| content | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) |
Dark fantasy is a subgenre that combines elements of fantasy, including marvelous abilities, with those of horror.[1]
It has yet to be solidly connected to its own particular subgenre of fantasy. Stories often described by some as dark fantasy may be placed by others in either the horror or fantasy genres, based on which genre the story tends more toward. As a natural consequence, the term itself may refer collectively to tales that would more properly belong in very different genres.
Contents |
Tending towards horror
"Dark fantasy" is sometimes considered a variant of the horror genre, but the opposite is often the case. Horror fiction where the threat is of supernatural origin can be considered dark fantasy: Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart is an example. However, dark fantasy also includes stories about dark supernatural creatures (frequently vampires) depicted as potentially sympathetic beings with human motivations. Stephen Marley in his Chia Black Dragon novels produced a dark fantasy series that was cited as a prime example of the genre in Clute/Grant's The Encyclopedia of Fantasy.
Tending towards fantasy
Dark fantasy in this context refers to stories that focus on darker themes, sometimes akin to those of horror, but which take place in a setting more alike sword and sorcery or high fantasy.
There is a strong overlap between this style of fantasy and sword and sorcery, due to the often bleak, pessimistic tones, and moral ambiguity (especially when compared to the more dualistic themes of high fantasy). Michael Moorcock's Elric stories and Karl Edward Wagner's Kane sequence are two examples of this overlap, latter having actually coined the term "dark fantasy"[2].
References
- ^ Philip Martin, The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest, p 46, ISBN 0-87116-195-8
- ^ Reading suggestions in epic, dark, sword & sorcery fantasy fiction genres
External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||
