An Introduction to Fantasy

This book explores why fantasy matters in the context of its unique affordances, disparate pasts, and extraordinary current flourishing, focusing on its engagements with histories and traditions, manifestations across media, and dynamic communities. It covers works ancient and modern, well-known and obscure, and ranges in scale from brief poems and stories to sprawling transmedia franchises.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 260 pages
Publication date: 07 September 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This comprehensive and insightful volume delves into the realm of fantasy, exploring its significance in literature, media, and culture. It examines why fantasy matters in the context of its unique qualities, diverse pasts, and remarkable present flourishing. The book pays particular attention to fantasy's engagements with histories and traditions, its manifestations across various media, and its vibrant communities. Spanning works from ancient to modern, well-known to obscure, and ranging in scale from brief poems and stories to expansive transmedia franchises, Matthew Sangster's coverage encompasses a wide range of literary creations.

In the chapters of this book, readers will delve into the diverse roles that fantasy plays in shaping our beliefs, the iterative processes through which fantasies emerge, develop, and challenge our assumptions, the root traditions that inform and underpin modern fantasy, the ways in which fantasy interrogates the preconceptions of realism and Enlightenment totalizations, the practices, politics, and aesthetics of world-building, and the vital importance of fantasy communities in maintaining the field as a diverse and ever-evolving commons.

Through its comprehensive exploration, this volume offers valuable insights into the world of fantasy, shedding light on its enduring appeal, its rich cultural heritage, and its potential to inspire, entertain, and provoke thought. Whether you are a seasoned fantasy enthusiast or a newcomer seeking to explore this captivating genre, this book provides a valuable guide to its wonders and complexities.

ISBN-13: 9781009429948