Editing Fantasy world (section)

==Common elements==
[[File:Theodor Kittelsen - Nøkken som hvit hest.jpg|thumb|250px|"The [[Neck (water spirit)|Nix]] as a brook horse" by [[Theodor Kittelsen]]: folklore transformed into a fantasy world]]
The most common fantasy world is one based on medieval Europe, and has been since [[William Morris]] used it in his early fantasy works, such as ''[[The Well at the World's End]]'',<ref>Diana Waggoner, ''The Hills of Faraway: A Guide to Fantasy'', p 37, {{ISBN|0-689-10846-X}}</ref> and particularly since the 1954 publication of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Such a world is often called "pseudo-medieval"—particularly when the writer has snatched up random elements from the era, which covered a thousand years and a continent, and thrown them together without consideration for their compatibility, or even introduced ideas not so much based on the medieval era as on [[Medievalism|romanticized views]] of it. When these worlds are copied not so much from history as from other fantasy works, there is a heavy tendency to uniformity and lack of realism.<ref>John Grant, "[http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/gulliver.htm Gulliver Unravels: Generic Fantasy and the Loss of Subversion]"</ref> The full width and breadth of the medieval era is seldom drawn upon. Governments, for instance, tend to be uncompromisingly feudal-based, or evil empires or [[oligarchies]], usually corrupt, while there was far more variety of rule in the actual Middle Ages.<ref>Alec Austin, [http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/20020624/epic_fantasy.shtml "Quality in Epic Fantasy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808040720/http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/20020624/epic_fantasy.shtml |date=2014-08-08 }}</ref> Fantasy worlds also tend to be economically medieval, and disproportionately [[pastoral]].<ref>[[Jane Yolen]], "Introduction" p viii ''After the King: Stories in Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien'', ed, Martin H. Greenberg, {{ISBN|0-312-85175-8}}</ref>

Careful world-building plus meticulous attention to detail is often cited as the reason why certain fantasy works are deeply convincing and contain a magical sense of place.<ref>Philip Martin, ''The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest'', p. 113, {{ISBN|0-87116-195-8}}</ref> Heavy and faithful use of real-world setting for inspiration, as in [[Barry Hughart]]'s ''[[Bridge of Birds]]'', clearly derived from China, or [[Lloyd Alexander]]'s use of real-world cultures such as Welsh for ''[[The Chronicles of Prydain]]'' or Indian for ''[[The Iron Ring]]'', make the line between fantasy worlds and [[Alternate history (fiction)|alternate histories]] fuzzy. The use of cultural elements, and still more history and geography, from actual settings, pushes a work toward alternative history.

Conversely, the creation by an author of an imaginary country—such as [[Ruritania]] or [[Graustark]]—does not automatically transform that imaginary country into a fantasy world, even if the location would be impossible in reality owing to a lack of land to contain it; but such [[Ruritanian romance]]s may be pushed toward the category of fantasy worlds by the introduction of figures such as witches and wise women, where it is not clear if their magic is effectual.<ref>[[L. Sprague de Camp]], ''[[Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers]]: The Makers of Heroic Fantasy'', p. 6 {{ISBN|0-87054-076-9}}</ref>

According to Lin Carter in ''[[Imaginary Worlds: The Art of Fantasy]]'', fantasy worlds, by their nature, contain some element of [[Magic (supernatural)|magic]]. This element may be the creatures in it ([[dragon]]s, [[unicorn]]s, [[genie]]s and so on) or the magical abilities of the people inhabiting the world. These are often drawn from [[mythology]] and [[folklore]], frequently that of the historical country also used for inspiration.<ref>{{cite book|last=Carter|first=Lin|author-link=Lin Carter|date=1973|title=[[Imaginary Worlds: The Art of Fantasy]]|location=|publisher=[[Ballantine Books|Ballantine]]}}</ref>