Modern Fantasy - description of story elements and quality characteristics
Overview
The page includes an analysis of the genre modern fantasy, including science fiction, with the use of elements of story and their many characteristics. It describes what makes modern fantasy quality or less than quality.
It also includes attributes of modern fantasy to enhance discussion, creativity, & productive thought, derived from Frank E. Williams three dimensional model for teaching productive divergent thinking.
Quality characteristics by story elements
Characterization
- Characters can have special powers.
- Animals act like people (animorphisism).
Setting
- Place is imaginary or of another world or universe.
- Time is anytime or no time.
- Fantasy time (Once upon a time sets the stage and They lived happily ever after closes the tale.) any time or any place, timeless or placeless, or long long ago.
- Time travel is possible.
Plot
- Varied, but usually suprising twists or developments.
- Involving situations not possible in our realistic world.
- Full of action and follows specific and simple patterns.
- The plot starts right out with fast moving action that grabs the listeners interest and keeps it.
- Conflicts are usually resolved with great deeds or acts of human kindness related to good and bad/evil.
Theme
- Good versus bad or evil.
- Uses magic or other ideas to achieve the extremly impossible.
- Problems of young adults
- Security
- Fear of leaving home
- Fear of not having children
- Fear of not being loved or giving love
- Reflect basic values and concerns of different cultures
- Good and evil
- Right and wrong
- Justice and injustice
- Happiness, kindness, friendship, loyalty
- Good triumphant over evil
- Love and loyalty
- Love and loyalty can transform ...
- Discuss basic values of people
Style
- Use of magic or possibly powers that have no scientific bases yet verified by repeatable evidence.
- Use of mental powers or technologies that are not possible or not yet discovered.
Tone
- Feel that in a magical world the story is plausible.
- Despite the availability of magic the struggle of the characters seems authentic and failure an option.
Point of View
- Could be any. Often third person narrative.
Attributes of modern fantasy to Enhance Discussion, Creativity, & Productive Thought
Frank E. Williams Model source
It is a three dimensional model with
- Dimension 1 - includes subjects (art, music, science, language, math, social sciences)
- Dimension 2 - includes 23 classroom teaching strategies (paradoxes, analogies, sensing deficiencies, thinking of possibles. prvocative questions, attribute listing, exploring mystery of things, reinforxing originality, examples of change, organized randmserach, examples of habit, skills of search, tolerance fdor ambiguity, intuitive expression, process of invention, adjustment todevelopment, study reative people, interact with past knowledge, evaluate situtations, receptive tosurprise, creatie reading skill, creative listening skill, & visualization skill)
- Dimension 3 - includes productive-divergent thinking processes (fluency flexibility, elaboration, originality, curiosity, risk taking, complexity)
Ideas from the model can be used to identify discussion topics to facilitate the enhancement of learners' cognitive, creative, and affective abilities with respect to their ability and desire to seek creative experiences. The better learners are able to understand these ideas, the greater their comprehension and appreciation of quality literature. Science fiction and modern fantasy are two excellent genres to provide these types of cognitive, creative, and affective growth.
Learners can select a piece of modern literature and identify examples for the following, inspired by Williams' model. Give it a try and you may be surprised at how modern fantasy and science fiction include so many ideas related to these attributes and are more easy to identify than one thinks before doing the activity. Enjoy!
Modern Fantasy Attributes Defined
- Paradox - the author's and characters' actions or ideas seems to be contradictory but may be true or have some sensibility.
- Attribute/quality/characteristic of a person or thing that is distinctive for the character, setting, plot...
- Analogy - a logical link between two similar events or ideas with the purpose of providing understanding.
- Discrepancy - inconsistency between facts, actions, thoughts...
- Provocative questions - question that causes deep thinking or problem solving to resolve (causes cognitive dissonance or disequilibration).
- Examples of change - change is used to contrast different characters, their abilities, their abilities to adapt and change to changes in plot, characters, or setting.
- Example of habit - a habit is a constant, often unconscious performance of an act acquired through frequent repetition. Habits are usually employed as a device for failure, or if overcome or changed, for success.
- Organized random search - characters in modern fantasies are often in search of something. A quest for self improvement, achievement of a personal goal, finding an artifact, person, ...
- Skills of search - development of a method for finding information; could be trial and error, guided by a supernatural force, historical knowledge, wit and wisdom, or other superior abilities to discover.
- Tolerance for ambiguity - characters often seem to thrive in unexpected and open-ended situations or the author tolerates ambiguity as an element of style or tone.
- Intuitive expression - characters are adept at making guesses and acting on hunches or emotions.
- Adjustment to development - characters are able to adjust to situations that previous characters, or they, have not been able to do successfully before the start of the story.
- Study creative people and processes - characters may be able to act creatively, but often learn to be more creative or create new and unique processes.
- Evaluate situations - situations are described in detail from different points of view and perspectives described by the author and / or characters along with different inferences and a wide variety of possible consequences.
- Creative reading skills - Written in a manner that helps develop reading skills and abilities. Requires and facilitates a different way of reading or reading comprehension due to the writing style, tone, plot or other device.
- Creative listening skills - The writing style, tone and plot encourage the development of listening skills.
- Creative writing model - Written in a manner that skillfully and creatively models the use of story elements and quality literature, which can facilitate the development of writing skills and abilities.
- Visualization - written in a manner that provides opportunities to visualize characters, settings, and situations that are not ordinarily observable.
Search for modern fantasy attributes
Piece of literature
- Paradox -
- Attribute/quality/characteristic -
- Analogy -
- Discrepancy -
- Provocative questions -
- Examples of change -
- Example of habit -
- Organized random search -
- Skills of search -
- Tolerance for ambiguity -
- Intuitive expression -
- Adjustment to development -
- Study creative people and processes -
- Evaluate situations -
- Creative reading skills -
- Creative listening skills -
- Creative writing model -
- Visualization -