This presentation seeks to explore the genre Modern Fantasy and explain its role in children's literature.

1. MODERN FANTASY
A PowerPoint presentation
for
CIED 4023

2. Have You Seen This Movie?
Here are a few fantasies that have been turned
into movies.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Harry Potter Series
Charlotte’s Web
Where the Wild Things Are
Winnie the Pooh
The Golden Compass
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Ella Enchanted
Tuck Everlasting
The Wizard of Oz
Pippi Longstocking
Coraline
Inkheart
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Wind in the Willows
Stuart Little
Eragon
Matilda
The Percy Jackson Series
Alice in Wonderland
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
James and the Giant Peach

3. Literary Fairy Tales
Similar in form to
traditional fairy tales, but
have an identifiable
author

4. Animal Fantasy
Characterized by talking animals,
but differs from Beast Tales
because the author is
identifiable.

5. The World of Toys
and Dolls
These stories bring
inanimate objects to life.

6. Eccentric
Characters and
Preposterous
Situations
These are situations and
characters that are “over the
top”!
They may occur in realistic
settings, making them more
believable.

7. Extraordinary
Worlds
These tales may start out in our world,
but quickly move into an
extraordinary, yet believable world.

8. Magical
Powers
Children in these stories
possess a magical object,
know a magical saying, or
have magical powers
themselves.

9. Suspense and the
Supernatural
Spooky, scary stories, full of
suspense and often touching on
the occult.

10. Time-Shift Fantasy
Based on
characters who
seem to move
easily from their
own time to a
long-lost point in
time. Time-travel
is typically linked
to a tangible object
or place common
to both eras.

11. Imaginary Realms
These stories are set in imaginary
societies which resemble the
Middle Ages. They may contain a
quest, the struggle between good
and evil, or a human character’s
search for identity. They are less
complex and lighter in tone than
High Fantasy.

12. High Fantasy
These consist of complex
narratives, often connected to
sequels, which contain recurring
themes and motifs. They may be set
in a created world, and characters
may call on ancient or fundamental
powers, good or evil. The focus of
the story may be a quest, or the
struggle between good and evil,
light and darkness. High Fantasy is
serious in nature, and deals with
cosmic questions and ultimate
values.

14. Characteristics of Modern
Fantasy
• Themes in fantasy usually deal with real world
issues, such as good vs. evil, what it means to be
human, and the meaning of life and death.
• Many characters, places, and motifs in fantasy are
often taken from older folktales.
• The author makes the story believable in many
ways:
– The story is often grounded in reality before moving
into fantasy.
– The setting is very detailed, especially the fantasy
worlds.
– The story must be consistent for it to be believable.

15. Quality Fantasy Endures!
• A contemporary realistic novel may be outdated in five
or ten years, but well-written fantasy endures the test
of time.
• Fantasy is often timeless because of the universal
questions it asks and the make-believe worlds on which
the stories are based.