I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Leo, and now I have to list some things about a chosen topic. My topic? Fantasy literature.

1. You've got to post a link from the person who tagged you.
2. List 8 things that you know about on your chosen subject. You get to choose the subject.
3. You don't have to tag anyone but you can if you want. If you do, let them know on their blog that they've been tagged.
4. List the rules.

LL Cool Joe adds: "So the idea is to write 8 things about a subject, eg. your job, marriage, sexuality, a hobby, diet, sport etc. that sheds light on the subject from your own personal perspective. So for example if you teach, you list some of the "inside" knowledge that you've gained, making your work more interesting or successful."

1. I consider fantasy one of the more difficult genres for a writer. The author has the job of creating a world, and convincing the reader to be able to believe it. Russell Kirkpatrick does this job well, by using familiar words and names for things, setting up a one-god world and using a fairly classic west vs. east setting. Other authors, who use the modern world, and incorporate fantastic elements, such as Jim Butcher, have an easy time doing this, but some, like Kirkpatrick, do the opposite, use a few familiar words and ideas in an otherwise invented world. If an author can't get the world right, the story won't take off at all.

2. Fantasy, especially high fantasy such as Tolkien, is more male-centered, and ought to offend my feminist sensibilities, but it doesn't.

3. Fantasy authors often have an academic background in something other than creative writing. Tolkien had language, Le Guin had anthropology. Because of this, I've often thought about using my historical knowledge to write stories instead of teach classes.

4. I consider history and fantasy to be very related, because of the breadth of topics one can select from when confronting either topic, and because there's a creative and an analytical component to both.

5. Fantasy also has roots as old as humanity. We're naturally attracted to stories of good versus evil, stories that explain things, and stories that make us feel special. This is why religion is popular! *wink wink*

6. I think fantasy can probe questions about religion and morality in a deeper way than fiction, mostly because of the invented universe.  The injustices, problems, and nonsensical whims of an invented universe can emphasize the absurdities of the real universe. Just take the Golden Compass, for instance. 

7.... I can't think of another one...

8. And for these reasons, I think fantasy is one of the most seriously under appreciated genres of literature. Sure, it has a large fan following, but it's typically regarded as fluff by most people. It's like the Best Animated Film award at the Oscars.

I tag:

Billie

Holden

Kyle

FIMG

greg

and

Rhett