21W.758 | Fall 2016 | Undergraduate

Genre Fiction Workshop: Fantasy

Lecture Notes

Session 10

Languages, moon(s), money, ecology!

Non traditional (non-medieval) fantasyland

Urban Fantasy

  • Modern setting
  • (Tim Powers - many others)
  • Can treat the magic as:

Accepted/known

Suspect

Secret

Adding the magic

  • Various ways
  • Dracula was contemporary for its day

Using different historical settings

  • Gaslight (Victorian)

Contemporary gets dated!!!

Paranormal romance

Magic

Magic is moral

Magic takes power

Rules of magic

  • Must work with the rules of the world
  • Built in with the world building

What does this word need???

(Use books we’ve read)

Exercise - Choose 1 song

Discuss Novik

  • Magical creatures

1 change

changes history

changes the entire military structure

Why does it WORK?? (so VERY well??)

Magic - suspend disbelief, yes, but - be clear on the limits of what the magic can do

  • Find creative ways to exploit ALL the capabilities given those limits and costs!

References:

Vogt, A. E. van. Silkie. Second printing edition. Ace, 1969. ISBN: 9780441765027.

Hind Horn

Thomas the Rhymer

The Unquiet Grave

The Devil and the Farmer’s Wife

Course Info

Instructor
As Taught In
Fall 2016
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Written Assignments with Examples