by
There is a proliferation of fantasy books in the bookstores. They are growing in popularity because some of them are reaching the bestseller lists and some people are looking for something different to entertain them. More people are enjoying the genre thanks to writers like Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Melanie Rawn, Robin Hobb, David Eddings and many others. Are writers meeting the potential that fantasy offers?Many writers attempt fantasy without knowing the impact it can have. Few writers take the time to read in the genre or research books more carefully. They don't take advantage of the symbolic meanting and purpose fantasy possesses. As Darrell Schwietzer states: "The problem is fantasy produced on the same level as any othr pulp fiction, by writers who have forgotten what fantasy can be, or else never knew. They invoke the deepest, most profound level of storytelling, then don't do anything at all. Bad fantasy is not a matter of cuteness, but of routinely costumed characters wandering around made up worlds failing to keep the reader awake. The trees and castles are cardboard, and the actors are reciting their lines, badly. ("Is Fantasy Getting Too Commercial" by Darrell Schwietzer) When a fantasy book or other media fails we miss its true purpose and are left with what Grace Chetwin describes as: "The typical fantasy production on tv, movies, theater, and many books is concerned only with trappings; with form whose function has been lost. The plot is often a series of trite escapades that tip one into the other but don't lead anywhere." ("Grace Chetwin On Fantasy")
True fantasy should speak about the deep inner truths of the human soul. A reader can come away with experiences that can affect their lives and last a lifetime. Fantasy is not about cute little unicorns, elves and dragons. The imaginary worlds of fantasy are metaphors that can put abstract ideas or issues in concrete form, but writers must know what they are doing. Ursula K. Le Guin explains fantasy in these terms: ". . .it is still a game, but a game played for very high stakes. Seen thus, as art, not spontaneous play, its affinity is not with daydream, but with dream. It is a different approach to reality, an alternative technique for apprehending and coping with existence. It is not antirational but pararational; not realistic but surrealistic, superrealistic, a heightening of reality."
Writers need to know the genre and its possibilities to create lasting books with deep vision. When authors don't know, we are left with senseless, meandering books that go no where. Many books today are lacking. "In much of today's fantasy, the metaphor is absent. Only form remains, the function is lost. Oh, there are alien worlds, and even a quest, but the setting is for novelty only, and the quest is not worthy. There is no lasting change either for protagonist or reader. The story is over when the book runs out of paper, or the film reel ends, and that 's that. In high fantasy, the protagonists must change and grow on their quest, that's the whole point. And the end is when the lesson is learned; the inner conflict, resolved." (Grace Chetwin on Fantasy by Grace Chetwin)
Readers would benefit by more profound fantasy with depth. Books must have a core to get that depth. "In high fantasy, plot, setting, even names, are metaphor and so determined by the theme, by the core conflict itself." (Grace Chetwin on Fantasy by Grace Chetwin) Drifting through a story with no deep sense of change leaves a reader wanting or confused. This happens because, "The nature of fantasy itself: it is powerful stuff, and dangerous when you have lost sight of your original vision." ("Is Fantasy Getting Too Commercial" by Darrell Schwietzer)
There could be more and better fantasy books that would rival some of the classics. Writers must delve more into the nature of the genre. With research, deeper thought and careful preparation, readers would be treated to great books that would last for generations. "Good fantasy can't be mass-produced, any more than good poetry can. It will always be a matter of individual writers remaining true to their individual visions. If bad books can lower the expectations of a generation of readers, good ones can, presumbly, raise them. ("Is Fantasy Getting Too Commercial" by Darrell Schwietzer)