Week 3 & 4.Fantasy

3. How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guinn 
(http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html)?

Science fiction and fantasy might be seen as a same genre, because they have many similarities and, both of them are based on unreliable facts, however, as it is quite clear, they are significantly different. (brendanmc, n.d.)

Science Fiction can be described as a story based on the scientific fact. Therefore, the facts in the science fiction probably could happen in the future. For example, the story about robotic lifeforms called The Transformers can be a science fiction. With shortening analysis this movie, machines can act like a human. So far it’s been only in science fiction that anyone has dared to turn over doing something to machines instead of human, but, nowadays, it is common to see robots or machines in everywhere. Such as cleaning robots in the shops.  

Otherwise, the facts in fantasy are never happen. Fantasy as an one of the juvenile literature genres, is a novel that makes something which is impossible in the real society to be possible. Fantasy is also based on unrealistic imagination with the background in time and space. My favorite fantasy is Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, which are the ultimate fantasy series. Do you believe in magic? Some people might think the magic in Harry Potter exists for real, but it can’t be. It is just a story with writer’s imagination.

 Additionally, I think science fiction and fantasy can give us many things to dream and hope for the future. So, these genres are very useful to extend our imagination and creative thinking ability. For sure, most of people who are enjoying fantasy and science fiction, dream of wonderful world full of magic. Maybe one day ..? !

5. What are some archetypes (e.g. common character types)of fantasy fiction?

There are numerous archetypes in fantasy fiction. 
  In summary, Vogler classified the most common archetypes who appear in stories in seven basic categories in The Writer’s Journey.

 1. Hero is the basic protagonist in the story. Most of stories, they shows hero as a role model. Therefore, this archetype can be seen full of positive things. It doesn’t, however, always have to be a main character on the story.

 2. Mentor, which is well known for a magician, can be described as an assistant for the other characters. It seems helpful to highlight the other indistinctive side of characters.

 3. Threshold Guardian: A typical Threshold Guardian is a literary neutral to the hero and this figure makes some obstacles to hero in the story. So, the challenge of hero and the process of overcome these obstacles is showing through this archetype.

 4. Herald is a bit ambiguous. It can be a positive, negative or neutral figure depending on writers. This archetype may come into play at almost any point in a story, but, it is mostly showing in the beginning to help bring the hero into the adventure.  

 5. Shapeshifter can changeable their identity even gender. According to Vogler, “

 6. Shadow can be a dark side in the story. It also provides the negative forces of fear to the story.

 7. Trickster can be described as a figure with entertainment, It is also neutral to the hero such as a Threshold Guardian.

 According to Tvtropes, we can consider some specific classes of fantasy characters depending on the their abilities and personalities. The classified characters are summarized in the table below. (“Genre Help,” n.d.)

 

Figure 1. Fantasy character archetypes : Common stereotypes

 Generally, there is a veritable hero, which has a strength or ability in the fantasy genre. The majority of fantasy stories also shows supernatural creatures with magical powers. The characters of the science fiction stories are most likely to have their superpowers, to have specific personalities. They are always willing to challenge, and always have found their weakness during their journey and will successfully beat it eventually.Most of them are from the real world and somehow got transferred to the fantasy world, for example, the Narina trilogy. The other types would be similar to Harry Potter, combining the real world and fantasy world.

In A Wizard of Earthsea, there are two aspects of person which is bad and good sides (spirit). Ged, who battles against the darkside of himself, is a main character as a hero archetype. This character tells us that we should fight the “villain” inside our mind, which inspires the readers to beat their internal enemy. In the end, Ged overcomes the darkness spirit by accepting that it is his own. After than that, they became the one.

References

 brendanmc. (n.d.). The difference between fantasy and science fiction. Now Novel. Retrieved Aug 20, 2014 from http://www.nownovel.com/blog/difference-fantasy-science-fiction/

 Genre Help: Fantasy. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2014, from http://thewritershelpersdeactivated.tumblr.com/post/34887482809/genre-help-fantasy

 Ursula K. Le Guin: Plausibility Revisited -- Wha Hoppen and What Didn’t. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2014, from http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html

 Vogler, Christopher (1992). The writer's journey: Mythic structure for storytellers and screenwriters. Studio City, CA.: Michael Wiese Productions