Editing High fantasy (section)

==Characteristics==
The term "high fantasy" was coined by [[Lloyd Alexander]] in a 1971 essay, "High Fantasy and Heroic Romance", which was originally given at the New England Round Table of Children's Librarians in October 1969.<ref name="stableford" /> "High fantasy" often serves as a broad term to include a number of different flavors of the fantasy genre, mythic fantasy, [[dark fantasy]], and [[wuxia]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dungeon Master's Guide|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|date=December 2014|isbn=978-0-7869-6562-5|editor-last=Crawford|editor-first=Jeremy|location=Washington, United States|pages=38–41|language=English|editor-last2=Perkins|editor-first2=Christopher|editor-last3=Wyatt|editor-first3=James}}</ref> It typically is not considered to include the [[sword and sorcery]] genre.<ref name=":0" /> High fantasy is typically set in a quasi-[[medieval]] world, is frequently inspired by various mythological or legendary traditions, and often but not always features supernatural [[Magic (supernatural)|sorcery]] and imaginary beings such as [[dragon]]s. 

Many high fantasy stories are told from the viewpoint of one main hero. Often, much of the plot revolves around their heritage or mysterious nature, along with a world-threatening problem. In many novels the hero is an orphan or unusual sibling, and frequently portrayed with an extraordinary talent for magic or combat. They begin the story young, if not as an actual child, or are portrayed as being very weak and/or useless.<ref>{{cite book|author=Michael Moorcock|title=Wizardry & Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy|year=2004|page=84|publisher=MonkeyBrain|isbn=1-932265-07-4}}</ref> 

The hero often begins as a naïve or childlike figure but is forced by circumstances to mature rapidly, experiencing a considerable gain in fighting or problem-solving abilities along the way.<ref>{{Cite web|last=MasterClass|date=26 May 2022|title=High Fantasy Books: 6 Characteristics of High Fantasy|url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/high-fantasy|website=MasterClass}}</ref> The progress of the story leads to the character's learning the nature of the unknown forces against them, that they constitute a force with great power and malevolence. The [[villain]]s in such stories are usually completely evil and unrelatable.<ref>[[Patricia A. McKillip]], "Writing High Fantasy", p 53, Philip Martin, ed., ''The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest'', {{ISBN|0-87116-195-8}}</ref> 

The romances of [[William Morris]], such as ''[[The Well at the World's End]]'', set in an imaginary [[medieval]] world, are sometimes regarded as the first examples of high fantasy.<ref name="dg">{{cite book|last=Dozois|first=Gardner|author-link=Gardner Dozois|title=[[Modern Classics of Fantasy]]|chapter=Preface|location=New York|publisher=St. Martin's Press|year=1997|pages=[https://archive.org/details/modernclassicsof00dozo/page/ xvi–xvii]|isbn=031215173X}}</ref><!-- https://books.google.com/books?id=3r6FBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT15 --> Other early examples of the genre are some works of American novelist [[James Branch Cabell]] which were set in a fictional world inspired by medieval France and published starting in 1919, known collectively as ''[[Biography of the Life of Manuel]]''. [[E.R. Eddison]]'s novels [[The Worm Ouroboros]] (1922) and the [[Zimiamvian Trilogy]] (1935–1958) are also important in epic fantasy.

[[Tolkien's legendarium|The works]] of English [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], especially ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (1954-55), are regarded as [[History of fantasy|archetypal works of high fantasy]].<ref name="dg" /> 


[[File:The Well at the World's End MET DP322256.jpg|left|thumb|''The Well at the World's End'' (1896) by William Morris is an early example of high fantasy fiction.]]