- Week 4 -

- Is Tolkien’s notion of the ‘faery story’ linked to fantasy genre? How closely?

The perception of faery story is closely linked to fantasy genre. I think two genres just have different names because those characters are quite similar. “The diminutive being, elf or fairy, is (I guess) in England largely a sophisticated product of literary fancy” (Tolkien, 1964, p.11). When he notions the faery story and its factors, it is parallel to the fantasy genre notions. The main purpose of the faery story may satire, adventure, morality, and fantasy and that fantasy linked to functions with using an equivalent of imagination which is derived from the perception of unreality of freedom from the domination of observed fact (Tolkien, 1964).

Both faery story and fantasy genre sounds almost same to me in its characteristics and functions. However, in my point of view to audience, faery story is more closely to children and fantasy genre is to young people, older than children.

- How does the fantasy genre related to modern media such as video games?

During last few years, there was a huge boom about Harry Potter series, and now Twilight series in all over world. In Korea, lots of Harry Potter items like video games, books and stationery were sold out immediately. I think the main factor of causing boom is that Harry Potter is related to fantasy genre. Children might interested in fantasy materials, for example, in Harry Potter, students can do everything with their own stick and flying with broomstick. Harry character actions are demonstrated as powerful and decisive hero in the film.

The relation between fantasy genre and modern media is important to each other’s field. For example, Burn states one of the influences of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are making a hero character. “Constructing a child-hero with whom readers, viewers and players can empathise, as a vulnerable but courageous opponent of assorted monsters, adults, and metaphors for fear of the dark, an admirable character for some of the children, ‘plagued by honour’, but for others, a ‘teacher’s pet’, too good to be really interesting” (Burn, 2005, p. 15). If the children win in the game, they would feel being hero like Harry Potter. The fantasy game can say the way of filling children’s expectations and dreams by being hero instead of just watching film.

Moreover, Burn emphasises the importance of ‘speech’ media literacy. “In narrative terms, this might seem profoundly impoverished; but in game terms, it is entirely normal to work with a ‘restricted language’; and the pleasure lies in the skill of the player to deploy these resources well to meet the challenge of the game” (Burn, 2005, p.8). The language in books and films are indicated quite differently.

References:

Burn, A. (2005). Potter-Literacy – from book to game and back again; literature, film, game and cross-media literacy. Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature Vol 14, No 3.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (1988; 1964). On Faerie Stories. In Tree and Leaf. London: Unwin Hyman.