Fantasy
The Liberation of Imagination
Genres in Context Series

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.

Preface Acknowledgments Chronology 1. From Antiquity to Infinity: The Development of Modern Fantas 2. Forging Fantasy Paradigms: Sword Tempered by Water (William Morris's The Well at the World's End 3. Shaping Modern Fantasy: Cosmic Light and Dark (J. R. R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings 5. Shining Past and Future: The Persistence of Camelot (T. H. White's The Oce and Future King 6. Darkening Antiquity: Sword and Sorcery (Robert E. Howard's Conan Series) 7. Completing the Circle: Language, Power, and Vision (Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle) Notes and References Bibliographic Essay Recommended Titles Index

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 .