Contemporary Fantasy: An Analysis of Rage and Law
Author
Kristensen, Michael Krunderup
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-02-03
Pages
80
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan to nyere fantasyserier—Evan Winters The Burning og Joe Abercrombies The First Law Trilogy—udnytter og udvikler genrens konventioner i en tid med stigende offentlig interesse for fantasy på tværs af medier. Gennem en komparativ analyse baseret på John Frows genreforståelse, Joseph Campbells helterejse og J. R. R. Tolkiens idé om sub-skabelse kortlægges fortællestruktur, verdensopbygning og karakterudvikling, herunder brugen af den sekundære verden, magiske systemer og tematiske greb. Analysen søger at identificere ligheder og forskelle mellem serierne og at placere dem i forhold til Tolkiens vedvarende indflydelse på højfantasy. På baggrund af den indledende analyse fremgår det, at begge værker videreudvikler Tolkiens model mod en mørkere, mere desillusioneret form for fortælling, der ofte arbejder med antihelte og grusom realisme: de underløber og distancerer sig fra den idealisme, der præger Tolkiens beskrivelser og karakterudvikling, samtidig med at de forbliver underholdende og engagerende. Afhandlingen bidrager dermed med et overblik over centrale kendetegn ved nutidig fantasy, sådan som de kommer til udtryk i to populære serier.
This thesis examines how two contemporary fantasy series—Evan Winter’s The Burning and Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law Trilogy—use and develop genre conventions amid growing cross‑media interest in fantasy. Through a comparative analysis guided by John Frow’s genre theory, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, and J. R. R. Tolkien’s concept of sub-creation, it maps narrative structure, world-building, and character development, including deployment of the secondary world, magical systems, and thematic choices. The study identifies similarities and differences between the series and situates them in relation to Tolkien’s enduring influence on high fantasy. The analysis indicates that both works rework Tolkien’s model into a darker, more disillusioned mode of storytelling that often foregrounds antiheroes and brutal realism: they subvert and distance themselves from Tolkien’s idealistic portrayals of characters and arcs while remaining engaging and entertaining. The thesis thus offers a concise account of key features of contemporary fantasy as exemplified by these two popular series.
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