Must-read Sci-fi & Fantasy books

GrayMouser · 12-25-2011, 05:34 AM

I disagree with the inclusion of Dante/Milton/the Odyssey/Orlando Furioso etc. in lists of this type, not, obviously, on literary grounds, but on the question of genre.

I think "Fantasy" as a genre -not to mention "Science Fiction"- should be restricted to modern (19th-century on) works where both author and reader acknowledge they're entering into imaginary worlds.

"Frankenstein" (1818) would be my nominee for the first 'true' SF, George MacDonald's "Phantastes" (1858) for the first work in "Fantasy".

As well I would distinguish children's books like Pooh, "The Wind in the Willows" "Alice", and even my own personal favorite Moomintroll, from Fantasy.

12-25-2011, 05:34 AM	#12
GrayMouser Elf Lord Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ilha Formosa Posts: 2,068	I disagree with the inclusion of Dante/Milton/the Odyssey/Orlando Furioso etc. in lists of this type, not, obviously, on literary grounds, but on the question of genre. I think "Fantasy" as a genre -not to mention "Science Fiction"- should be restricted to modern (19th-century on) works where both author and reader acknowledge they're entering into imaginary worlds. "Frankenstein" (1818) would be my nominee for the first 'true' SF, George MacDonald's "Phantastes" (1858) for the first work in "Fantasy". As well I would distinguish children's books like Pooh, "The Wind in the Willows" "Alice", and even my own personal favorite Moomintroll, from Fantasy. __________________ Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them? "I like pigs. Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, but pigs treat us as equals."- Winston Churchill Last edited by GrayMouser : 12-25-2011 at 05:38 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Tolkien compared to other writers	bmilder	Fantasy and Sci-Fi Novels	64	06-14-2006 08:03 PM
Things We Love To Hate About The LotR Trilogy	Telcontar_Dunedain	Lord of the Rings Movies	87	09-05-2005 10:08 PM
Earthsea: miniseries vs. the books	Finnrodde	Fantasy and Sci-Fi Novels	9	12-26-2004 06:45 PM
Audio books	sun-star	General Literature	14	08-18-2004 11:01 AM
Falling Into Fantasy	Starr Polish	General Messages	24	03-28-2003 05:48 AM