The Aesthetics of Fantasy Literature and Art, and: Coordinates: Placing Science Fiction and Fantasy (review)

1984 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-138
Author(s):  
Virginia Wolf
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Eller

This chapter discusses Hans (later Hannes) Bok's influence on Ray Bradbury's short fiction “Lorelei,” which was inspired by a gift the latter received from the artist and writer: a tempura painting of a strange Bokian creature. In Los Angeles, Bradbury continued to write stories. In the middle of his senior year Bradbury met Bok at one of the meetings of Science Fiction League and was drawn to his tempura compositions. This chapter first looks at Bradbury's friendship with Hannes Bok and their shared fondness for fantasy literature and fairy tales before turning to “Lorelei,” a 10,000-word novella written in July 1938 that articulates Bradbury's fears that the coming World War would destroy him before he could become a writer. It also considers Bradbury's religious faith and experiences, along with his conviction that Man would eventually solve the riddle of the universe.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Soderstrom

In many people's lives the disposition to create community around historical interest or reenacted historical community practices, or even just entertainment in a mythic-history setting, intersects with a related and similar interest in science fiction/fantasy literature and participation on some level in the related fandoms and social activities of SF/F. The bowlers, ballads, bells, and blasters of my title come together not just in current steampunk scenes but also in the storied and genred lives of many reenactors and fans. Or, as a friend of mine suggested when discussing this essay, "historical reenactment is the trade secret to fandom."


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto José Da Silva

FANTASIA E CIÊNCIA NA AMAZÔNIA: O MUNDO PERDIDO, DE ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE   Resumo Em 1912 Arthur Conan Doyle publicou O mundo perdido, ingressando na ficção científica, a partir das pesquisas científicas realizadas pelos naturalistas, biólogos e zoólogos europeus que estiveram na Amazônia no século XIX. Nessa nova produção introduziu o Professor Challenger que se tornou personagem ícone de uma série de romances de ficção científicas que viriam a ser publicados a partir dessa obra. Maple White foi o nome dado à terra encontrada num platô na bacia Amazônica, onde habitavam seres pré-históricos e Arthur Conan Doyle recorreu como pressuposto para expor e discutir teorias científicas vigentes naquele momento como, por exemplo, a origem das espécies, de Charles Darwin. Desse modo, o objetivo desse trabalho é fazer um exame de O mundo Perdido à luz das descobertas científicas daquele momento, assim como estudar as relações entre ciência e ficção, tendo a Amazônia com cenário desse romance. Palavras-chave: Arthur Conan Doyle; ficção científica; Amazônia; literatura fantástica.         FANTAZY AND SCIENCE IN THE AMAZON: THE LOST WORLD, BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE Keywords In 1912 Arthur Conan Doyle published The Lost World, joining in the science fiction, from the scientific research conducted by Europeans naturalists, biologists and zoologists who went to Amazon in the nineteenth century. In this new novel Arthur Conan Doyle introduced Professor Challenger who became icon character of a series of scientific fiction novels that will be published from this work. Maple White was the name given to the land found on a plateau in the Amazon basin, where lived prehistoric beings and Arthur Conan Doyle appealed for granted to expose and discuss current scientific theories at that time, for example, the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Thus, the aim of this study is to make an examination of The Lost World under the light of scientific findings that moment, and to study the relationship between science and fiction, been Amazon as scenary of this novel. Keywords: Arthur Conan Doyle; science fiction; Amazon; fantasy literature.            


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Apostolides

Many adolescents are drawn to the fantasy, science fiction and urban fantasy genres (movies and books), genres whose main characters include witches, wizards, vampires, ghosts, angels, demons, aliens and various other supernatural beings and events. Books and movies such as The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings (film series), Harry Potter (film series), X-Files, Twilight (film series), Star Wars (film series), and so on, are not only fervently consumed by some adolescents but have also, in some instances, been sacralised by adolescents (see Hopper 2005:116, McAvan 2012:5–10, Kirby 2013:2). In this article it will be argued that the reason for this, is that adolescents while questioning their identities and exploring their spiritualties, need a ‘safe spiritual space’ for this journey, one which may be related as something akin to what Berger termed the ‘sacred canopy’ where order can keep chaos at bay (Berger 1967: 51). This article will build on a lived theology perspective of how the divine can be experienced in the sources offered by popular culture texts that may become a ‘sacred canopy’ under which the adolescents can express their spiritual journeys.This article hopes to contribute to the facilitation of more conversations taking place amongst parents, pastors and teachers on the importance of allowing adolescents more freedom in what movies and books they are allowed to see and read. These conversations may also be employed by pastors, parents and teachers as conversation openers with adolescents who are often reluctant to open up about topics that they find difficult to discuss. Osmer and Salazar-Newton (2014:70) encourage the church to ‘think of ways it can take advantage of the interest of children and youth in fantasy literature,’ on their spiritual life journeys.


2006 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrie Barnes ◽  
Chantelle van Heerden

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