High Fantasy

The High fantasy is a sub-genus of the very epic Fantasy to the serious topics, telling the search of one (E) young hero/heroin fighting against a frightening enemy whom can take the form of a malicious wizard or a Lord of the Evil. The characteristics which one generally finds are: a secondary world (different from ours) very developed, the important presence of the Magic, nonhuman civilizations, cutting in many volumes, elements like the searches and prophecies.

Definition

The high fantasy is different from the Heroic fantasy by the fact that the hero only but is not surrounded by a band or a guild (ex: The Lord of the Rings), by more important stakes (to save the world in many cases, and/or to destroy the Lord of Darkness) and by a moral tone more present. One of the recurrent themes is a fight manichéenne characterized by the decisive role of an Elected official of the Good in this conflict.

It is called sometimes fantasy epic in reference to the great battles, the explosions of magic and the colossal stakes that certain works can conceal. The magazine of science fiction Locus, thus qualified it commercial big fantasy (BCF) because of the quantity of cycles raised with the row of Best-seller S.

The high fantasy can be mingled with any sub-genus excluded the Heroic fantasy, the Manner fantasy, or the urban Fantasy. All these sub-genera can thus be classified like universes pertaining to the Low fantasy.

Genesis and history

The creator of the high fantasy can seem obvious: it is about John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. This author that each and everyone knows, even those being unaware of the existence of the fantasy, conceived a personal synthesis of a whole of Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian myths in his masterly work the Lord of the Rings, published during the period of post-war period (1954-1955). He created a universe of a new coherence with his mythology, his legends, his history, his geography, and his people with their habits and their languages. One can say to the point that it influenced certainly consciously or not the majority of the writers of fantasy who succeeded to him. Its world, called Arda (according to him, our ground in ancestral times), was exploited in step less than one about fifteen books. Its work was even continued by his/her son who undertook to transmit works to us that Tolkien had not been able to finish of alive sound.

However, while this notorious writer formatted his masterpiece, a friend with him of Irish nationality, Clive Staples Lewis, wrote, for youth, the cycle of Narnia where one found already some governing ideas of Tolkien: purely imaginary world, creatures resulting from the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian myths, paramount importance of nature, searches carried out by young heroes to deliver a world threatened by malefic powers.

Phenomenal success that the adventures of the Carrier of the Ring through the Earth of the Medium, in particular in the medium of the Counter-culture, caused an renewed interest on behalf of the editors for the fantasy. Thus, were arisen from the paperboards the news of Howard, of Leiber. One ordered many news of the same kind to other authors, such Moorcock, and the fantasy reconsidered for a time the front of the scene.

Fourteen years after the Lord of the Rings, Ursula K. Guin, primarily author of science fiction, decided to write in its turn fantasy. In 1968, the first book of Terremer appeared. Here still, one attends the birth of a work époustouflante, according to criticisms specialized. Its universe is coherent and one all the more realizes originality compared to the cycles of today.

Curiously, one crosses then hard times, long of ten years, where works of high fantasy are done rare.

In 1979, the book the History without end of Michael Ende, author of German origin, is dissociated by a certain originality with the slip of an anti-hero named Bastien Balthazar Bux, in an existing world thanks to human imagination. This time, the enemy is of any other nature, and much more frightening because not personified: nothing.

In the years 1980, on the other hand, in the United States, it is the explosion of publications dedicated to the high fantasy. One suddenly sees appearing tens of cycles Tolkien way with excavated universe, search of a group of heroes to save the world, combat and voyages epic, tribes with the marked cultures. Initially in 1982, Belgariade (followed later of Mallorée) is illustrated by a traditional historical screen but an omnipresent humor.

Characteristics

Hero

It is often a boy or an young man, lost a little, who does not know large-thing beyond his native village. One day, it will be projected out of its daily newspaper by a disturbing element: Frodon of the Seigneur of the Rings is seen entrusting the Ring of Sauron, Ged of Terremer sees its village invaded by Kargades, Richard of the Sword of truth saves an young girl continued by killers, Rand al' Thor of the Wheel of Time sees its house attacked by Trollocs, Jack of the Livre of the Words discovers that it has the magic, Garion of Belgariade is recognized like the Elected official by Belgarath, Willow collects a human baby, Jen faces the death of its Master, Eragon finds an egg of dragon, the friend of Lyra of In crossed worlds is removed….

Little by little, this young hero becomes aware of the conflict which is played between holding of the Evil and holding them of the Good. He will also include/understand the role that he has to play in this conflict, or the problems of the world; often that of an Elected official intended to make triumph the Good. This elected official is helped by his mentor, often a magician: Gandalf of the Lord of the Rings, Ogion of Terremer, Zedd of the Sword of Truth, Moiraine of the Wheel of Time, Belgarath of Belgariade, Fine Raziel in Willow, Brom in Eragon.

This hero of course has extraordinary capacities which make besides Elected it to him, often of the exceptional magic capacities. Sometimes, this hero becomes one by chance about it: Frodon and Willow thus, plus hero by chance that following the destiny.

Its role is often to lead a search to the various implications (to find an object, to destroy an object, to find a powerful witch, etc) which it will always leave grown. Since it begins the cycle as a child, it will become adult grace or because of all the adventures which it carried out, of the combat that it gained and the powerful enemies that it overcame.

Other characters

High fantasy is distinguished from Heroic fantasy by the fact that the hero completely only or is not simply accompanied by his best friend. It can be surrounded or chapeauté by a group, but it is never completely alone (as in the Heroic fantasy) and leads a search to the various implications. There exist however exceptions, within the framework, for example, of the cinema where one can find only one hero fighting against the establishment of the Evil (Jen Gelfling in Dark Crystal; Atreju in History without end (film)).

This group is composed characters having each one its own capacities and thus being able to bring its assistance into clean to the hero or to heroin. The high fantasy tends to develop much more the supporting characters that the fact Heroic fantasy, for example…

World

The universe in High fantasy is, in many cycles, immense, rich, and one discovers of it a part with the voyage of the hero, a voyage which can take the form of a search. It is a very developed world, a true secondary world, with its own history, its own people. Certain authors push the detail until building true languages: one can again quote Tolkien with the Quenya and the Sindarin, inter alia.

To mean the Manicheism of work, one often sees there a whole territory dedicated to the powers of the Evil where the Lord of Darkness or the " méchant" reign as a Master. With height, these grounds are completely corrupted by the evil which reigns there (Mordor, Devastation…).

In these worlds, one regularly meets not-human civilizations or creatures resulting from the folklore and myths or quite simply invented by the author. Thus, the Elves in the Lord of the Rings , the dragons of Terremer , the Ogiers of the Wheel of Time , Sidhe in the Mystery of the swords … One of the differences with the Heroic fantasy is that these creatures are not always adversaries of the human ones, and sometimes even, combined like the red Dragon and Garn in the Sword of Truth.

Magic

The Magie is often very present in works of High fantasy, even if it only remains controlled by some people. The Wizards thus form often a kind of caste with share, respected or hedge according to the cases.

Stakes

recurring Structure

A particular structure is found in several of representative works. That of the initiatory account and the search of a young hero to save his world. A prophecy is often used of narrative mechanism, support to the history and will end up being achieved in a form or another at the end of the cycle.

The accounts of High fantasy epic, are filled of battles, magic duels, complex intrigues of court. The atmosphere is more fairy-like there and the subjects more moral than in Heroic fantasy.

One meets there much cycle-river sometimes going until ten volumes in order to exploit the gigantic world created by the author.

Some representative cycles

See also: List of works of high fantasy

Most known:

Some traditional:

Others

Cartoon

Works of other media

On screen

the films in the chronological order

telefilms and series

cartoon films, mangas and series of animation

Illustrators

Brian Froud was the inspirer of creatures for the film Dark Crystal.

John Howe worked on the turning of the Lord of the Rings, and also designed covers for the second trilogy of the Royal Assassin, of Robin Hobb.

Alan Lee, another recognized illustrator devoting themselves to the universe of the Earth of the Medium. He worked on the turning of Legend. He accepted the Oscar of the artistic director for the third cinematographic shutter of the Lord of the Rings.

Boris Vallejo depicts worlds where various fantastic creatures reign, though it is connected more with the heroic fantasy.

Plays

External references and bonds

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