Fantasy and Speculative Fiction

Course Objectives

 

The student will:

·         Explore the conventions of magic as employed in modern fantasy for young people.

·         Explore the roots drawn from a broad spectrum of epic fantasy that serve as the foundation for the interpretation of contemporary fantasy for young people.

·         Identify referents from traditional fantasy evident in more modern, fast-moving, spirited, sometimes humorous, fanciful works.

·         Describe some of the characteristics and conventions in modern animal fantasies that enable readers to willingly suspend their disbelief.

·         Explore how the battle between good and evil and the concept of destiny are woven in multi-layered plots.

·         Consider how the proposition of "what if. . .?" is portrayed in modern speculative fiction.

·         Understand and appreciate how classic authors of speculative fiction create imaginary societies and worlds that help us understand our own world.

·         Identify how protagonists with apparent disabilities cope with their differences in futuristic worlds.

·         Explore the use of scientific principles and inventions of diverse future worlds.

·         Describe how protagonists create their own identities in the conflict with the aspects of their world.

 

 

Organization of the Course

 

Unit One - The roots and tradition of fantasy

 

Unit Two - Fantasy: the ordinary and the magical

 

Unit Three - Fantasy: heroic animals

 

Unit Four - Fantasy:  battles of good and evil

 

Unit Five - The roots and tradition of speculative fiction

 

Unit Six - Speculative Fiction: thinking in new patterns

 

Unit Seven - Speculative Fiction: space constructs

 

Unit Eight - Speculative Fiction: survival of good and evil, the What If?

 

 

Major Assignments

 

(1)  The primary responsibility in this course is persistent participation in the online dialogue with class colleagues.  Your participation in these discussions is expected to reveal knowledge and thoughtful questioning both of the required books and of secondary sources.  25% of grade.

 

(2)  Students are expected to post at least six additions to the Glossary and Definitions website within the course.  You may also add information to already existing definitions and you may include specific books as exemplars.  10% of grade.

 

(3)  Students are expected to complete the mini-module assignments created for various modules within the course. You are expected to upload these mini-assignments using the Document Sharing portion of the courseware.  10% of grade.

 

(4)  There will be several opportunities to explore mini-exercises that will move us in new and interesting directions. Each has been designed to open new doors in this territory.  10% of grade.

 

(5)  There will be several brief quizzes to serve as quick checks on your acquisition of basic course content.  A final examination will consist of an essay selected from a list of possible choices.  10% of grade.

 

(6)  Read or review all books listed for each module and study critical reviews.  Identify in your Journal entries those novels you have read completely, those you have sampled, and those for which you have only read reviews.  Books which must be read in their entirety will be noted within each module.  10% of grade.

 

(7)  As a final project, each student will present a child-centered product to introduce young people to or involve them with the Harry Potter stories.  Examples of such products are:  a map of Harry Potter's world, a crossword puzzle, a board game, a card game, a website.  This project may be submitted as a paper or a website.  Get approval of your project before you begin.  25% of grade.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY ON FANTASY AND SPECULATIVE FICTION

 

Andriano, Joseph. Immortal Monster : The Mythological Evolution of the Fantastic Beast in Modern Fiction and Film. Westport, CT : Greenwood Press, 1999.

 

Barron, Neil, Ed. Fantasy and Horror : A Critical and Historical Guide to Literature, Illustration, Film, TV, Radio, Internet. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1999.

 

Carter, Lin. Imaginary Worlds. New York: Ballantine Books, 1973.

 

Edinger, Monica. Fantasy Literature in the Classroom: Strategies for Reading, Writing and Responding. Illus. by Scott Wright. New York: Scholastic, 1996.

 

Hartwell, David. Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction. New York: Walker & Co., 1984.

 

Herald, Diana Tixier. Fluent in Fantasy : A Guide to Reading Interests. Englewood, CO : Libraries Unlimited, 1999.

 

Higgins, James E. Beyond Words: Mystical Fantasy in Children's LIterature. New York: Teachers College Press, 1970.

 

Irwin, W.R. The Game of the Impossible: A Rhetoric of Fantasy. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1976.

 

James, Edward. Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 1994.

Lynn, Ruth Nadelman. Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliography. 4th ed., New Providence, NJ: R. R. Bowker, 1995.

MacRae, Cathi Dunn. Presenting Young Adult Fantasy Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1998.

Mathews , Richard. Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination. New York: Macmillan, 1997.

Rabkin, Eric S. The Fantastic in Literature. Princeton, NJ: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1976.

Russ, Joanna. To Write Like a Woman: Essays in Feminism and Science Fiction. Bloomington, IN: IndianaUniversity Press, 1995.

Scholes, Robert. Structural Fabulation: An Essay on Fiction of the Future. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1975.

Scholes, Robert and Eric S. Rabkin. Science Fiction: History, Science, Vision. London: Oxford University Press, 1977.

Slusser, George E., Eric S. Rabkin and Robert Scholes, Eds. Bridges To Fantasy. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1982.

Slusser, George E., George R. Guffey and Mark Rose, Eds. Bridges To Science Fiction. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1980.

Swinfen, Ann. In Defense of Fantasy: A Study of the Genre in English and American Literature Since 1945. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984.

Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre. Trans. by Richard Howard. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1975.

Wendland, Albert. Science, Myth, and the Fictional Creation of Alien Worlds. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press, 1985.

Yolen, Jane. Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie, and Folklore in the Literature of Childhood. New York: Philomal, 1981.