Discovering Other Worlds; A Reader Oriented Analysis of Imaginary Worlds in Fantasy Literature

Abstract

Fantasy literature presents us with many different worlds, some appearing to be like the real world, some completely different. By reading fantasy literature a person can enter these other worlds, take a look around, enjoy them, and maybe learn something that can be used for the better. Which leads to the question this essay will try to answer: how does fantasy literature involve the reader in an imaginary world? This essay draws upon a carefully assembled corpus of primary and secondary texts. The theory in this essay is mainly derived from a branch of literary studies called narratology. Narrative Fiction by Schlomith Rimmon-Kenan’s is used as a key text for accessing this theory. This essay pays special attention to the immersion and interaction theories that are set forth in Mary-Laure Ryan’s Narrative as Virtual Reality. This essay also makes extensive use of the theory about the implied reader, which Wolfgang Iser put forth in his well-known work, The Act of Reading. The rest of the theoretical corpus used here, is made up from a variety of theoretical texts about fantasy literature in general. Of these texts, this essay derives most from Brian M. Stableford’s Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature.