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| Is Fantasy Dying? https://archive.holyworlds.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1291 |
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| Author: | Xyno Xyaxis [ October 18th, 2010, 3:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Is Fantasy Dying? |
I know how you felt when you saw my topic title. (we need a sad smiley) I know no one at my school who likes fantasy books, only a couple people who have even seen the Lord of the Rings movies, and no one who is writing fantasy. I also know that Northern Kentucky is kind of different and opinionated differently from the rest of the world. So how popular is the fantasy genre in the rest of the world? |
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| Author: | Melody Kondrael [ October 18th, 2010, 4:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
At my school, everyone is crazy about fantasy. Of course, population is four, and they're all my sibs... (and I'm graduated, but I still kinda count.  ) But all of my friends are into fantasy in some form. ;D (internet friends, e-pals, kids I grew up with...) Nah, it's not dying. Especially considering the box office returns on the fantasy movies of the last few years (including 2010's How To Train Your Dragon).
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| Author: | Willow Wenial Mimetes [ October 18th, 2010, 5:26 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
There is no way that fantasy as a genre is dying. GOOD fantasy might be. (Twilight, anyone? BLECK!) But people will always be interested in elves, and faeries, and all things beautiful and bizarre. Pretty much everyone I know is at least mildly interested in fantasy. Fairy Tales have been around for ages, and they aren't going anywhere either.
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| Author: | Aragorn [ October 18th, 2010, 5:34 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
If fantasy is dying, it's only because people are sick of all the generic and boring rip-offs of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. Many people who don't consider themselves fantasy fans will read any books that are good enough to transcend genre. |
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| Author: | Airianna Valenshia [ October 18th, 2010, 6:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
I think fantasy is still alive and kicking! However, I could see apathy being generated towards the mainstream fantasy works that keep cropping up. I’m not a fan of Harry Potter, but at least it hadn’t been done before. I don’t personally know about Twilight *echoes Willows bleck!* because I never had an interest in seeing it, but I’ve heard plenty to disinterest me, plus I know some girls who wrote a wonderful article on the subject… |
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| Author: | 6stringedsignseeker [ October 19th, 2010, 12:03 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
I think games like World of Warcraft are actually helping to drive the fantasy genre. There have been quite a few fantasy movies and tv shows over the last few years as well. LOTR, the Narnia movies, Eragon, for movies. Merlin, Legend of the Seeker for tv shows. The Elfstones of Shannara, second book of the Sword of Shannara series is due to hit the theaters in 2012 (originally 2011 but you know how that goes) and there are still great authors putting out great novels as well. And there's going to be a remake of the movie, Excalibur. I actually think fantasy is more popular now, than when I was in junior high and high school. And I'm (ahem... cough cough... ) thirty six now.
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| Author: | Xyno Xyaxis [ October 21st, 2010, 4:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Remember that when C. S. Lewis and Tolkien wrote fantasy, there were very few fantasy authors out there, if any. Now, stores have whole sections of fantasy. This doesn't mean that fantasy isn't dead. 98% of those books are either badly written or downright sinful in morals, and another 1% is the 50-year-old classics. My point is, you can't just grab a fantasy book off a shelf from a bookstore and enjoy it.  . . . Has that crying smilie always been there? 
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| Author: | Melody Kondrael [ October 21st, 2010, 4:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Apollo wrote: Remember that when C. S. Lewis and Tolkien wrote fantasy, there were very few fantasy authors out there, if any. Now, stores have whole sections of fantasy. This doesn't mean that fantasy isn't dead. 98% of those books are either badly written or downright sinful in morals, and another 1% is the 50-year-old classics. My point is, you can't just grab a fantasy book off a shelf from a bookstore and enjoy it. . . . Has that crying smilie always been there? You couldn't then either. My dad tells me that there were just as many bad books back in the 50's as there are now -- just nobody kept them, so we only have the good books from that era now. |
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| Author: | Airianna Valenshia [ October 21st, 2010, 4:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
No, Jay gave everyone new smiley faces as a birthday gift. |
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| Author: | Ana Mimetes [ October 26th, 2010, 11:54 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
I don't think fantasy is dying. I live in the capital hippie state where political books fly off the shelves and everyone has dreads. But good ole Fantasy books are always going to be loved for the creativity it takes to write them. I think people always admire people who can think up or do what they can't. Ana |
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| Author: | Varon [ October 28th, 2010, 10:03 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
It isn't. Fantasy is probably the number one most popular genre right now in the juvenile, teens, and YA market. Fantasy will never die because it has existed far longer than any other genre in existence, and will probably outlive them all too. |
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| Author: | Neil of Erk [ October 28th, 2010, 12:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Fantasy isn't dying. What's happened is that the genre has been polluted by a lot of garbage and rip-offs, but that's what happens as genres develop. Also remember that fantasy is a new genre, in a technical sense. What we call "fantasy" is actually modern fantasy, and is sort of a new genre. Think of the classical period developing into the romantic period (this is music). Just like Beethoven bridged the gap between those genres, Lewis, Tolkien, MacDonald, and others, bridged between classical fantasy and modern fantasy. It's a new genre with a lot of backstory and a lot of confusion. Besides that, fantasy is different from other genres. Spy fiction, the mystery novel, and genres of that sort have stabilized into classic genre conventions. Fantasy, on the other hand, is all about bucking the genre convention. At least, good fantasy is. I know a lot of people who love fantasy, and I think this forum is a testimony to the fact that fantasy isn't just alive, it's thriving. Speculative fiction in general has been making a big leap lately, especially fantasy. |
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| Author: | Aragorn [ November 8th, 2010, 9:57 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Apollo wrote: Now, stores have whole sections of fantasy... 98% of those books are either badly written or downright sinful in morals, and another 1% is the 50-year-old classics. My point is, you can't just grab a fantasy book off a shelf from a bookstore and enjoy it. I've pretty much gone from eagerly looking at most fantasy novels that came out to groaning whenever I see a new fantasy book. Neil of Erk wrote: Fantasy isn't dying. What's happened is that the genre has been polluted by a lot of garbage and rip-offs, but that's what happens as genres develop. Fortunately, the bad fantasy books will be forgotten as time passes and then the ones worth reading will stand out. But that means we either have to wait twenty years to find out which ones have become classics and then read them, or keep sorting through all the garbage searching for the good fantasy novels. 
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| Author: | Neil of Erk [ November 8th, 2010, 12:07 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Jonathan Garner wrote: Apollo wrote: Now, stores have whole sections of fantasy... 98% of those books are either badly written or downright sinful in morals, and another 1% is the 50-year-old classics. My point is, you can't just grab a fantasy book off a shelf from a bookstore and enjoy it. I've pretty much gone from eagerly looking at most fantasy novels that came out to groaning whenever I see a new fantasy book. Just remember, that this is true of every genre. There are only a few really good thrillers every year. Only a few really good detective novels. Only a few really good sci-fi novels. Generally, I find one or two really good fantasy stories a year. Combined with the number of other stories I find, I can probably find six to twelve good novels or serial fictions a year. That's not even touching on non-fiction. |
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| Author: | The Wolverminion [ November 8th, 2010, 7:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Neil of Erk wrote: Fantasy isn't dying. What's happened is that the genre has been polluted by a lot of garbage and rip-offs, but that's what happens as genres develop. Also remember that fantasy is a new genre, in a technical sense. What we call "fantasy" is actually modern fantasy, and is sort of a new genre. Think of the classical period developing into the romantic period (this is music). Just like Beethoven bridged the gap between those genres, Lewis, Tolkien, MacDonald, and others, bridged between classical fantasy and modern fantasy. It's a new genre with a lot of backstory and a lot of confusion. Besides that, fantasy is different from other genres. Spy fiction, the mystery novel, and genres of that sort have stabilized into classic genre conventions. Fantasy, on the other hand, is all about bucking the genre convention. At least, good fantasy is. I know a lot of people who love fantasy, and I think this forum is a testimony to the fact that fantasy isn't just alive, it's thriving. Speculative fiction in general has been making a big leap lately, especially fantasy. I agree here. It isn't dying...but the bad books are threatening to kill it. Which is why we're here...to make good books. 
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| Author: | Kiev Shawn [ November 8th, 2010, 8:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Luke the Mindwielder wrote: Neil of Erk wrote: Fantasy isn't dying. What's happened is that the genre has been polluted by a lot of garbage and rip-offs, but that's what happens as genres develop. Also remember that fantasy is a new genre, in a technical sense. What we call "fantasy" is actually modern fantasy, and is sort of a new genre. Think of the classical period developing into the romantic period (this is music). Just like Beethoven bridged the gap between those genres, Lewis, Tolkien, MacDonald, and others, bridged between classical fantasy and modern fantasy. It's a new genre with a lot of backstory and a lot of confusion. Besides that, fantasy is different from other genres. Spy fiction, the mystery novel, and genres of that sort have stabilized into classic genre conventions. Fantasy, on the other hand, is all about bucking the genre convention. At least, good fantasy is. I know a lot of people who love fantasy, and I think this forum is a testimony to the fact that fantasy isn't just alive, it's thriving. Speculative fiction in general has been making a big leap lately, especially fantasy. I agree here. It isn't dying...but the bad books are threatening to kill it. Which is why we're here...to make good books. Well put, Luke. |
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| Author: | Neil of Erk [ November 8th, 2010, 11:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Luke the Mindwielder wrote: Neil of Erk wrote: Fantasy isn't dying. What's happened is that the genre has been polluted by a lot of garbage and rip-offs, but that's what happens as genres develop. Also remember that fantasy is a new genre, in a technical sense. What we call "fantasy" is actually modern fantasy, and is sort of a new genre. Think of the classical period developing into the romantic period (this is music). Just like Beethoven bridged the gap between those genres, Lewis, Tolkien, MacDonald, and others, bridged between classical fantasy and modern fantasy. It's a new genre with a lot of backstory and a lot of confusion. Besides that, fantasy is different from other genres. Spy fiction, the mystery novel, and genres of that sort have stabilized into classic genre conventions. Fantasy, on the other hand, is all about bucking the genre convention. At least, good fantasy is. I know a lot of people who love fantasy, and I think this forum is a testimony to the fact that fantasy isn't just alive, it's thriving. Speculative fiction in general has been making a big leap lately, especially fantasy. I agree here. It isn't dying...but the bad books are threatening to kill it. Which is why we're here...to make good books. I must disagree. The bad books are threatening to drive "Christian" books off the market. Quality fantasy is at no risk. We are here to save our culture by filling the media with quality material from a Christian worldview. |
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| Author: | Evening L. Aspen [ November 8th, 2010, 11:38 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Only fantasy novels that are bad or temporary (for lack of a better word, basically meaning that they are related to a certain aspect of culture nowadays that won't be as relevant in the future) will die. There will always be good fantasy books; we'll keep the classics and time will reveal more classics. There will also always be bad books, but, as others have said, they will eventually become obsolete. There are lousy books in every genre. Just check your local library's fiction shelves!  There are a lot of books, but I'll bet that only a fraction of them are good enough to contend for the title of "classic".All that to say that, no, fantasy is not dying. I don't believe fantasy, nor any other form of fiction, will die because there will always be more people interested in it and willing to write more of it. Fantasy especially, since it has so much potential. People will always be interested in out-of-this-world tales, and there are only two places you get that: sci-fi and fantasy!
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| Author: | The Wolverminion [ November 9th, 2010, 1:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Neil of Erk wrote: I must disagree. The bad books are threatening to drive "Christian" books off the market. Quality fantasy is at no risk. We here to save our culture by filling the media with quality material from a Christian worldview. Oh yes, you're right. But I think that, in addition to what you said, they have the potential to also drive Christian readers away from the genre, removing some of the audience for Christian authors. |
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| Author: | Xyno Xyaxis [ November 10th, 2010, 7:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
OK, I guess it's just another one of those Northern-Kentucky-is-out-of-touch-with-the-rest-of-the-world things. I was in Pennsylvania a couple days ago and fantasy was everywhere (no exaggeration). |
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| Author: | Lady Elanor [ January 4th, 2012, 7:31 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
I think fantasy is the most popular genre at the moment, not only to read but also to write in. Historical Fiction is probably not far behind, but I do think that fantasy is probably the most popular. |
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| Author: | Aldara [ January 18th, 2012, 12:36 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
I think that fantasy is popular among readers. People who enjoy reading and who enjoy good literature have much to gain from reading fantasy. Fantasy is unpopular amongst many people in my class because it's too much work. I know many people who can't be bothered to read because 'it's boring. I get distracted easily.' They're the ones who grab romance off the shelves. Any good fantasy book will challenge them to think outside the box. That involves thinking, and when they read they aren't looking to think, they're looking to be entertained. Period. Truth is, most of the world doesn't hate fantasy. It engages us, teaches us and reflects truths. The world is just too lazy for fantasy. They need us to write something simplistic. Many people I know will watch LotR, but they won't read it because it's too hard to understand. There are people in my class who want to watch Gnomeo and Juliet because they can't handle Shakespeare. Fantasy is not unpopular, it's just too hard. This doesn't by any means mean that we should write so that they can understand. The people who are going to read fantasy are looking for something good. |
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| Author: | Aleena Mimetes [ January 18th, 2012, 1:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Quote: It all depends on if it's an adult, teen, or children's book. A popular adult Genre is Murder Mysteries and Adventure. The top teen genres are Fantasy, Sci-Fi, ans Romance. Popular Children's books often have mystery, Adventure, and animals in them. The overall most selling genres are probably: 1: Fantasy 2: Sci-Fi 3: Mystery 4: Adventure 5: Romance (This may be a little more popular... I'm not positive) Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_m ... z1jpy54xQP This is the result I got when I googled genres... |
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| Author: | Airianna Valenshia [ January 18th, 2012, 5:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Romance was rated that low? Fascinating. |
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| Author: | Lady Eruwaedhiel [ January 18th, 2012, 6:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
It is fascinating to me that the most popular teen genres seem to be about escape from reality, or at least the reader's reality (fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance). I was browsing the teen section of a Books-A-Million and it made me sick to see the types of books stuffing the shelves. No, fantasy is not dying, but perhaps the wrong type of fantasy is ruling. |
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| Author: | RunningWolf [ January 18th, 2012, 9:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Quote: only a couple people who have even seen the Lord of the Rings movies, I haven't seen those yet, I hope to very soon, but I was going to say, when people hear that I haven't seen them, they're like:  and
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| Author: | Aleena Mimetes [ January 18th, 2012, 9:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Well said Lady E... |
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| Author: | Airianna Valenshia [ January 18th, 2012, 10:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
I agree, E. |
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| Author: | Lady Elanor [ January 22nd, 2012, 11:09 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Is Fantasy Dying? |
Good thoughts there, E.
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