Epic fantasy
From BluWiki
What is Epic Fantasy? Epic Fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy and very similar to high-fantasy where a seemingly average person undergoes many trials and ordeals which develop him or her into a hero capable of heroic feats needed to thwart challenges of an epic scale. The work takes place in an imaginitive world and often the setting is Medieval in nature, complete with swords, castles, strange creatures and a magical system. For More information see: A definition of Epic Fantasy
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[edit] A Brief History of Epic Fantasy
The Earliest Epic Fantasy
Epic fantasy is as old as the human race itself. We have a fascination with the singular hero who rises up against all odds to conquer or unite a kingdom or who embarks on an epic quest. This fascination is so strong that the oldest known version of any story is that of the epic fantasy called Gilgamesh. Read More about Gilgamesh
Ancient Greece and Epic Fantasy
The ancient greeks elevated the epic fantasy to new heights and the predominat theme in these epics was that of the boy who was rightfully king but through deceit of others was not allowed to take the throne. The hero must embark on a quest to overcome this and often times the gods themselves were obstacles to this quest. More About the Ancient greeks
The Middle Ages
The Middle ages is another period of Epic Fantasy and it is clearly defined by a distinct change. The epics of the Greek period focused on a single man battling the gods and the creatures of the world but the epic fantasy of the middle ages, although still replete with bad creatures, leaves out the gods and instead turns the focus of our hero toward the inside of himself. The Middle Ages: The Rise of Merlin and Arthur
The Modern era
Epic Fantasy in the modern era has its roots in all the epic fantasy of the past but it has evolved. Many of the elements are the same; The hero struggles with seemingly insurmountable obstacles both within and without, but the setting for the story has changed. In epic fantasy of the past the world was our world. More about the Modern Era of Epic Fantasy
[edit] The Modern Classics of Epic Fantasy
What signifies a work of writing is an objective opinion and what signifies a work as a classic is also objective. Some may consider "Modern" to be something published within the last ten or twenty years but no more. This essay on Modern classics is a companinion work to the another essay on the History of Epic Fantasy and that essays shows the genre to be thousands of years old.
The Late 19th Century
So considering the genre to be very old we can consider that the modern era of Epic Fantasy to have begun a little over one hundred years ago with the works of William Morris.
If you are a fan of epic fantasy and you have never heard of William Morris then you are in for a real treat. It all started with the publication in 1892 of his novel The Well at the World's End.
Here is a quick synopsis of the novel : The youngest son of a king (Ralph of Upmeads) runs away from home and kingdom, but before he goes his godmother gives him a necklace with a bead on it. He overcomes many obstacles and challenges on the way to his destiny at the well at the world's end.
Does this sound familiar. It is a template that many have further expanded on and some of the more familiar modern day masters such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have openly proclaimed homage to Morris.
Another classic epic fantasy tale by William is The Wood Beyond The World This one is a tale of a hero named Walter and his epic sea voyage. This novel and The Well at the World's End are works that absolutely have to be in the collection of any fan of epic fantasy.
The Early Twentiety Century
Between the work of Morris in the late 19th century and th works of Lewis and Tolkien in the mid twentieth century lies one work of note is The Worm Ouroboros by E.R.Eddison. Published in 1922 it tell the tale of King Gorice of Witchland and his battles with the Demon Lords.
Also of note are the works of Lord Dunsany who predominantly wrote short fiction but is most famous in the genre for his novel The King of Elfland's Daughter which tell the tale of the hero Alveric who travels to elfland to marry the kings daugher Lirazel.
The Mid Twentiety Century
Now we move on top the big three authors of the mid twentieth century and it started with the publication of the T.H White novel The Sword in the Stone which is based on Thomas Malory's 15th century King Arthur story Le Morte d'Arthur. And although the setting is a traditional medieval world the story is one of epic proportions with the knights of the round table, excalibur, Lancelot and many grand quests including the quest for the holy grail.
The Sword in the Stone is the work that defines the modern day epic fantasy. It has all the ingredients and it is part of a quartet of works published by T.H. White. It was followed by The Queen of Air and Darkness--first published as The Witch in the Wood (1939)--The Ill-Made Knight (1940), and The Candle in the Wind (published in a composite volume, 1958). This quartet is called the Once and Future King and after White's death a conclusion to this series was published in 1977 as the book of Merlyn.
With the other two writers of the twentieth century the story moves into imaginitive fantasy lands inspired by William Morris.
Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954 and 55 and these works comprise the realization of a complete and vivid world which included a detailed geography, races and languages including an epic battle against evil.
C.S. Lewis published The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1950 and it was the first installment of a series of seven Narnia books published between 1950 and 1956. The setting for this series is also a completely realized world where three children from our own world are mysteriously transported.
The Late Twentiety Century
It is here that the genre gets very crowded and there are many, many great works that have defined the modern state of the genre of epic fantasy but in 1968 Ursula K. LeGuin published A Wizard of Earthsea the first novel in the yet uncompleted and evergrowing Earthsea Series.
A Wizard of Earthsea tells the story of a young boy with undiscovered magical talent who goes off to Wizard school to learn the craft of Wizardry. (Sound familiar?)
But the reinvigoration of the Epic Fantasy genre, which is molded after Tokien's Lord of the Rings, is generally credited with the publication of Terry Brooks' 1977 novel The Sword of Shannara. It has received criticism for being very similar to The Lord of the Rings but it was exactly what a hungry for more epic fantasy public was looking for. It was also the first fantasy novel since The Lord of the Rings to make it onto the New York Times bestseller list. This novel is the first of fourteen novels that take place in the world of Shannara.
[edit] Epic Fantasy Series
Works of epic fantasy are typically composed of multi-volume book sets. This is common because epic fantasy is composed of stories on a grand scale. This scale is often much too large for single book works. Many series cross generations and show the development of worlds from different viewpoints such as different kingdoms, guilds, or factions. There are many popular series in the genre. Popular Epic Fantasy Series
[edit] Articles and Analysis of the Genre
An Analysis of the Golden Ring in Epic Fantasy - It's Symbolism and significance
