Basic facts of American fantasy

Fantasy and Sci-Fi are two of the most popular kinds of the diverse literatures in western countries. Though both genres are closely related to supernatural phenomena, they are still clearly distinguished from each other.
The full name of Sci-Fi is science fiction, which is also known as SF and speculative fiction. It tells about the story took place in highly developed society and the major character of Sci-Fi could be a robot or a artificial intelligence machine. However, a fantasy usually tells about the heroic exploits of human race or, at least, humanoid creatures like elves and dwarves. Most people have a common acquaintance with fantasy that it uses magic as a primary element or theme. A great deal of the masterpieces within the genre occur in imaginary worlds where magic and man-like creatures are not rare. The masterwork The Lord of the Rings of J.R.R.Tolkien is often quoted as the prime example. Nevertheless, it is a typical British fantasy but not an American one.
It is wildly believed that all the modern works of fantasy are beginning with The Epic of Gilgamesch, which is perhaps the earliest written piece known to us. The 19th century are the boom years of the fantasy stories, but they are mostly centred upon the United Kingdom. The most brilliant and famous writers among all the nineteenth-century fantasy writers are J.R.R.Tolkien and C.S.Lewis. They are both British and also the major influence on the American fantasy writers. The Wheel of the Time, which is the most splendid epic in the English-speaking world ever since The Lord of the Rings has been published and is created by an American , is considered to be the heir the Tolkien's work. And the well-known series A Song of Ice and Fire also have quite distinct mark of a British fantasy. No matter the Seven Kingdoms' system or the concept of White Walkers can be found in the pre-dated British novel.

What makes the American fantasy outstanding, however, is not only the story itself but also being rearranged into electronic games. The best example is the product of Blizzard Entertainment. Through it is also hard for us to tell which comes out first, the book or the game. But what we couldn’t deny is the great triumphs of both the book and the game, including the amazing series of World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo.

Besides, the filmmaking industry of Hollywood backs the booming market in fantasy stories too. More and more stories have been adapted for the screen and which attracts the teens to go back to the original stories and agog for more. Consistently, the writers seek for the fantasy tradition in American literature, make it a lot more new things and shape all the interesting ideas into his own style. And that is exactly how the American fantasy renews itself.