fantasy fiction

Genre of unrealistic fiction. The term has been loosely applied to a range of works and attempts to define it more precisely have not been successful. However, a feature shared by most fantasy fiction is its reliance on strangeness of setting (often an imaginary or dream world) and of characters (supernatural or non-human beings).

The genre was advanced by 19th-century works, such as The King of the Golden River (1851) by John Ruskin, The Rose and the Ring (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray, The Water Babies (1863) by Charles Kingsley, and Alice in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis Carroll, most of which were written for children but also appealed to adults. As a commercial literary genre, fantasy began to thrive after the success of J R R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Terry Pratchett, one of Britain's leading fantasy writers, has produced many best-sellers including Mort (1987), and has achieved cult status.