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Dark Fantasy
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| • Definition • Themes and Motifs • Key Works and Figures • Sources • | |
| Definition | |
| Dark fantasy is fantasy with elements of horror. Generally dark fantasy differs from horror because the frightening elements of dark fantasy are imaginary rather than real. Thus a story about a vampire stalking victims would be dark fantasy, but a story about a serial killer stalking victims would be horror. | |
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| Themes and Motifs | |
According to Garyn Roberts, dark fantasy "emphasizes the themes of horror, fear, and impending death." The quest or goal in a dark fantasy is often to avoid that impending death (31). The most popular and common dark fantasy deals with vampires or ghosts, especially vengeful ghosts. Dark fantasy often overlaps with horror fiction and supernatural fiction. |
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| Key Works and Figures | |
The seminal dark fantasy is Dracula by Bram Stoker. Others have taken the vampire legend and adapted it for their own purposes. Some well-known writers of dark fantasy include:
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For titles, see |
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| Sources | |
| Roberts, Garyn G. "Dark Fantasy" in Roberts: 31-32. | |
| Roberts, Garyn G. , ed. The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001. | |
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| • Science Fiction Subgenres • Science Fiction Topics • Fantasy Subgenres • Fantasy Topics • | |
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