On Display at Odum 2024: Fantasy and Relationship Fiction

A list of common themes/tropes of the genre with brief descriptions:

• • Medieval, pre-technological setting
    • Many fantasy worlds are inspired by a fictional view of a medieval or pre-modern setting. This is a common trope in fantasy from all regions of the world, throughout different cultures, but the type of “pseudo-medievalism” commonly associated with genre fantasy was popularized with J.R.R Tolkien. These settings may be accompanied by a drawn map at the beginning of the book to show some kind of grounded look at the author’s world, with places and names laid out on an old manuscript style drawing to highlight its pre-industrial nature.

• • Magic and Sorcery
    • Magic in fantasy can take several forms. The catch all term “magic” can mean whatever the author wants it to in the context of the story. This includes the way it is used, where it comes from, or how it’s possible. Magic in fantasy, and the associated “magic systems” are the fantastical powers and supernatural occurrences that are common to the author’s worlds. This can take the shape of superpowers, artifacts, ancient wisdom, or whatever else the author wants. Magic and magic systems are common in fantasy because it lets the author add in fantastic elements that differentiate our world from theirs.

• • “The Chosen One”
    • The concept of a chosen hero appears in fantasy, folklore, and myth from centuries back up until now. Sometimes wholly embraced, other times subverted. The idea that a single hero or group of heroes must rise to complete a task of great importance. The concept is part of the fantasy genre’s embracing of myth and folklore as a basis for their approach to storytelling, and has been detailed in many cultures and elaborated on in Joseph Cambell’s Monomyth, as part of the “Hero’s Cycle”

• • Reluctant Heroes
    • Another part of fantasy's use of the monomyth comes in the form of the reluctant hero, sometimes taking the form of “the refusal of the call”. For one reason or another, a hero may not immediately set out on their journey or fight their nemesis due to some combination or moral, personal, or physical reasons. There could be a life they don’t want to leave, or a friend turned enemy they are hesitant to fight.

• • The Quest
    • Fantasy, especially those that fall under the “epic fantasy” descriptor, will follow a journey or quest. This is the beforementioned task of great importance that has usually high stakes, like saving the world, or personal stakes like finding a treasure.

References:

Brewer, R. L. (2023, January 28). 21 popular fantasy tropes for writers. Writer’s Digest. https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/popular-fantasy-tropes-for-writers

Svoboda, Š. (2022). Middle-Earth and The Circle of the World: A Comparison of High Fantasy World-Building Tropes (Doctoral dissertation, PALACKÝ UNIVERSITY OLOMOUC).

Voytilla, S. Myth and the Movies: Discovering the Mythic Structure of 50 Unforgettable Films, Michael Wiese Productions, 1999 (ISBN 0-941188-66-3)