The Evolution of Modern Fantasy: From Antiquarianism to the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series [Paperback]

In this comprehensive study, Williamson traces the literary history of the fantasy genre from the eighteenth century to its coalescence following the success of Tolkien's work in the 1960s. While some studies have engaged with related material, there has been no extended study specifically exploring the roots of this now beloved genre.1. Introduction: Charting the Terrain 2. The Eighteenth Century: The Forgotten Past 3. Romantic Transformations 4. From Verse to Prose: The Victorian Period 5. Twentieth Century: The Literary Canon 6. Twentieth Century: Popular Fantasy 7. Conclusion: 1960-1980

Its a masterful study that deservedly won the 2016 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies. & The Evolution of Modern Fantasy may be defined as a history of that territory up to the time that the dotted line was drawn. & Williamson has offered more than enough both of thoughtful consideration of the history of fantasy and of identification of books beyond Carter to read. (David Bratman, Mythlore, Vol. 35 (1), 2016)

Jamie Williamson is Senior Lecturer at the University of Vermont, USA.In this comprehensive study, Williamson traces the literary history of the fantasy genre from the eighteenth century to its coalescence following the success of Tolkien's work in the 1960s. While some studies have engaged with related material, there has been no extended study specifically exploring the roots of this now beloved genre. The emergence of fantasy as a modern literary genre makes for a fascinating story, and Williamson's is the best account of it I've ever read. He's particularly good at showing how Tolkien provided a center around which the genre of modern fantasy coalesced, and how Ballantine's Adult Fantasy Series played a key role in establishing the fantasy canon. - John D. Rateliff, author of The History of The Hobbit

The Evolution of Modern Fantasy provides a long-needed critical backgrol³-