Curious If True: The Fantastic in Literature

The fantastic has occupied the literary imagination of readers and scholars across historical, theoretical and cultural contexts. Representations of the fantastic in literature rely on formal and generic types, tropes, and archetypes to mediate between depictions of fantasy and reality. Present in myth and folklore, the gothic and neo-gothic, and contemporary and mainstream fantasy, the fantastic reach stretches into many conceptions of literature over time. Curious, if True: The Fantastic in Literature presents recent articles by graduate students on the fantastic to make connections across category, genre, and historical period. These essays explore the complexity and the breath of fantasy and science fiction through groupings of text, close reading, and theoretical orientation. Fantasy is used as an organizing topic, a genre that has always allowed for a broad interpretation of its meaning. From magic realism, to high fantasy, and the interpretations of realistic novels under a fantastic lens, this collection furthers the reach of fantasy in the study of English Literature. Northrup Frye writes, the world of literature is a world where there is no reality except that of the human imagination (470). This volume expands our vision of imagination as readers and scholars of English Literature. The authors value tradition in their reading and their writing but are not afraid to reach across genre borders to show their understanding of the fantastical in literature. The ideas presented span years and literary periods, texts and genres, and show the undeniably value of interdisciplinary study to expand perspectives in the field of English.