fantasy world essay

English Essay on “My World of Fantasy” English Essay-Paragraph-Speech for Class 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 CBSE Students and competitive Examination.

My World of Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting; or simply, a fancy or imagination or specially, a whimsical or fanciful conception. True, that “Fantasy minors desire, Imagination reshapes it”.

Fairy tales and legends have been an important source for fantasy. Mythic and other elements that would eventually come to describe fantasy have been a part of some of grandest and most celebrated works of literature. The popularity of the fantasy genre can be evidenced from the more recent best selling status of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, and the film adaptations of many epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana. There has to be a reason and swung calmly, lending a rustling, cool, comfortable breeze. On the top of the hill was a small but with a vent from which wisps of smoke drifted out into the black and seamless sky. Beyond the hill was a slope that tapered off into the vast eternity. Yet, I was not afraid, because I knew that no one could ever fall into it. Inside the hut, a fire was crackling and a cozy hearth, covered in a soft, square, red carpet. And on that carpet, there I was, a child of four years age. I had no expression on my face for I was in complete security, without fears, wrapped in the assurance that I was cared for and could never be hurt. A force, not unlike the love of my parents, but stronger, coming from an ultimate life source, permeated my presence, granting me perfect security. I felt all the hazy beauty of nostalgia, but it was a daydream. Fantasy is what you have found!

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Fantasy World Building 101: How to Create a Breathing World for Your Fantasy Novel

Between you and me, fantasy is my favorite genre of literary fiction. As a young human, fantasy served as my gateway into all of literature. I’m sure the same is true for you, too.

Who wasn’t mesmerized by the fantasies of elves and hobbits, wizards and warlocks, vampires and werewolves, superheroes and villains, or fairies and monsters of mythical proportions? We all remember these stories from our youth because fantasy is immersive, gripping, and capable of imparting lifelong moral truths.

Fantasy isn’t bound to adolescence. Fantasy is a genre that speaks to all ages. And, it’s not just fairy tales, either. Magical realism, contemporary, dark, and paranormal romance all have a place in the fantasy genre.

I, for one, am excited that you’re writing a fantasy-- this world needs more otherworldliness. But, here come three big questions:

• How do you create a world for your fantasy story?
• How do you imagine a world that hasn’t already been described before?
• How do you create “realistic” characters to interact with this world?

Let’s discuss how to flesh out a world that makes sense for your story and the characters that play it out.

Here’s a downloadable worksheet to help you start developing your fantasy world. Subscribe to receive this extra resource.

Download your bonus content:

Why is World Building Important for Fantasy Novels?

There’s a huge debate on whether world building is a valid use of your time. Some people are against it . Others are for it .

From my perspective, one of the most important elements of any fantasy is the world in which it takes place. I suggest that you start world building before you start writing in earnest.

Unless you understand the world in which your characters live, you won’t be able to write realistic and consistent characters. A character’s world plays a huge part in forming who they are. All characters are products of their environment.

But I’ll take it one step further: In fantasy, your world becomes just as important as any other character. Your story’s world will interact with and sometimes provoke the protagonist. It’s essential that you get it right.

Keep This in Mind

Even though you’re developing a world from scratch, it doesn’t mean that every element of your world will be revealed to the reader. Initially, world building is for you, the writer. You need a clear understanding of what your world looks and feels like. You need to know what’s possible and what’s not in the world that you created.

It’s not enough to keep that world in your imagination. Our imaginations are flexible and ever adapting. You must write down certain elements of your world to keep them from shifting and evolving as you write. By having a written list of rules and infrastructure for your world, it’s easier to keep consistent.

Also, you don’t have to share every detail about your world with the reader. Even if you take a somewhat minimalist approach to describe the world for the reader, it’s still important that you see your novel’s world as clearly and cohesively as possible. Otherwise, the world will seem fragmented, variable, and illogical to the reader. That vague feeling of incompleteness will frustrate your reader.

So, remember that first and foremost, world building is a tool that allows you to clearly envision the world in which your story takes place. Once you understand that world, including its rules and traditions, you can then describe it more effectively.

Elements to Consider When World Building

Let’s discuss the most important elements to consider when you’re developing the world of your fantasy novel. Here are a few questions to ask to get started (we’ll go into greater depth on the worksheet you can download at the end of the post):

Many fantasies take place in the past because of our collective bias against magical elements in the present or the future. Your story may take place in the past, too. But, maybe not.

If you could compare the era of your story to one on earth, when would it be? In the present? In the past? In the future?

Perhaps your story is tied to an actual historical event, such as The Chronicles of Narnia . If you choose to allude to a historical event, this will partially dictate how you describe the world.

What is the setting of your world? Does it take place in a parallel universe? Is it on another earth-like planet? Does it occur in another dimension?

Who lives in your world? Are they humans, aliens, animals, insects, hybrids, monsters? What is their population?

Where do they live? Do they live in small villages or large cities? Do they live in houses? Tents? Communes?

How does your collective population relate to each other? What is the basis for society? Is there a class system? Who is rich? Who is poor? How do they relate to each other? Can one go from poor to rich and vice versa?

What is the family structure? Are couples married? Are they monogamous? Polygamous? Do they have children? How many children do they typically have?

What are people’s values? What is sacred? What is universally accepted as right and wrong? How do they deal with old age? What are the gender roles?

History is important for your protagonist’s backstory. So take time to develop the history of your world. You can go as far back as the beginning of time, or as recently as a few hundred years. There should be a series of cause and effect that creates the world in which your story shows.

What is the history of your fantasy world? What created the current circumstances of the story? What is the catalyst for change?

Create a timeline of key events to document how historical events led to current circumstances.

Laws and Government

What are the relevant laws in your universe that the characters must obey?

What is the political environment? Who are the controlling parties and why? Is there a struggle for independence? Is there growing dissent?

Very important: how does magic affect these laws?

Every fantasy contains some element of magic. That’s what sets fantasy apart from any other literary genre.

Because magic is so central to your fantasy story, you must consider it when building your world. Magic, just by its very nature, will shape your characters and direct their actions. So, with that in mind:

What type of magic will you include in your story? Are there wizards? Genies? Is it mental magic? Science-based magic, like time-travel? Or supernatural, like superheroes?

Who has it? Is magic only available to a select few? If so, how do they get it?

Is magic banned? Is it revered?

What are the rules of magic in your world? You have to create rules that make sense, based on what you know of the society and its rules. And, just as important as creating the rules of magic are following those rules.

What do people do to pass the time? What do they eat? Drink? Do they exercise?

What type of clothing do they wear? Does clothing reflect their values or their social class?

How are they educated? What do they learn in school and why?

How do your characters feel about the world in which they live? What do people agree with? How do they differ?

The prevailing religion of the society at large will affect your characters’ actions.

Are they monotheistic? Polytheistic? Atheistic? What is their folklore? What do they believe? What do they value?

Physical Attributes

What does the world look like in a physical sense? What are the natural resources?

What type of plants grows there? What type of animals?

What is the atmosphere? How does the world smell?

What does the night’s sky look like? Is there night?

What is the climate?

Best Practices

Here are a few of the best practices to follow when creating your fantasy world:

Don’t Go Overboard

I admit, I just threw a bunch of questions at you, but the rabbit hole goes even deeper. So, don’t get lost. You don’t have to define every single element of the world in order to create a vibrant one.

Make Sense Scientifically

Suspension of disbelief can suspend only so far. It’s important that the elements in your world are at least theoretically possible. Fortunately, there’s a resource you can use to verify the scientific possibility before you add it to your world. Check out Worldbuilding Stack Exchange to get answers to your scientific, geographic, and cultural questions when worldbuilding.

Draw Your Own Map

Yes, quite literally.

Even if you don’t show it to your readers, your map can help you figure out what’s what. Use your map to build a vision for where the characters are going throughout the story. This is helpful in epic adventures where the landscape may change.

Another type of map, a relationship map, can help you see clear relationships between characters. Alternatively, you can develop a map that shows the characters or objects and their magical abilities.

Additional Resources

Before you go, check out these related posts.

• How to Research Your Dystopian Novel
• Use These 5 Tips to Create a Backstory
• How to Build a Dystopian World

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• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Fantasy

I. What is Fantasy?

Fantasy , from the Greek ϕαντασία  meaning ‘making visible,’ is a genre of fiction that concentrates on imaginary elements (the fantastic). This can mean magic, the supernatural, alternate worlds, superheroes, monsters, fairies, magical creatures, mythological heroes—essentially, anything that an author can imagine outside of reality. With fantasy, the magical or supernatural elements serve as the foundation of the plot, setting, characterization, or storyline in general. Nowadays, fantasy is popular across a huge range of media—film, television, comic books, games, art, and literature—but, it’s predominate and most influential place has always been in literature.

II. Examples of Fantasy

Fantasy stories can be about anything, anywhere, anytime with essentially no limitations on what is possible. A seemingly simple plotline can be made into a fantasy with just one quick moment:

Susie sat at her table with all of her favorite dolls and stuffed animals. It was afternoon tea time, and she started serving each of her pretend friends as she did every other day. But today was no ordinary day. As Susie reached the chair where she had sat her favorite stuffed bear, she suddenly had the strange feeling like someone was watching her. She stopped pouring the tea and looked up at Bear, who stared back with his glass eyes and replied, “Well Hello!!”

As can be seen, by changing one ordinary thing into something fantastic or imaginary—like a normal stuffed animal coming to life before the eyes of a child—the story turns into a fantasy.

III. Types of Fantasy

There are dozens of types and subgenres of fantasy; below are several of the most well-known and typically used.

a. Medieval

Fantasy stories that are medievalist in nature; particularly focused on topics such as King Arthur and his knights, royal court, sorcery, magic, and so on. Furthermore, they are usually set in medieval times. They often involve human protagonists facing supernatural antagonists —opponents like fire-breathing dragons, evil witches, or powerful wizards.

b. High/Epic Fantasy

Fantasy stories that are set in an imaginary world and/or are epic in nature; meaning they feature a hero on some type of quest. This subgenre became particularly popular in the 20 th century and continues to dominate much of popular fantasy today. Prime examples include J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.  

c. Fairy Tales

Short stories that involve fantasy elements and characters —like gnomes, fairies, witches, etc— who use magical powers to accomplish good and/ or evil. These tales involve princes and princesses, fairy godmothers and wicked stepmothers, helpful gnomes and tricky goblins, magical unicorns and flying dragons. Fairytales feature magical elements but are based in a real world setting; for example, “Snow White” takes place in a human kingdom and also has a magical witch. The most notable collections include Grimm’s Fairytales (Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel) and works by Hans Christian Anderson (“The Ugly Duckling,” “The Little Mermaid”) and Charles Perrault (“Cinderella,” Tales of Mother Goose). It is also very common for stories in other genres to feature elements of fairy tales , like Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream , where humans are unaware that a fantasy world exists within their own.  

d. Mythological

Fantasies that involve elements of myths and folklore, which are typically ancient in origin and often help to explain the mysteries of the universe and all of its elements—weather, the earth, the existence of creatures and things, etc—as well as historical events. The most well-known are Greek and Roman mythology; for example, stories about the Greek Gods and heroes like Hercules have been retold countless times through fantasy films. Major examples include Homer’s epic tales The Iliad and The Odyssey .

Short stories that are similar to fairy tales, but involve animated animals as the main characters . The most famous collection is Aesop’s Fables , which each end with a short moral; for example, his tale “Mercury and the Woodman” concludes with the lesson, “honesty is the best policy.”

IV. Importance of Fantasy

While fiction in general is a popular way to tell stories, fantasy’s key asset is that it allows authors to do things outside the confines of the common world. By removing the limitations of reality, fantasy opens stories to the possibility of anything . People can become superheroes, animals can speak, dragons become real dangers, and magic can be as normal as anything else in life. Most importantly, fantasy is for the audience—it allows people to escape from reality, becoming lost in exciting and unusual stories that provoke the imagination. Fantasy allows authors and audience alike to fulfill their wonders about magic and the supernatural while exploring beyond what is truly possible in our world. Furthermore, some fantasy stories (particularly fairy tales) confront real world problems and offer solutions through magic or another element of fantasy.

V. Examples of Fantasy in Literature

Fantastic stories of kings and queens, princes and princesses, knights and dragons have been entertaining people for centuries. One of the oldest and most important pieces of English literature is the epic fantasy poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight . In this medieval tale, a green knight challenges King Arthur in a match that involves each opponent taking one stroke of an axe to their neck. Below is a selection from the tale, when one of Arthur’s knights steps up to take the challenge in place of the king, and the Green Knight goes first…

The Green Knight adjusts himself on the ground, bends slightly his head, lays his long lovely locks over his crown, and lays bare his neck for the blow. Gawayne then gripped the axe, and, raising it on high, let it fall quickly upon the knight’s neck and severed the head from the body. The fair head fell from the neck to the earth, and many turned it aside with their feet as it rolled forth. The blood burst from the body, yet the knight never faltered nor fell; but boldly he started forth on stiff shanks and fiercely rushed forward, seized his head, and lifted it up quickly.

Here, we see the extent of the Green Knight’s supernatural abilities—he is decapitated by the axe and picks up his own head, otherwise seemingly unharmed. King Arthur and his knights, however, are humans, without supernatural abilities. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic example of a medieval fantasy featuring human protagonists and supernatural antagonists.

With his creation of The Hobbit and the subsequent The Lord of the Rings , J.R.R. Tolkien changed fantasy literature as the world knew it. The most influential part of his writing is the fact that the stories take place in a fantasy world—a world completely external to our own— now known as high fantasy or epic fantasy. In such a setting, elements of fantasy are a standard part of that world. Below is a map of Tolkien’s Middle Earth:

Before Tolkien, the genre of fantasy was composed of stories that took place in our world, but included fantastic elements. Middle Earth is not part of the human earth, and it is home to races, creatures, languages, histories, and folklore that were completely created by Tolkien. In his world, things we see as fantastic are natural parts of the universe he developed. Tolkien also developed a full geography, history, mythology, ancestry, and fourteen languages of Middle Earth.

A very influential set of short fantasy stories is Aesop’s Fables . Below is the well-known tale of “The Hare and the Tortoise:”

The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals. “I have never yet been beaten,” said he, “when I put forth my full speed. I challenge any one here to race with me.” The Tortoise said quietly, “I accept your challenge.” “That is a good joke,” said the Hare; “I could dance round you all the way.” “Keep your boasting till you’ve won,” answered the Tortoise. “Shall we race?” So a course was fixed and a start was made. The Hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and, to show his contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a nap. The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awoke from his nap, he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post and could not run up in time to save the race. Then the Tortoise said: “Slow but steady progress wins the race.”

The fantastic element of this story is, of course, the talking tortoise and hare, and their abilities to reason like humans. Aesop’s Fables are short, memorable, and enjoyable to both children and adults alike, which is why they remain relevant thousands of years after being written. They are particularly memorable because of the moral or lesson that closes each of the stories; in this case, “slow but steady progress wins the race,” which is a familiar saying even today.

VI. Examples of Fantasy in Pop Culture

Fantasy has a particularly large presence in popular culture, much more so than most other genres. Many now-famous books and films have developed massive fan bases seemingly overnight, from fantasy classics like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia , to modern day favorites like the Harry Potter series, the Twilight saga, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians .

Literally sold by the billions, the most popular series of books ever written to date is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. In fact, the size of the Harry Potter universe within popular culture is immeasurable. The fan following of these fantasy books is both historical and remarkable, as is the resulting relationship between the author and her fans. Rowling even made a special dedication to her fans with Harry’s last journey in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows :

As a result of their popularity, the seven Harry Potter books have been made into eight blockbusters (some of the most successful in cinematic history), which led to an expansive merchandise and videogame business, and then further to the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios—to name a few things. Furthermore, the dedication and enthusiasm of her fan base led Rowling to develop Pottermore , an online interactive world set within the storyline of the Harry Potter series, where fans can become virtual wizards and students at Hogwarts, and is still releasing content years after the publication of the final book. When it comes to fantasy in popular culture, Harry Potter is a powerhouse.

One of the most watched series on television is HBO’s Game of Thrones , based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin. Like J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, Game of Thrones is set in an imaginary world. These stories are unique, however, because the elements of fantasy that are part of the books—dragons, white walkers, giants, etc—are all mentioned, but are thought to have become extinct or ceased to exist years and years before. Thus, the dragons are even more magical and terrible to behold because people believe they are gone from the world.

Another series with a massive fan base is Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight . Twilight took over the market for teen fiction and was soon developed into four majorly successful films. Knowing in advance that there would be a demand, the franchise even worked with a designer to reproduce Bella Swann’s wedding dress, which became available alongside the release of the related movie. Another trend that rose from the films was “Team Edward” vs. “Team Jacob”—the battle between fans about which man Bella should be with. It took over magazines, websites, social media, clothing companies, and more.

Meyer’s books are also particularly notable because of the huge collection of “fan fiction”—stories written by fans that involve characters and/or elements of the original story—that has resulted from their publication. In fact, one fan’s fiction became so well known that it was recently published—the infamous and wildly successful “50 Shades” novels. Furthermore, the Twilight series made vampires stories “trendy”—it led to a significant rise in the popularity and production of vampire literature, film and television.

VII. Related Terms

• Science Fiction

Technically, science fiction could be considered a subgenre of fantasy, as it involves supernatural elements. However, it is always distinguished from fantasy because its focus is scientific and futuristic rather than magical and (often) medieval. The most influential science fiction stories to date are undoubtedly the George Lucas’s Star Wars films; further examples include the TV series Star Trek and novels like H.G. Wells’ The War of the World’s and Douglas Adams’ series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy .

Like science fiction, horror could also technically be considered a subgenre of fantasy, but it is likewise always distinguished from fantasy. Horror’s main focus is to promote fear and terror in its audience, sometimes using supernatural elements like ghosts, zombies, monsters, demons, etc. Examples include classic films like The Exorcist and Poltergeist , the popular TV series The Walking Dead , and Stephen King’s horror novels like Pet Sematary.

VIII. Conclusion

In conclusion, fantasy is one of the most popular and significant genres in both popular culture and literary history. From its dozens of subgenres, to its compatibility with other genres, to its ability to be adapted into any form of media, fantasy’s influence cannot be compared to many other styles .

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Fantasy / Justice In Fantasy World

Justice In Fantasy World

• Category: Literature , Philosophy
• Topic: Fantasy , Fiction , Good and Evil

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