Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination

Richard Mathews, a noted scholar of fantastic literature in English, presents a comprehensive introduction to the genre. This inexpensive survey of fantasy is suited for beginning scholars, as it introduces significant terminology, themes, personalities, and secondary literature of the field. Sprightly, written in plain English, this is a good book for those wanting to join the larger discussion of fantasy in an academic setting. The first chapter introduces the themes and charts the development of fantasy. Though Mathews salutes myths of the ancient world, his detailed survey begins with the 19th century, underlining fantasy as a reaction against nascent realistic fiction. He details how it grew into its own genre, and why it remains largely an English language phenomenon, since cultures with more integrated mythologies don't need to reinvent the wheel. Chapters two, three, five, six, and seven examine in detail five authors' works which Mathews believes highlight primary threads in fantasy. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard are obvious candidates in this area. But William Morris is surprising, and T.H. White and Ursula K. Le Guin have not been as visibly studied, so their chapters are more of an education. I wish these chapters were less descriptive and more analytical. Mathews seems to think these authors' plots should be studied in detail. But I'm more engaged in the discussion when he stops recounting plots and applies himself to themes and implications. The plot descriptions are so intricate that you need not actually read the books to follow Mathews' points. By far my favorite chapter was chapter four, when Mathews compares the secular Socialist themes of William Morris with the hierarchical Catholic themes of J.R.R. Tolkien. Since these differences are almost a capsule summary of the tensions we fans have often seen in the genre, spotting where they came from is enlightening. And the source notes were an eye-opener too, because I can now pick up even more books and understand the field in greater detail. This book is plain-spoken, yet so packed with interesting critical and biographical detail, that even casual fans can read it. Though it's probably small beer for more advanced scholars, if you're just wading into the field or want to learn more about how fantasy criticism works, this is a good first book to start you in the right direction.

Richard Matthews' grasp of the imagination knows no bounds. As a reader of all things Matthews, I do have to say that his talents cross all genres and if you have read this study, wait until you read his poetry.