I have been reading fantasy books since I was just a little girl, and I have loved every minute of it! But did you know that fantasy novels have only been around for about 100 years? The first fantasy books were very different from the ones we read today, but they were just as amazing! Read on to learn more about the first fantasy novels and where they came from.
The First Fantasy Stories Were Found In Ancient Mythology
Fantasy books have been around for centuries, but the first true fantasy story was written in ancient mythology. Many of the stories that are passed down from generation to generation were really just old tales with a twist. The ancient Greeks were fascinated by their own history, so they often made up stories about the gods and goddesses that were either in love with each other or had some kind of feud going on between them. One of the most famous Greek myths is called Orpheus and Eurydice.
Fantasy stories continued to evolve over thousands of years. As new civilizations came along, they developed their own versions of these fantasy tales using different deities and different world elements as fuel for their imaginations. As humans migrated throughout Europe and Asia, they began sharing these types of stories with others during long voyages at sea or around small campfires when it was time to sleep at night.
Fantasy authors usually take inspiration from what has come before them, building off what others did in the past to create something new for future generations.
In This Modern Era – It wasn’t until relatively recently that fantasy books became more than just an exciting way for people to escape reality through entertainment. Nowadays, many people look to fantasy fiction as a vehicle for self-actualization.
This means that readers who read fantasy stories can explore their personal interests in a virtual setting without actually having to do anything themselves. For example, if you’re interested in animals and veterinary medicine, you might enjoy reading fantasy novels where magical creatures exist alongside humans.
Fantasy books can provide many benefits such as helping us better understand our place in the world or even bringing awareness to issues we wouldn’t otherwise be aware of. But they also have the potential to do harm. That’s because they tap into our natural curiosity and desire to explore things that seem impossible in real life.
Fantasy literature may not be quite as prevalent today, but there are still plenty of great fantasy books being published all the time. Some recent fantasy releases include JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, R Scott Bakker’s Prince Of Nothing Trilogy, Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicle series and Lev Grossman’s Magicians series.
What Is a Mythological Tale and who were the first influential authors in Modern History?
Mythological tales typically involve non-realistic or supernatural elements. These often include gods, goddesses, spirits, magic, miracles, or other supernatural beings. The tales also provide explanations of natural phenomena.
Fantasy books are a genre of fiction that includes mythological elements. The first fantasy stories were told orally or written down in the middle ages as folklore. The first modern fantasy book is The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien which was published in 1937. It introduced readers to the genre of fantasy books for children and adults. With his follow up, The Lord of the Rings trilogy he became one of the most influential authors of fantasy.
In 1954 another influential author CS Lewis wrote The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe which has become a popular children’s novel. He went on to write six more fantasy novels including The Chronicles of Narnia series (1950). Some well known contemporary authors writing in this genre are Neil Gaiman with American Gods (2001) and George RR Martin with A Song Of Ice And Fire (1996). Fantasy books have now become so popular that they’ve been made into films like Harry Potter (1997), Lord Of the Rings (2001), Eragon (2006), Stardust(2007) and Twilight Saga(2008).
How did fantasy books come about?: Fantasy books came about because of different cultures around the world. As humans developed new ways to tell stories they created myths and legends. These fictional narratives involving things such as sorcery, ghosts, witches and monsters were taken seriously until at least 17th century when people started to question if there was any reality behind them. By the 19th century these oral traditions had turned into folktales that included many mythical creatures.
How the Books Originated in China
Fantasy books as we know them today are actually a relatively new invention. The first fantasy books were found in China, in the form of scrolls that have been dated to around 1100 CE. These scrolls contained stories about dragons, fairies, and other fantastic creatures. The stories told through these scrolls were considered to be a type of fantasy because they were unreal or impossible events; they weren’t based on any real experience. Though these types of tales were popular among Chinese audiences, the idea didn’t make its way over to Europe until many centuries later.
The First Fantasy Book in Europe: One book from this genre that’s known today is Romance of Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in 1335. There is no clear reason for why this book was different than those others before it – but it was enough to start a whole movement for more fantasy literature within Europe. In 1805, the Brothers Grimm published their own collection of fairy tales which featured Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and so many more well-known stories. Nowadays there are thousands of authors who write fantasy books each year and their work can be found all over the world.
The Makers Of Fantasy Novels In England
Fantasy novels are a relatively modern form of literature, having been first created in the 17th century. However, they originated from fairy tales and other medieval stories. The first fantasy novel was published by William Morris, who wrote The Wood Beyond The World. This is an adventure story about a man who sets out to find the island of wonders. It is often considered to be the first fantasy book for adults. The world’s best-selling novel for over 100 years, Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, is another example of a fantasy novel from this era that spawned many more like it.
The popularity of these books led to more writers getting involved with this genre in the following decades. In 1844, Lord Dunsany’s first story book, The King of Elfland’s Daughter, was published. It set the stage for a new era of authors that is arguably more focused on imagination than anything else. These fantasy books are stories where people are living in alternative worlds to ours, but they feel as if they could actually exist because the authors do such a good job at creating their universes.
Fantasy literature became popular all over Europe in the early twentieth century with people like Tolkein and Lewis.
To create these fantastic worlds is difficult, so it usually has a plot involving high adventure where the protagonist goes on some type of quest, meets memorable characters along the way and most importantly battles evil forces as he pursues his goal. These books are usually full of magic, mystery and wonder. Readers become engrossed with the adventures of their hero and never want them to end. These types of fantasy books have been adapted into movies, video games, tv shows etc. for us to enjoy again.
Other Early Influencers of Fantasy Novels
Tolkien and Lewis were hugely influential, but were in no way the first authors to write fantasy books. There are ancient Greek novels like The Voyage of Sindbad, as well as modern classics like Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. Each created fantastic worlds that readers enjoyed exploring. Both Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series and Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia had enormous impacts on subsequent fantasy authors with both also writing children’s fantasies. These stories may not have been the very first fantasy books, but they’re among some of the most popular fantasy books ever written!
What type of fantasy books are there?
There are many different types of fantasy books. The most common type is high fantasy, which features a world that is not close to the real one. These worlds include magic, dragons, elves, dwarves and other fantastical creatures. It also often features a chosen hero on an epic quest.
Another type of fantasy book is urban fantasy. This usually takes place in modern day cities with no magic but plenty of vampires, werewolves and other paranormal creatures roaming the streets of New York or Los Angeles for example. Urban fantasies have become very popular as they offer readers a new way of experiencing a beloved genre without sacrificing familiarity.
Urban fantasy typically has lower stakes than its rural counterpart because it can’t rely on the threat of annihilation from nuclear weapons or natural disasters like floods and earthquakes. Urban fantasies typically don’t feature heroes who must save their kingdom from destruction, because there’s nothing at stake except human lives.
This might seem strange at first glance but actually makes sense when you think about it; why should everyone else be OK with risking their lives just so our protagonist can live in peace?
There are many other types of fantasy too including steampunk, post-apocalyptic (or dystopian) fiction, contemporary horror fiction and fairy tales retold through feminist lenses. All of these subgenres exist alongside the aforementioned two.
Fun Fact:
Fantasy books originated in Victorian England during the 19th century and were called romances back then, hence fantasy romance novels still being a term used today. They became known as fantasies by the end of the 1800s.
Final Thoughts
Fantasy books offer escapism, an opportunity to get lost in another world with infinite possibilities and adventures. Fantasy stories also tend to tackle social issues that are important to the time period they’re published in. For example, Rowling tackles xenophobia, gender inequality, prejudice and corruption during Harry Potter’s adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry against Voldemort.
There is something for everyone here–the fantasy book genre has continued to grow over time as well as evolve into a variety of subgenres including Urban Fantasy (featuring characters who live everyday lives until thrust into fantastical worlds), Epic Fantasy (a broad term used for fantasy novels set in a secondary world) and Science Fiction Fantasy (combine Science Fiction elements with traditional Fantasy). What is most exciting about Fantasy books? They continue to create new worlds filled with wonder, magic and unlimited possibilities.
