Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Portugal, Jose Alberto
Keywords
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Genre Construction, Herbert, Frank, Tolkien, J.R.R.
Area of Concentration
Literature
Abstract
The initial purpose of this thesis was to provide a definition for the genres fantasy and science fiction, and to understand the ways in which these genres differ. I discovered that it is best to view these genres as “fuzzy sets,” meaning that science fiction and fantasy exist as a spectrum of fundamental elements that are commonly manifested in literary works of either kind. In this thesis, I analyze J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Frank Herbert’s Dune as the most successful literary examples of how the fundamental elements of science fiction and fantasy are best utilized. In my study of both science fiction and fantasy, I have come to the conclusion that the combined use of these genres allow for the most productive use of an author’s creativity, including my own in my composition of my novella, The Demon of the Reaps. In this novel, I combine elements of both science fiction and fantasy to illustrate how the unrestricted usage of both these genres allow for a more successful literary product than would exist if an author were concerned about following strict guidelines of either genre.
Recommended Citation
Russell, Tania, "The Construct of the Fantastic: Identifying Science Fiction and Fantasy and a Creative Approach to Genre Construction" (2015). Theses & ETDs. 5105.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5105