Realms of imagination : essays from the wide worlds of fantasy /
Realms of imagination : essays from the wide worlds of fantasy /
edited by Tanya Kirk and Matthew Sangster ; with a preface by Neil Gaiman.
- 271 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), maps ; 25 cm
Accompanies The British Library exhibition "Fantasy: realms of imagination" (27 October, 2023 - 25 February, 2024).
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Preface, by Neil Gaiman; p.8
Editors’ Introduction, by Tanya Kirk and Matthew Sangster; p.12
The Contributors; p.22
Acknowledgements; p.27
Note from the Publisher; p.29
Section One: Fairy and Folk Tales
1. Folk Tales, Fairy Lore, and the Remaking of Traditions, by Terri Windling; p.32
2. Fairy Stories and the World’s Wonder Tales, by Cristina Bacchilega; p.46
3. ‘To gambol upon gossamer’: Fairy Tales in Performance, by Marina Warner; p.63
4. A ‘Perilous Realm’: J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘On Fairy Stories’, by Rachel Foss; p.73
5. ‘The better to eat you with’: Fantasy, Fairy Tale and Angela Carter, by Greg Buzwell; p.80
Section Two: Epics and Quests
6. The Everything Book, by Sofia Samatar; p.90
7. Quest Fantasy: The Adventure ofReading, by Rob Maslen; p.110
8. The Storyteller’s Resurrection, by Maria Dahvana Headley; p.129
9. Fantasies of King Arthur, by Susan Reed; p.135
10.The Wizards and Dragons of Earthsea: Ursula K. Le Guin and the Fantasy Quest, by Brian Attebery; p.141
Section Three: Weird and Uncanny
11. Fantasy’s Weird Architectures, by Matthew Sangster; p.150
12. The Devil in Fantasy Literature, by Lucinda Holdsworth; p.169
13. The Worldwide Appeal of the Weird Tale, by Ann VanderMeer; p.175
14. Playing with the Uncanny: Unsettling Worlds in Video Games, by Chris Gardiner; p.188
15.Weird Non-Non-Realism, by China Miéville; p.195
Section Four: Portals and Worlds
16. Fantasy Worlds: Crossing Borders of Otherness, by Dimitri Fimi; p.206
17. ‘We wove a web in childhood’: The Brontës and Glass Town, by Tanya Kirk; p.225
18. ‘The truename is the true thing’: The Development of True Names in Fantasy Media, by Sophie Gosling; p.234
19. The Room of Requirement, by Laurie Penny; p.240
20. Creating The Dark Crystal, by Wendy Froud; p.252
Notes p.262
Index p.267
Illustration Credits p.271
Fantasy is an expansive genre, encompassing sprawling epics, ancient folklore, impossible worlds and forays into the dark and horrifying. In this new volume, twenty authors have mustered for a journey across four vast realms. Prepare to delve into the heart of Fantasy, with explorations of the art of world-building, the undying appeal of the quest narrative, the diversity and interconnectedness of the world's fairy stories and weird tales, and the unique power of the uncanny in videogames. Here, you will find contributions from a host of writers including Maria Dahvana Headley, China Mieville, Sofia Samatar, Marina Warner and Terri Windling, alongside sage insights from expert British Library curators and Fantasy literature specialists. Featuring awe-inspiring illustrations and representing the gamut of fantastic creativity from Gilgamesh to Ursula K. Le Guin, from Beowulf to the Brontes, and from The Dark Crystal to the Dark Souls franchise, Realms of Imagination is a treasure trove of new perspectives and fresh discoveries.
0712354492 9780712354493
Fantasy fiction--History and criticism--Exhibitions.
Fairy tales--History and criticism--Exhibitions.
Contes de fées--Histoire et critique--Expositions.
exhibition catalogs.
Exhibition catalogs.
Essays.
Catalogues d'exposition.
PN3435. / R434 2023
809.38766
Accompanies The British Library exhibition "Fantasy: realms of imagination" (27 October, 2023 - 25 February, 2024).
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Preface, by Neil Gaiman; p.8
Editors’ Introduction, by Tanya Kirk and Matthew Sangster; p.12
The Contributors; p.22
Acknowledgements; p.27
Note from the Publisher; p.29
Section One: Fairy and Folk Tales
1. Folk Tales, Fairy Lore, and the Remaking of Traditions, by Terri Windling; p.32
2. Fairy Stories and the World’s Wonder Tales, by Cristina Bacchilega; p.46
3. ‘To gambol upon gossamer’: Fairy Tales in Performance, by Marina Warner; p.63
4. A ‘Perilous Realm’: J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘On Fairy Stories’, by Rachel Foss; p.73
5. ‘The better to eat you with’: Fantasy, Fairy Tale and Angela Carter, by Greg Buzwell; p.80
Section Two: Epics and Quests
6. The Everything Book, by Sofia Samatar; p.90
7. Quest Fantasy: The Adventure ofReading, by Rob Maslen; p.110
8. The Storyteller’s Resurrection, by Maria Dahvana Headley; p.129
9. Fantasies of King Arthur, by Susan Reed; p.135
10.The Wizards and Dragons of Earthsea: Ursula K. Le Guin and the Fantasy Quest, by Brian Attebery; p.141
Section Three: Weird and Uncanny
11. Fantasy’s Weird Architectures, by Matthew Sangster; p.150
12. The Devil in Fantasy Literature, by Lucinda Holdsworth; p.169
13. The Worldwide Appeal of the Weird Tale, by Ann VanderMeer; p.175
14. Playing with the Uncanny: Unsettling Worlds in Video Games, by Chris Gardiner; p.188
15.Weird Non-Non-Realism, by China Miéville; p.195
Section Four: Portals and Worlds
16. Fantasy Worlds: Crossing Borders of Otherness, by Dimitri Fimi; p.206
17. ‘We wove a web in childhood’: The Brontës and Glass Town, by Tanya Kirk; p.225
18. ‘The truename is the true thing’: The Development of True Names in Fantasy Media, by Sophie Gosling; p.234
19. The Room of Requirement, by Laurie Penny; p.240
20. Creating The Dark Crystal, by Wendy Froud; p.252
Notes p.262
Index p.267
Illustration Credits p.271
Fantasy is an expansive genre, encompassing sprawling epics, ancient folklore, impossible worlds and forays into the dark and horrifying. In this new volume, twenty authors have mustered for a journey across four vast realms. Prepare to delve into the heart of Fantasy, with explorations of the art of world-building, the undying appeal of the quest narrative, the diversity and interconnectedness of the world's fairy stories and weird tales, and the unique power of the uncanny in videogames. Here, you will find contributions from a host of writers including Maria Dahvana Headley, China Mieville, Sofia Samatar, Marina Warner and Terri Windling, alongside sage insights from expert British Library curators and Fantasy literature specialists. Featuring awe-inspiring illustrations and representing the gamut of fantastic creativity from Gilgamesh to Ursula K. Le Guin, from Beowulf to the Brontes, and from The Dark Crystal to the Dark Souls franchise, Realms of Imagination is a treasure trove of new perspectives and fresh discoveries.
0712354492 9780712354493
Fantasy fiction--History and criticism--Exhibitions.
Fairy tales--History and criticism--Exhibitions.
Contes de fées--Histoire et critique--Expositions.
exhibition catalogs.
Exhibition catalogs.
Essays.
Catalogues d'exposition.
PN3435. / R434 2023
809.38766