Fantasy trope
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A fantasy trope is a specific type of
Good vs. Evil
The conflict of
Hero
Heroic characters are a mainstay of fantasy, particularly high fantasy and sword and sorcery.[citation needed] Such characters are capable of more than ordinary behavior, physically, morally, or both.[5] Sometimes they might have to grow into the role ordained for them.[6] This may take the form of maturation,[7] which is often through Coming of Age.
Many protagonists are, unknown to themselves, of royal blood.[citation needed] Even in so fanciful a tale as Through the Looking-Glass, Alice is made a queen in the end; this can serve as a symbolic recognition of the hero's inner worth. [8] Commonly, these tales revolve around the maltreated hero coming into his or her own. This can reflect a wish-fulfillment dream, or symbolically embody a profound transformation.[9]
Dark Lord
The forces of evil are often personified in a "Dark Lord". Besides possessing vast magical abilities, a Dark Lord often controls great armies and can be portrayed as possessing devil-like qualities.[10] A Dark Lord is usually depicted as the ultimate personification of evil.[citation needed]
Name | Source |
---|---|
Sauron | The Lord of the Rings |
Thulsa Doom |
archenemy of Conan the Barbarian |
the Dark One (Shai'tan) |
The Wheel of Time |
Sith Lords | Star Wars |
Lord Voldemort | Harry Potter |
the Skeksis | The Dark Crystal |
Darkseid | DC Comics |
Thanos | Marvel Comics |
Mundus | the Devil May Cry video game series |
Dracula | the Castlevania series |
Skeletor | Masters of the Universe |
Morgoth | The Silmarillion |
Arawn Death-Lord |
The Chronicles of Prydain |
Torak |
The Belgariad |
Nightmare | Soulcalibur
|
Ganon | The Legend of Zelda |
Exdeath | Final Fantasy V |
Galbatorix |
The Inheritance Cycle |
The villain of the Demon Sword video game is also literally called Dark Lord.
In the video game franchise are classic Dark Lords in the vein of Sauron. The Dark Lord is usually seen as unmarried, though there has been the occasion when one has attempted to claim a bride.
Quest
Quests, an immemorial trope in literature, are common in fantasy. They can be anything from a quest to locate the MacGuffins necessary to save the world, to an internal quest of self-realization.[12]
Magic
In fantasy, magic often has an overwhelming presence, although its precise nature is delineated in the book in which it appears. It can appear in a fantasy world (as in The Lord of the Rings or Shannara), or in a fantasy land that is part of reality but insulated from the mundane lands (as in Xanth), or as a hidden element in real life (as in The Dresden Files).[13]
A common trope is that magical ability is innate and rare. As such, magic-wielding people are common figures in fantasy.[14] Another feature is the magic item, which can endow characters with magical abilities or enhance the abilities of the innately powerful. Among the most common are magic swords and magic rings.
Self-fulfilling prophecies are amongst the most common forms of magic because they are an often used plot device. Often the effort undertaken to avert them brings them about, thus driving the story. It is very rare for a prophecy in a fantasy to be false, although usually, their significance is only clear with hindsight. Quibbles can undermine the clearest appearing prophecies.[15]
In The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien minimized the use of the word 'magic'; beings who use such abilities tend to be confused when they are described this way by others.
Science fantasy stories often make use of scientifically implausible powers similar to magic, such as psychics.[16] However, unlike true science fiction works, these powers are used in a pulp manner with no examination of their effects on society, only to create more spectacular effects than science fiction alone can provide.[16] An example of this is the use of the Force by the Jedi in the Star Wars franchise.[17]
Medievalism
Many fantasy creatures are inspired by European folklore and the
This trope is also very important in the setting of many of these fantasies. Writers from the beginnings of the fantasy genre, such as William Morris in The Well at the World's End and Lord Dunsany in The King of Elfland's Daughter, set their tales in fantasy worlds clearly derived from medieval sources; though often filtered through later views. J. R. R. Tolkien set the type even more clearly for high fantasy, which is normally based in such a "pseudo-medieval" setting. Other fantasy writers have emulated him, and role-playing and computer games have also taken up this tradition.
The full width of the medieval era is seldom drawn upon. Governments, for instance, tend to be feudalistic, corrupt empires despite the greater variety of the actual Middle Ages.[18] Settings also tend to be medieval in economy, with many fantasy worlds disproportionately pastoral.[19]
These settings are typical of
Ancient world
A less common inspiration is the
Races and species
Many fantasy stories and worlds refer to their main
In role-playing games,
See also
- Archetype
- Cliché
- Damsel in distress
- Role reversal
- Stereotype
- Stock character
- List of science fiction themes
References
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 810.
- ^ "Top 10 Epic / High fantasy books". Fantasybookreview.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 422.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 323.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 464.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 136.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 972.
- ^ Prickett 1979, pp. 145–156.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 466.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 250.
- ^ "The Darklords of Helgedad". The World of Magnamund Webring. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 796.
- ^ Clute 1999, pp. 615–616.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 616.
- ^ Clute 1999, p. 789.
- ^ OCLC 804664796.
- OCLC 272332168.
- ^ Hardinge, Frances. "Article: Quality in Epic Fantasy, by Alec Austin". Strangehorizons.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ Yolen 1992, p. VIII.
- ^ Tresca 2010, p. 30.
- ^ Livingstone 1982, p. 74.
Sources
- Anderson, Poul; Miesel, Sandra (1981). Fantasy (1st ed.). [S.l.]: Tom Doherty Associates. ISBN 0-523-48515-8.
- Clute, John (1999). The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1st St. Martin's Griffin ed.). New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-19869-8.
- Livingstone, Ian (1982). ISBN 0-7100-9466-3.
- Prickett, Stephen (1979). Victorian Fantasy. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-17461-9.
- Tresca, Michael J. (2010). The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6009-0.
- Yolen, Jane (1992). After the King: Stories in Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien (1st ed.). New York: T. Doherty Associates. ISBN 0-312-85175-8.
External links
- Media related to Fantasy tropes at Wikimedia Commons