What is DARK FANTASY? Psyche and Symbol
In between the strange liminal space between short Sword and Sorcery stories, such as those of Robert E. Howard or Michael Moorcock, and the long, sprawling tales of Epic Fantasy is a curious, mysterious middle-space, where Dark Fantasy is born...
Well, I had another fascinating discussion with author and EIC of the indie fantasy publishing house known as The Arcanist, James D. Mills, to dive in to the deep particulars of this curious question. Genres, of course, are pretty artificial and are often based solely on marketing trends and invented by publishers.
This is very important to remember as a writer, and also as a reader and analyzer of art and fiction in particular. One could argue, as I and many others before me have done, for example, that ALL fiction is "fantasy" in the sense that one is telling a story that did not actually happen. But of course there are nuances here, in terms of things like, ok, maybe it didn't happen, but COULD it happen? If the answer to that is, "well, maybe with more advanced technology", then congratulations, you're looking at science fiction. But if the answer is "it's probably not even remotely possible", then you're looking at what we now call "fantasy".
But notice how those questions are based on what we currently know about the world! And since that changes, well, then the definitions of the genres change, too. But here we are.
Fantasy Subgenres
All that said, the labels "Sword and Sorcery" and "Epic Fantasy" carry connotations to modern readers. One is short, brutal, and tends to be about a few outsiders trying to make their way through a strange world of dangerous magic, sorcerers, and corrupt kings. While the other is long, spanning many characters across large swathes of territories and times, with world-shattering conclusions.
In the following podcast, James and I discuss the odd middle ground between these two (apparent) opposites within fantasy: DARK FANTASY. We dive deep into the psychology of this genre, why it continues to land, why it can (when done well) have the best of both above worlds. Containing the sharp narrative focus, personal psychological stakes, of Sword and Sorcery, but having more room to explore rich thematic material with it's longer, larger tapestry. Dark Fantasy, however, usually does not fall victim to some of the pitfalls found in Epic Fantasy--sagging middle "slogs", bloated character counts, and meandering, seemingly endless side-quests.
The Horror elements of Dark Fantasy, meanwhile, keep the stakes typically away from world-ending events, and focus down more on more personal, the deeply disturbing internal conflicts, challenges, and introspection while allowing for a larger canvas than either Horror or Sword and Sorcery typically utilize.
But see what YOU think! Check out the full podcast right here:
Comment here, or on the video, and let us know what you think.
Never stop dreaming,
EG
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