Many authors write books in the genre that are full of action, magic and adventure. A few of these authors carve niches for themselves by having different views that set them apart. Fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay is a unique voice in the fantasy genre. His books create vivid fantasy worlds and stories that live on in a reader's thoughts and hearts for a long time.
The “Fionavar Tapestry” trilogy mixes Celtic, Arthurian and other mythologies for a deeply moving Epic Fantasy. Five college students from our world are transported to the world of Fionavar. They each must play a role in the battle to stop the evil power trying to take control of this world. There is tragedy and triumph throughout the books. The trilogy consists of: The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire and The Darkest Road.
Later Mr. Kay turned to historical fantasy with magic and mythic elements. These books take place in some historical period or alternate historical period but have fantastic events happening and interesting characters.
Tigana is set in an alternate medieval kingdom sort of like Italy. The kingdom of Tigana is under a curse due to the soldiers killing the sorcerer’s young son Stevan. Many of the characters fight to free the kingdom from the curse so they can regain their memory. This book is different from the usual battles between good and evil. There are many shades of gray. Mr. Kay produces a beautiful book of depth, plot and character.
Inspired by medieval France, Mr. Kay wrote his next book A Song for Arbonne. The book’s plot weaves around the the themes of art, religious strife and courtly love. The story is vivid take on a time that is romantic to modern day readers. Kay proves his talents again in writing a memorable story for readers.
In his next book, The Lions of Al-Rassan, readers are treated to an alternate medieval Spain with cultures similar to the Moors, Christians and Jews of that period. The author uses the legends based on EL Cid and others to frame a powerful story in this alternate world. There is no obvious magic in the book, but the reader gets Kay's usual depth of character and themes as his other books.
Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors belong to the duology called the "Sarantine Mosaic". Crispin is a mosaicist (an artist that makes pictures from colored tiles) who travels to Sarantium and gets caught up in political intrigue. This is a rich story of characters and themes set in an alternate Byzantine empire.
Next, Mr. Kay explores the ancient world of the Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, and Celts in Last Light of the Sun. This alternate historical fantasy follows the struggles of three people’s as they learn to coexist in a different Britain. Bern Thorkellson must come to grips with his past as he travels to a new land. King Aeldred struggles to control his capricious children while dealing with threats to his kingdom. The Celtic-like character, Alun ab Owyn, must deal with the strange fairy creatures he encounters. Mr. Kay weaves a dark book of a bloody period in the world’s history.
Mr. Kay’s most recent book is Ysabel, which won the World Fantasy award. This book is a Mythic Fantasy set in modern day Provence, France. Nick Marrinner is a fifteen year old boy who travels with his father to the region. He must face mythic creatures from the Celtic and Roman battles of the past that threaten him and his family. The author demonstrates his great writing skills to present readers with a thought provoking, memorable book.
Whether writing Epic Fantasy or Historical Fantasy, Guy Gavriel Kay is a fantasy author of high quality. He weaves complex themes and subjects like mosaics, poetry, and music into fantasy worlds of unforgettable beauty. His use of mythic elements makes each book a powerful read. Each of his books should be read by lovers of fantasy. More information can be found at the web site dedicated to him at: http://www.brightweavings.com
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
On Writing Fantasy: Adding a Mythic Quality to Your Writing
Why do some Fantasy works like Lord of the Rings stay with us for years while others fade away and disappear? The books and stories that stay with us have a mythic quality to them. Writers draw from myth for inspiration and to create works that become timeless for readers. Each reading of such a work provides the reader with new insights about humanity or ourselves. Mythic themes give Fantasy a unique quality of wisdom that persists in the mind and become part of an individual for life. If you write Fantasy, trying to include such a quality in your work is helpful. To do this isn't easy and takes some effort on the part of a writer. To incorporate myths into their works, Fantasy writers need an understanding of the relationship of myth to Fantasy, knowledge of mythology and to use their life experiences in their writing.
First, writers of Fantasy need an understanding of the relationship of myth to Fantasy. Myths from many different cultures teach us about the human experience. They provide ways for people to work through problems, help with life changes and try to explain what we don’t understand. The relationship of the Fantasy genre to myth is that it performs the same function as myths in our present day. With this understanding, writers add a greater depth to their work and possibly create new myths. “In this way, the body of modern fantasy-and this true of fantasy by men as well-comes to resemble a mythology: that is, a compilation of narratives that expresses a society’s conception of itself, its individual members, and their place in the universe.” (Attebery, 89) This powerful relationship establishes strong, timeless works of incredible resonance. These works can stay relevant to different times and people; put simply, they last for generations. Once this understanding is accomplished, writers need to acquire knowledge about mythology.
Having a working knowledge about mythology is necessary for Fantasy writers. Without it, books and stories become lifeless forms of entertainment, losing their sense of wonder after one reading. A Fantasy writer needs to spend some time learning about mythology. An awareness of mythic themes and symbols creates more vivid works because: “Take myth away, and the magic in a Fantasy book is nothing more than special effects, or Le Guin’s phallic staff of wish-fulfillment. The myth is the magic, moving us through the dark, through the fire, flaying flesh from bone. By following myth to its end, the hero of the tale, and the reader, and the writer, all participate in the final rebirth--putting us back on the road to the east with tobacco seeds in our pocket.” (Windling, 26)
Acquiring knowledge of myths is easy but time consuming. There are many good sources; reading books on mythology, researching the Internet and reading Fantasy works that incorporate myth very well can provide writers with considerable knowledge. (A list of mythology and books can be found at the end of this article.) Along with knowledge of mythology, writers should use their life experience.
People’s hopes, dreams, life changes, education and everything that makes them who they are is a part of life experience. Writers should use their life experience in their works because most Fantasy literature is rooted there:
“What we do need is to remember that Fantasy (even more than other kinds of fiction) is a rites-of-passage literature--whether its themes are based on collective battles or on private, individual ones. The best Fantasy is rooted not only in myth but in life experience--while the worst draws experience secondhand from film, television and other books.” (Windling, 24)
It's hard to avoid the influences from other media. A writer must consciously avoid this trap, but let it blend with their own life experience and imagination to produce powerful works. This is an obligation to readers. Fail this obligation and readers are left with poor, lifeless stories. “As fantasist, we must look to the quests, ordeals, and trials that form (as Susan Cooper says) the shape of our own imagination and all its unconscious preoccupations. Through myth, symbol, and metaphor, the true fantasist transforms the personal into the universal--creating stories that not only entertain but provide the mythic tools we need to face the ordeals, the monsters, the wolves, of our modern age.” (Windling, 24)
This is not too much to ask of the Fantasy writer.
Without the presence of a mythic element in Fantasy, books and stories are sometimes little more than empty, flashy entertainment. Writers can create powerful works by understanding the relationship of myth to Fantasy; having a knowledge of mythology and epic cycles; and putting life experience into their works. Blending realistic characters, mythic themes and fantastic settings using the three things mentioned previously could give Fantasy readers timeless works to last through the ages.
Works Cited:
Attebery, Brian .Strategies of Fantasy., Bloomington and Idianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1992.
Windling, Terri. “Unriddling the World:Rites-of-Passage Myths and Fantasy Tales.” Realms of Fantasy Volume 6 #2 (December 1999): 21-2
Books on Mythology:
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
The Golden Bough by James Frazer
Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Mythology Sites on the Internet:
http://legends.dm.net Covers Fantasy and Arthurian Legend
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~cbsiren/myth.html Link page to many mythology pages.
First, writers of Fantasy need an understanding of the relationship of myth to Fantasy. Myths from many different cultures teach us about the human experience. They provide ways for people to work through problems, help with life changes and try to explain what we don’t understand. The relationship of the Fantasy genre to myth is that it performs the same function as myths in our present day. With this understanding, writers add a greater depth to their work and possibly create new myths. “In this way, the body of modern fantasy-and this true of fantasy by men as well-comes to resemble a mythology: that is, a compilation of narratives that expresses a society’s conception of itself, its individual members, and their place in the universe.” (Attebery, 89) This powerful relationship establishes strong, timeless works of incredible resonance. These works can stay relevant to different times and people; put simply, they last for generations. Once this understanding is accomplished, writers need to acquire knowledge about mythology.
Having a working knowledge about mythology is necessary for Fantasy writers. Without it, books and stories become lifeless forms of entertainment, losing their sense of wonder after one reading. A Fantasy writer needs to spend some time learning about mythology. An awareness of mythic themes and symbols creates more vivid works because: “Take myth away, and the magic in a Fantasy book is nothing more than special effects, or Le Guin’s phallic staff of wish-fulfillment. The myth is the magic, moving us through the dark, through the fire, flaying flesh from bone. By following myth to its end, the hero of the tale, and the reader, and the writer, all participate in the final rebirth--putting us back on the road to the east with tobacco seeds in our pocket.” (Windling, 26)
Acquiring knowledge of myths is easy but time consuming. There are many good sources; reading books on mythology, researching the Internet and reading Fantasy works that incorporate myth very well can provide writers with considerable knowledge. (A list of mythology and books can be found at the end of this article.) Along with knowledge of mythology, writers should use their life experience.
People’s hopes, dreams, life changes, education and everything that makes them who they are is a part of life experience. Writers should use their life experience in their works because most Fantasy literature is rooted there:
“What we do need is to remember that Fantasy (even more than other kinds of fiction) is a rites-of-passage literature--whether its themes are based on collective battles or on private, individual ones. The best Fantasy is rooted not only in myth but in life experience--while the worst draws experience secondhand from film, television and other books.” (Windling, 24)
It's hard to avoid the influences from other media. A writer must consciously avoid this trap, but let it blend with their own life experience and imagination to produce powerful works. This is an obligation to readers. Fail this obligation and readers are left with poor, lifeless stories. “As fantasist, we must look to the quests, ordeals, and trials that form (as Susan Cooper says) the shape of our own imagination and all its unconscious preoccupations. Through myth, symbol, and metaphor, the true fantasist transforms the personal into the universal--creating stories that not only entertain but provide the mythic tools we need to face the ordeals, the monsters, the wolves, of our modern age.” (Windling, 24)
This is not too much to ask of the Fantasy writer.
Without the presence of a mythic element in Fantasy, books and stories are sometimes little more than empty, flashy entertainment. Writers can create powerful works by understanding the relationship of myth to Fantasy; having a knowledge of mythology and epic cycles; and putting life experience into their works. Blending realistic characters, mythic themes and fantastic settings using the three things mentioned previously could give Fantasy readers timeless works to last through the ages.
Works Cited:
Attebery, Brian .Strategies of Fantasy., Bloomington and Idianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1992.
Windling, Terri. “Unriddling the World:Rites-of-Passage Myths and Fantasy Tales.” Realms of Fantasy Volume 6 #2 (December 1999): 21-2
Books on Mythology:
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
The Golden Bough by James Frazer
Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Mythology Sites on the Internet:
http://legends.dm.net Covers Fantasy and Arthurian Legend
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~cbsiren/myth.html Link page to many mythology pages.
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