the Looking-Glass: And What Alice Found There by
Lewis Carroll's sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland finds Alice transported to a strange new world, trapped in a fantastical game of kings and queens. Through the Looking-Glass finds Alice six months after her fateful fall down the rabbit hole. This time, the portal to another world takes the form of a large mirror mounted above the fireplace mantle. Curious as to what lies on the other side of the mirror's reflection, Alice leans into the glass surface and once again tumbles into an unknown land. It is here that she first reads the perplexing poem "Jabberwocky," meets Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and journeys through forests and across streams, encountering many odd characters along the way, to reach the castle where she will be named queen. A classic of children's literature, riven with rich themes and enchanting symbolism, Through the Looking-Glass is just as beguiling today as it was upon its first publication in 1871.
