Dark fantasy

The dark fantasy or black imagination is under kind of the Fantasy which indicates works in which environment is very dark and close to the apocalypse. The good leaves room to the evil and the heroes are often tired and killed by the tests which they underwent. While thus leaving a pessimistic mentality, the author presents a work most of the time to us evolving/moving in the horror by presenting to the readers the details engagements. That gives them a more violent dimension and often rather near to the horror without to form part of it. This new dimension of the Fantasy moves away from the traditional classification well/badly and allows a reflection on the founded good of the concepts of good and evil.

Definition

It under kind can cross all under kinds except the Light fantasy. Few works cross dark fantasy and High fantasy but that can occur; the Mystery of the swords while being the best example.

Generally, one meets dark fantasy and fantasy urban mixed, more and more in the fantastic current one. It is what one can call of the urban dark fantasy… Many works of dark fantasy belong to the fantastic one, with the result that the limits of it under kind are rather fuzzy. One will be satisfied to say that so elements of the account are mythological, fairy-like or inspired by tales, work belongs to the dark fantasy. The horrific rewritings of tales also belong to the mythical Fantasy.

Topics and characteristics

One can find several forms of dark fantasy.

Near to the horror

Certain works are not held in a universe typically fantasy but in a current and urban universe. Lovecraft was the precursor, since this news (in addition to those of the World of the Dreams) always occurred in a contemporary environment, even if these cities were sometimes pure creation (Arkham for example). Contrary to fantastic traditional, these works do not use the creatures of the Western folklore (alive vampires, wolf garous, witches, phantoms, deaths) but of the creatures resulting from the ancestral myths or the reasons resulting from the fantasy to cause the fear: (fairies of Faëries)

These works can sometimes be described as dark fantasy urban, which does not form strictly speaking under kind: Manitoban; Mulengro; Faeries;

Near to the fantasy

the horrific tale: form near to the mythical fantasy, rewriting of legends and stories in a horrific form

E.g.: Faërie; The Labyrinth of Side;

the grittier fantasy: near to the sword and sorcery, it is a fantasy being held in a universe very close to the brutal and wild Middle Ages. The heroes are often amoraux there and their egoistic acts.

The majority of works of dark fantasy are generally in a traditional framework of fantasy, i.e. a secondary world more or less different from our. The dark fantasy can also be a work where the hero is with dimensions Evil (more often of the Chaos than of the Evil besides as in the Master of Time) or than it weak, is disabled vis-a-vis terrifying supernatural threats (Others in the Iron Throne). That can be an egoistic hero, sinks, who places his goal at the top of all and the top of the human lives (Roland in the Tower Sinks). The Black Company is a company of mercenaries, its characters being thus all that there is the best amoraux since they work for highest offerer and not for or more sympathetic nerve.

Genesis and history

precursors:

the creator:

Clark Ashton Smith

the Eighties ' S:

the UFO:

1976 : Manitoban
1988: Faërie

2007: shade of Bragelonne, republications

Faërie
Nightside
Manitoban

Works of dark fantasy

Cycles and novels

Howard Philips Lovecraft - Myth of Cthulhu
Clark Ashton Smith - several news of which some being held in the universe of Zothique
Michael Moorcock - the Cycle of Elric , 9 collections of news;
Glen Cook - the Cycle of the Black Company (Currently 11 pounds published by Atalante in the collection Lace of the Swan : The Black Company, the Black Castle, the White Rose, Sets of Shades, Dreams of Steel, the Point of Money, Seasons Disastrous, It is darkness (2 Volumes), water sleeps (2 Volumes), Soldats of Pierre (2 Volumes))
Stephen King - the Tower Sinks 7 volumes
Raymond E. Feist - Faërie, the magic hill
Louise Cooper. - the Master of Time , trilogy.

Cartoons

Chronic of the black moon
Requiem; knight vampire who crosses sf, post-mortem, and dark fantasy.
the Law of chaos

Films and telefilms

The majority of films are in fact of the urban dark fantasy or the horrific mythical fantasy.

White Snow (film, 2001)
Gremlins and its continuation Gremlins 2, the new generation
the Brothers Grimm where humor mixes with the horror.
Tom Thumb
the Labyrinth of Side of Guillermo Del Toro, film where the initial fairy tale generally takes horrific forms.
Sleepy Hollow

Televised series and animate

Berserk
Buffy against the Vampires and its spin-off Angel

Others

The review Darkness of 14 numbers; who published very good articles on the horror, the fantastic one and the dark fantasy.

Number 7 of Faeries and its file on the two creators of the dark fantasy: Howard Philips Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith

Concerned of roles, universes of the plays Mutant Chronicles or Warhammer as well as the adaptations of literary works as the cycle of Elric (Stormbringer) or the Call of Cthulhu is generally regarded as universes of Dark Fantasy.

Concerning the universes of Keeps and dragons Ravenloft, Midnight, Dark Sun and to a lesser extent Planescape, belongs to this kind.

The universe Monde of Darkness belongs him, with the urban dark fantasy.

The video game Diablo published by Blizzard is an good example of Dark Fantasy just like Alice with the Country of the Horrors (more known under the name of American McGee' S Alice).

See too

Horror
List of works of dark fantasy

External references and bonds

Random links: