Week Three

How does Attebury (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least 5 definitions.

Attebury first defines fantasy by naming his favourite works of fiction such as Tolkien 'The Lord of the Rings, Lewis' Narnia and Perelandra books, The Wind in the Willows, the Alice books, The Princess and the Goblin etc .. and says 'perhaps the most satisfying way would be to line up a shelf of books and say "There. That is what I mean by fantasy"' Attebury (1980). However in doing so he realises that the idea of fantasy appears to be rather expansive without the inclusion of gothicism, science fiction and what anyone else may place on their said 'shelf', thus deciding that certain characteristics should be outlined within fantasy so that one could use such a list as a guide in reference.

Expanding on ones reference would also mean to acknowledge the works of two well known fantasy authors and what they believe to be core elements for a fantactical piece. Citing W.R Irwin and J.R.R. Tolkien, Attebury finds a common ground between the two authors on works of fantasy as Irwin believes fantactical pieces are based on 'an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility' so long as there is a relative establishment of logic behind the work. Attebury also notes that Tolkien takes the meaning of literal to a new level through a view of exterior reality, only to be later contradicted such as a flying broomstick. One can assume that its a normal, but for it to have the ability to fly would automatically take its position within the fantasy category. 'Any narrative which includes as a significant part of its make-up some violation of what the author clearly believes to be natural law -- that is fantasy' Attebury (1980).

'There are various ways a story can proclaim its fantastc nature. It can involve beings whose existence we know to be impossible .. it can revolve around magical objects .. proceed through events .. that violate fundamental assumptions about matter and life' Attebury (1980). Attebury believes that fantasy treats these impossibilities as realities without hesitation or doubt and personally I think he wants readers of the fantasy genre to embrace such nonsensical things as these pieces of literature allow the reader to embrace their imagination; to live, if only temporary, in a world where the bizarre is considered normal and mythical creatures are as common as sparrows; by escaping our notions of 'our intellectual understanding of the workings of the world or to make us believe that such things are under any circumstances true' Attebury (1980.

Using such elements in stories is not primarily exclusive to the fantastic genre as lyric poetry often deals with impossibilities. Science fiction, includes characters of an alien race, fiction utilizes out of the ordinary characters paired with unlikely events. However despite their use of impossibilites, Attebury points out that fantasy needs consistency as both reader and writer must be comitted to maintaining the illusion for the entire course of the fiction. Consequently such fantasist themes are not conventional in sci-fi writing as it often spends much of its time convincing the reader that such impossibilites are explainable if we make an inference about the future based on known facts and observations. Lyric poetry 'often deals with impossibilites, but it generally does so not by asserting their existence in a fictional universe but by treating them as temporary manifestations of states of mind' Attebury (1980). 'Fantasy is a game of sorts, and it demands that one play whole-heartedly, accepting for the moment all rules and turns of the game' as Attebury aptly puts it.


In what ways does Tax (2002) suggest Earthsea may still be relevant today?


'To me, [Ursula] Le Guin is not only one of the purest stylists writing in English but the most transcendently truthful of writers. The books she writes are not true in the way facts are true; they speak to a different kind of truth and satisfy a desire for narrative that is so fundamental it must be in our cells' Tax (2002). The truths that Tax speaks of and the relevance of Earthsea, lie in the timely themes Le Guin uses by writing from her vision of the world. The boundary between life and death, terror from the sky and the difficulty women face from male dominated societies are the most prevalent in Le Guin's perspective, exposing the core fears 'which deal with the inner life' Tax (2002).

Comparing her success to that of J.K Rowling's Harry Potter books, Tax comes to the conclusion that the culture of Rowling's books are simply a reflection of English schoolboy culture. 'It's a great story, but you can only be a nine days' wonder once. After the novelty wears off, the commercial pressure remains; you are expected to do the same thing again and again and again, varying it no more than one flavour of yoghurt varies from another. Do you stay faithful to the inner voice or turn yourself into a marketable commodity, producing a new product of the same kind every year or two?' Tax (2002). This is why Tax suggests 'Tales From Earthsea' is a cause for celebration as Le Guin is doing something different. Her aloofness with the commercial industry are what keeps Le Guin on edge.

By going her own way, Le Guin's books have never been predictable or commercially motivated. Her reasonings for avoiding commodification -- 'all times are changing times, but ours is one of massive, rapid moral and mental transformation ... its unsettling ... we long for the unalterable ... so people turn to the realms of fantasy for stability, ancient truths, immutable simplicities .. Commodified fantasy takes no risk; it invents nothing, but imitates and trivializes ... The passionately conceived ideas of the great story-tellers are copied .. advertised, sold, broken, junked, replaceable, interchangeable.'

Le Guin is the kind of writer businessman despise. She produces challenging undpredictable books whose meanings cannot be easily controlled due to its social themes. Nevertheless, her books are 'profoundly radical' Tax (2002), because they allow the reader to consider ideas outside the realistic box, to remember the forgotten childhood contemplations, unrecognised forms of heroism and secret challenges to power. 'Softly, elusively, they tear away at the wall of stones that keeps us in the dry land, the arid land of adulthood, th land of death-in-life, where so many of us spend so much of our time; they let the wind into our imaginations, and help to set us free.' Tax (2002).



References

Attebury, B. (1980). Locating fantasy. In the Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guinn (pp.2-9). Bloomington: Indiana U P, 1980.

Tax, M. (Jan 28, 2002). Year of Harry Potter, Enter the Dragon. In The Nation.