Historical fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy, related to historical fiction, which makes use of specific elements of real world history. It generally takes place prior to the 20th century.
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Overview
Historical fantasy usually takes one of three common approaches:
- magic, mythical creatures or other supernatural elements co-exist invisibly with the mundane world, with the majority of people none the wiser. In this, it has a close similarity to contemporary fantasy. This commonly overlaps with the secret history trope. Alternatively, the author's narrative shows or implies that by the present day, magic will have retreated from the world so as to allow history to revert to the familiar version we know [1]. This take place in Lord Dunsany's The Charwoman's Shadow, which takes place in Spain, but which ends with the magician in it removing himself, and all creatures of romance, from the world, thereby ending the Golden Age.
- The story takes place in an alternative history with clear differences from our own.
- The story takes place in a secondary world with specific and recognizable parallels to a known place (or places) and a definite historical period, rather than taking the geographic and historical "mix and match" favored by other works of secondary world fantasy. However, many if not most, works by fantasy authors derive ideas and inspiration from real events, making the borders of this approach history.
All four approaches have overlapped with the sub-genre of steampunk commonly associated with science fiction literature. However, not all steampunk fantasy belongs to the historical fantasy sub-genre.
Subgenres
Celtic Fantasy
Celtic fantasy has links to Historical fantasy and Celtic historical fiction.
Celtic historical fantasy includes such works as Katharine Kerr's Deverry series, or Teresa Edgerton's Green Lion trilogy. These works are (loosely) based on Dark Ages Celtic cultures. The separate folklore of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland has sometimes been used indiscriminately, sometimes with great effect; other writers have distinguished to use a single source.[2]
The Welsh tradition has been particularly influential, owing to its connection to King Arthur and its collection in a single work, the epic Mabinogion.[2] One influential retelling of this was the fantasy work of Evangeline Walton: The Island of the Mighty, The Children of Llyr, The Song of Rhiannon, and Prince of Annwn. A notable amount of fiction has been written in the area of Celtic fantasy.[3]
Celtic Fantasy examples
- Deryni novels, Katherine Kurtz (1970–)
- Deverry cycle, Katharine Kerr (1986–)
Steampunk
Fantasy Steampunk is another subgenre of historical fantasy, generally set in the Victorian or Edwardian eras. Steam technology, mixed with Victorian- or Gothic-style architecture and technology, is the most widely-recognized interpretation of this genre. One of the most popular characteristics of steampunk is the appearance of naked clockwork and rusty gears.
Some works in this genre are alternate history.
Steampunk examples
- Last Exile, Gonzo (2003–)
- The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, Anthony Lucas (2005–)
Wuxia
Wǔxiá (Traditional Chinese: 武俠, Simplified Chinese: 武侠, Mandarin IPA: wuɕiɑ, Cantonese Pinyin: mów hàb), literally meaning "martial (arts) heroes", is a sub-genre of the quasi-fantasy and martial arts genre in literature, television and cinema. Wǔxiá figures prominently in the popular culture of Chinese-speaking areas, and the most important writers have devoted followings.
The wǔxiá genre is a blend of the philosophy of xiá (俠, "honor code", "an ethical person", "a hero"), and China's long history in wǔshù ("kung fu" (pronounced gong fu, despite popular misconceptions) or "martial arts"). A martial artist who follows the code of xiá is called a swordsman, or xiákè (俠客/侠客, literally "chivalrous guest"). Japan's samurai bushidō traditions, England's knight chivalry traditions, and America's gunslinger Western traditions all share some aspects with China's swordsman xiá traditions. The swordsman, however, need not serve a lord or hold any military power and they are not required to be from an aristocratic class.
Wuxia examples
Medieval fantasy
Prehistoric fantasy
The characteristics of stories being set in prehistoric times and describe the lives of prehistoric people.
Prehistoric Fantasy examples
- Earth's Children series, Jean M. Auel (1980–)
Examples
- Hiroshi Aramata's Teito Monogatari (Tale of the Imperial Capital Saga): different novels in different time periods of Japan spanning from Bakumatsu to Showa Era
- C. J. Cherryh's The Russian Stories: Medieval Kievan Rus' and The Paladin: China of the Tang Dynasty
- Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories: Napoleonic England
- David Gemmel's Lion of Macedon: Ancient Greece
- Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana: Renaissance Italy, A Song for Arbonne: Medieval Occitania, The Lions of Al-Rassan: Moorish Spain, The Sarantine Mosaic: Byzantine Greece, and The Last Light of the Sun: Viking England
- Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels: Medieval British Islands (specifically, Wales)
- Juliet Marillier's The Sevenwaters Trilogy: Ninth Century Ireland
- Naomi Novik's Temeraire series: England during the Napoleonic Wars
- Tim Powers's The Drawing of the Dark: Renaissance Europe, On Stranger Tides: Early Nineteenth Century Caribbean, and The Stress of Her Regard: early 19th century Italy
- Delia Sherman's The Porcelain Dove: Revolutionary France
- Harry Turtledove's Thessalonica: (Byzantine Greece) and War Between the Provinces: (American Civil War)
- Gene Wolfe's Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete: Ancient Greece
- Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain vampire novels: various eras
See also
References
- ^ John Grant and John Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Thinning", p 942 ISBN 0-312-19869-8
- ^ a b John Grant and John Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Celtic fantasy", p 275 ISBN 0-312-19869-8
- ^ Michael Moorcock, Wizardry & Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy p 101 ISBN 1-932265-07-4
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