Genres and Tropes, Continued: Fantasy

Previously: Romance, Horror, Paranormal, Science Fiction

A “trope,” not to be confused with nor transformed into a cliché, is an element a reader expects as a characteristic of a genre (such as magical creatures or talismans in a fantasy story).  A cliché, on the other hand, occurs when you take a trope too far (rich-boy-loves-poor-girl romance, for example). The material difference between the two is what fresh, new characters, settings, or magical canon you bring to a familiar element.
Disclaimer: For reference and guidance only.  And the “possible conflicts” are just suggestions as well.

I got a little ranty on fantasy a couple of weeks ago. This post is a bit more objective. Mostly.

Genre: Fantasy
Possible tropes:
--Magical creatures, magical beings, magical objects.
--Quests.  To find someone/thing, save someone/thing, or to fight someone/thing.
--Young, untried heroes who have to prove themselves by a series of tests, usually both physical and mental.  This trope has nearly become cliché, so it's refreshing when writers like Carol Berg present us with thirtysomething protagonists who don't have magical powers.
--Alternate realities.  These often create the “fish out of water” trope; for example, girl from New York City in the year 2009 has to learn to ride a horse or build a fire in the alternate reality in which she finds herself.
--Most technology rooted in Medieval-style society:  horseback riding, cooking over fires, stone castles, making the magic more plausible and necessary.
--The “Chosen One” trope:  Somebody born to save the world—Harry Potter, for example—sometimes in fulfillment of prophesy, sometimes not.  The “chosen one” will sometimes be an enigma-- the one who could either save the world or destroy it.  Contrast this with the person who happened to stumble over the magical talisman or the magical portal into the alternate reality. The person who found the talisman or who fell down the rabbit hole probably has a different set of conflicts than the “Chosen One” will.

As with sci-fi or dystopic stories, abuse of power is a common theme.
Setting your fantasy in a Medieval-style society offers opportunities to explore gender roles and social mores.  Medieval society wasn’t particularly kind to women, so fantasy authors often create a female character who is much more “modern” in her sensibilities, who sees injustice and fights it, or who has special powers or talents and doesn’t fit into her society. Or she comes from modern times and is appalled at the society’s treatment of women. Sometimes she’s able to change society’s perceptions, sometimes it will only be the perceptions of the people in her circle.
Contemporary or urban fantasy sometimes confused or blended with aspects of paranormal fiction. Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series is often classed as urban fantasy but may be better classified as paranormal mystery or thriller (if you can get past Hamilton’s amateurish prose to even read them). Charles de Lint, author of The Blue Girl and the Newford series, is one of the pioneers of the sub-genre. Magical creatures and talismans exist in a modern setting enabling the writer to juxtapose the mundane and the fantastical. In a contemporary fantasy the characters still face the “abuse of power” theme and many of the same conflicts; women may still have to fight sexism but more likely in a person versus person than in a person versus society situation.
Most common conflicts: any of the four

NOTE:  Fantasy and science fiction need realism--metals, gravity-- to anchor them.  Also, make sure you’ve set up a canon (how the magic/science works) and don’t deviate from it! Anybody who thinks fantasy is “easy” has no idea what kind of work goes into creating a believable and cohesive fantasy world.