Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination (Genres in Context) [Paperback]

Richard Mathews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0415938902 | ISBN-13: 978-0415938907 | Edition: 1

Using a broad definition of fantasy to include myth, folklore, legend and fairy tale, this survey of the genre will entice as well as inform any student interested in the mysterious, mystical or magical. Beloved authors like J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, William Morris and Robert E. Howard are examined closely.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Mathews is a poet and professor of English at the University of Tampa. Widely published, he is the author of Aldiss Unbound, The Clockwork Universe of Anthony Burgess, Worlds Beyond the World, Lightening from a Clear Sky and Subtropical Speculations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415938902
• ISBN-13: 978-0415938907
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,169,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Capsule Summary and Critical Education, September 23, 2009

By 

Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination (Genres in Context) (Paperback)

Richard Mathews, a noted scholar of fantastic literature in English, presents a comprehensive introduction to the genre. This inexpensive survey of fantasy is suited for beginning scholars, as it introduces significant terminology, themes, personalities, and secondary literature of the field. Sprightly, written in plain English, this is a good book for those wanting to join the larger discussion of fantasy in an academic setting.

The first chapter introduces the themes and charts the development of fantasy. Though Mathews salutes myths of the ancient world, his detailed survey begins with the 19th century, underlining fantasy as a reaction against nascent realistic fiction. He details how it grew into its own genre, and why it remains largely an English language phenomenon, since cultures with more integrated mythologies don't need to reinvent the wheel.

Chapters two, three, five, six, and seven examine in detail five authors' works which Mathews believes highlight primary threads in fantasy. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard are obvious candidates in this area. But William Morris is surprising, and T.H. White and Ursula K. Le Guin have not been as visibly studied, so their chapters are more of an education.

I wish these chapters were less descriptive and more analytical. Mathews seems to think these authors' plots should be studied in detail. But I'm more engaged in the discussion when he stops recounting plots and applies himself to themes and implications. The plot descriptions are so intricate that you need not actually read the books to follow Mathews' points.

By far my favorite chapter was chapter four, when Mathews compares the secular Socialist themes of William Morris with the hierarchical Catholic themes of J.R.R. Tolkien. Since these differences are almost a capsule summary of the tensions we fans have often seen in the genre, spotting where they came from is enlightening. And the source notes were an eye-opener too, because I can now pick up even more books and understand the field in greater detail.

This book is plain-spoken, yet so packed with interesting critical and biographical detail, that even casual fans can read it. Though it's probably small beer for more advanced scholars, if you're just wading into the field or want to learn more about how fantasy criticism works, this is a good first book to start you in the right direction.

5.0 out of 5 stars A decent scholarly look at fantasy, April 12, 2011

By 

Jordan Schlabach - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination (Genres in Context) (Paperback)

For the non-scholar, this book has plenty of information concerning the genre of fantasy, from its (supposed) origins in myth and folklore to its modern treatments. The structure of the book is helpful by identifying and describing different types of fantasy stories, from classic high fantasy like the Lord of the Rings to modern dark fantasy like the Conan stories. Even if the discussions become too focused on different stories' plots, you can still learn a great deal about what these stories are about and how to read them for maximum benefit. So this book is a good place to start, at least, for anyone interested in learning about fantasy as a genre.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Shallow Assessments Cloud And Demean The Genre, May 3, 2009

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Marcos Antuna (Greater Houston Area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination (Genres in Context) (Paperback)

This survey is the weak link in Routledge's stellar 'Genres in Context' series. The author's assessments of what he considers fantasy classics (Chapters 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7) are more perfunctory summaries than perspicacious critiques; the reader often has to construct thematic concerns from the motifs and details which the author haphazardly limns. The one chapter devoted to the history of modern fantasy (Chapter 1) is woefully inadequate, failing to inform the uninitiated reader of the true depth and breadth of fantastical writing. (A comparison to Brooks Landon's supernal post-1900 science fiction survey - also from the 'Genres in Context' series - makes the lacunae in this survey all the more evident.) This tome - if in its brevity, it can be called such - serves only as a poignant reminder of the dearth of comprehensive and pensive scholarship on the fantasy genre.