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Fantasy Literature, 2002.
A comparison of the fantasy novels "Wheel of Time" and "Lord of The Rings".
1,240 words (approx. 5.0 pages), 0 sources, $ 42.95
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Abstract
This paper compares Robert Jordan's "The Wheel Of Time" to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings". It explorers the these great examples of fantasy literature through their similar characters, themes and names. The paper describes that the books are both magical with similar dark lords, heroes, keepers of the lands, monsters, and parents to the heroes.
From the Paper
"Like all other fantasy books, some resemble others greatly. Robert Jordan's "The Wheel Of Time" closely resembles J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings". The resemblances are mostly resembled in the first few books. Some resemblances occur in many other fantasy series too.
The first and most obvious parallels are the heroes, Frodo in "The Lord Of The Rings" and Rand in "The Wheel Of Time". The heroes in both books are unwilling characters approached by guides and are sent off on dangerous missions where they must fight fear, and face overwhelming chances of failure. They are from far-away places that most kingdoms have never heard of. In "The Lord Of The Rings" they must go and destroy the ring, in "The Wheel Of Time" they must fight Shai'tan. They are targeted by a dark leader. The dark leader in "The Lord Of The Rings" is Sauron, and in "The Wheel Of Time" it is Shai'tan. They have moments of truth where they must have the courage to go beyond their boundaries like going into Shayol Ghul in "The Wheel Of Time" and into Mordor. It is all up to them to save the world."
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Fantasy in Arthur Miller's Plays, 2006.
A look at the theme of fantasy in the plays "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams and "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller.
2,462 words (approx. 9.8 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 75.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how the plays "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams and "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller share a similar theme in that they both explore themes related to living in reality versus living in a fantasy or a dream life. Both plays feature a main character that is living in a fantasy. In "Death of a Salesman, the main character is Willy Loman, an unsuccessful salesperson who lives in a fantasy world where he believes he is successful. In "The Glass Menagerie" the main character is Laura Wingfield, a young girl who escapes into a fantasy world to avoid the problems of her life. The issues of reality versus fantasy are explored by comparing and contrasting the two main characters of the two plays.
From the Paper
"The first consideration related to the two plays is why people escape into a fantasy world. For both Willy Loman and Laura Wingfield, it is a means of escaping from the real world. For Willy Loman, it is a way of escaping from his own failures, namely his failures in being able to provide for his family. This is especially related to his perception of what a man should achieve. These views are based on the American dream, which he has come to accept as truth. Loman's dream is simply to be a good husband and provide for his family. It must be noted that Loman's dream is not based on a need to achieve great success, power, or a lot of money. He simply wants to be a good provider for his family."
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Freud on Art and Literature, 2001.
The paper looks at Freud's conceptions about art and literature and the creative forces of motivation on an author.
2,953 words (approx. 11.8 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 87.95
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Abstract
This paper is about Sigmund Freud's concept of 'unconscious' and its relevance in the arts. The author discusses how Freud is commonly recognized as having invented the concept of the 'unconscious'. The author explaines that the subordination of the 'pleasure principle' by the 'reality principle' is done through a mental process that Freud refers to as sublimation. According to Sigmund Freud, dreams and fantasies (or phantasies) are the symbolic expression and fulfillment of wishes and desires that as a result of sublimation by the 'reality principle' cannot be fulfilled through daily life and are consequently repressed into the 'unconscious.' To Freud, "the motive forces of fantasies are unsatisfied wishes, and every single fantasy is the fulfillment of a wish, a correction of unsatisfying reality" (Freud 485). Freud affirms that dreams are disguised, hallucinatory fulfillment's of repressed wishes. He concludes that if expressed in undisguised form, they would be so disturbing that it would wake the dreamer from sleep. Freud's fundamental assumption is that the sublimation of the artist's unsatisfied libido is responsible for producing all forms of art and literature whether it be painting, sculpting, or writing. David H. Richter notes in his introduction to "Sigmund Freud" that Freud was once criticized by Carl Gustav Jung, a fellow psychoanalytic theorist, for insinuating that artists were diseased individuals creating art out of their own personal neurotic needs. The writer feels that Freud insinuates that art is primarily an escapist method, that "in an ideal world in which everyone had matured sufficiently to replace the pleasure principle by the reality principle, there would be no need for art" (Storr 103).
From the Paper
"The historical tradition of scholarly theory has been one in which literary texts are subjected to scrutiny regarding whether they are either implicitly or explicitly ideological in nature. Arguably so, nothing reflects a society's fears, hopes, and desires about gender, class, and power more than what the society maintains about art and artists. A literary text is credible of fully reflecting the culture in which it was written, that is to say, it has the potential to embody certain sociological assumptions presented in the dichotomy between 'normal' and 'abnormal.' Sigmund Freud, the patriarch of psychoanalysis, is associated with Charles Darwin and Karl Marx as being "one of the three original thinkers who have most altered man's view of himself in the twentieth century" (Storr 145). Yet, even literary theorists, including Freud, realized that "any comprehensive vision of human nature such as he provides must have implications for the nature of happiness, and for the relation of man's natural capacities to his normal or ideal state" (Sousa 196). That is, numerous later theorists and critics believe that Freud's own theories about the function and nature of the mind uncovered some fundamental truths about how an individual's notions of 'self' are formed and how culture and civilization operate and are affected by these notions. Coinciding with Freud's own account, the significance of everyday action is determined by motives that are far more numerous and complex than people are aware of or commonsense understanding takes into account. The most basic and constant of motives that influence our actions are those of the unconscious, moreover, those that are difficult to acknowledge or avow. Freud's conception of the unconscious and his rediscovery of the importance of dreams encouraged painters, sculptors and writers to pay serious attention to their inner world of dreams; to find significance in thoughts and images they previously would have dismissed as absurd or illogical. Therefore it is plausible that notions of art and literature as described by Sigmund Freud, are created through the ramifications of the unconscious or the sublimation of an unsatisfied carnal appetite."
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Eros in Fantasy, 2005.
Reflections on Eros in literary fantasy.
3,982 words (approx. 15.9 pages), 19 sources, MLA, $ 108.95
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Abstract
This paper presents a study of Eros in literary fantasy based on seven short stories (Ambrose Bierce's "The Death of Halpin Frayser", Charles Dickens's "The Signalman", Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Vei"l, Patricia Highsmith's "The Snail-Watcher", H. P. Lovecraft's "The Festival", Richard Matheson's "Born of Man and Woman", Edgar. Allan Poe's "The Black Cat") and two short excerpts from Gothic novels (M. G. Lewis's "The Monk" and Ann Radcliffe's "The Mysteries of Udolpho"), but occasional references are made to other works by these authors and also to Henry James, the Bronte sisters and Le Fanu. The paper begins with a brief presentation of the Greek myth of Eros. The second part of the study considers the problem of knowledge in relation to the erotic dimension of literary fantasies. In the third part of the study, the paper turns to the different manifestations of Eros in fantasy and the process of attraction-repulsion, before examining, in the fourth and final part, two erotic motifs which, latently or overtly, introduce an erotic dimension.
From the Paper
"Indeed, when looking into the texts that form the corpus of our study, one recurring particularity is noticeable in all of them - all narrators are very much concerned with seeing and knowing. The reader is confronted with the narrator's or protagonist's persistent questioning and that questioning also becomes the reader's. We could call it the "wh-" of fantasy - Halpin Frayser does not know "whence and whither" he travels; Dickens's narrator wants to know "what" the signalman's trouble is and asks "Who is it?"; the snail-watcher has to know "what" his snails are up to and "how" they breed; Antonia earnestly demands "How came I here?... Where am I?", while Ambrosio needs to know "why" she refuses him and their mutual questioning goes on in two consecutive paragraphs; Radcliffe's Emily asks her attendant a thousand questions. The reader is a witness of countless who-what-when-where-how-s and for the most part, they remain unanswered. It is as if the signalman answered on our behalf - "I don't know." The texts become desperate attempts to pass on the same biblically borrowed message that stands out in Le Fanu's In a Glass Darkly, the message that "we know in part, and we prophesy in part". These intense efforts to see, to find out, to know are easily explained by the fact that we are dealing with fantasy which, partly by definition, is the literature of the unknown. But the work of many authors of fantasy also carries a heavy cultural heritage that feeds on centuries of known written history, on repeatedly told legends and on established myths."
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Fantasy in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", 2002.
Examines the way Shakespeare uses the concepts of mystics and fantasy in his play "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
806 words (approx. 3.2 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 28.95
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Abstract
This paper briefly discusses how the fantasy in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" involves magic and a belief in fairies and sprites. It explains that the first of several conflicts of opposites in the play is between reality and fantasy, between the reality of life in the city and fantastic nature of life in the woods.
From the Paper
"In A Midsummer Night's Dream, one reason for the fantasy element is to create a dramatic stage on which to test human constancy and human worth. Lysander states that "the course of true love never did run smooth" (I.i.134), and this represents a theme that runs through many of Shakespeare's plays and indeed through much of world literature. The statement itself embodies several ideas. First, it assumes that there is such a thing as true love and that it is a conception based on the idea that two people are literally meant for each other. Second, it states that these two people, though meant for each other, may have to endure a good deal before they can actually achieve the love that is their destiny. In terms of A Midsummer Night's Dream, this statement helps characterize Lysander in a way that makes it evident the objections raised to the young man by Egeus are wrong and that Lysander is not one to feign love at all as Egeus believes he is doing. Lysander does indeed love Hermia as she loves him."
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Reality and Fantasy in Works by Lewis Carrol, 2006.
A commentary on the treatment of the themes of reality and fantasy in the first set of novels by Lewis Carroll.
12,800 words (approx. 51.2 pages), 0 sources, $ 244.95
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Abstract
This paper argues that the treatment of reality and fantasy in works by Lewis Carroll is unique in the annals of literature, for never has it been accomplished with such an effectiveness, subtlety, delicacy and poignancy. The paper first outlines the realms of reality and fantasy, before positing a commentary on the treatment, the juxtaposition and the eventual merging of these existential states in the earlier set of works by Lewis Carroll. The works considered are: "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass".
From the Paper
"Looking at these works, an extremely interesting fact emerges. The author has made use of a skillful set of frames in the narration of works that aspire almost to the status of epics. Literary frames are devices that enable an author to activate various levels of demarcation in a work, enabling the author himself to remain relatively discrete of his own work. The first frame used in 'Alice in Wonderland' is the concept of a dream into which Alice tumbles, thus entering the world of Wonderland. The figure of the White Rabbit, the harbinger of chaos, a denizen from the other world setting foot into this one is the first element of fantasy that one finds in the book."
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Fantasy and Reality in Lewis Carroll's Novels, 2006.
An examination of the themes of reality and fantasy in Lewis Carroll's first set of fiction: "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass".
12,547 words (approx. 50.2 pages), 0 sources, $ 240.95
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Abstract
This paper begins by presenting an outline and definition of the realms of reality and fantasy. It then posits a commentary on the treatment, the juxtaposition and the eventual merging of reality and fantasy in the earlier set of works by Lewis Carroll. The works considered are "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass".
From the Paper
"The treatment of reality and fantasy in works by Lewis Carroll is, shall I say, unique in the annals of literature, for never has it been accomplished with such an effectiveness, subtlety, delicacy and poignancy. The principal idea in this first set of works is one of a visible, palpable and tangible 'transition point', from which the protagonist enters a realm of fantasy from a realm of reality. That 'point de depart', so to speak, is symbolized by the rabbit hole in the first work, and a looking glass in the second, both of which have a special significance as motifs of transition between the planes of reality and fantasy. Once Alice crosses these points, she passes into a realm where logic and reality as she knows it no longer applies. The idea of a definite transition point, through which one may pass in order to get to another realm is a form of subconscious demarcation used by Carroll between reality and fantasy. A portal through which one may pass automatically represents a gateway back from the other realm to this one, thus preserving the integrity of both worlds."
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"Eight Etudes and a Fantasy", 2004.
This paper analyzes "Eight Etudes and a Fantasy for Woodwind Quartet" by Elliott Carter, who was born on December 11, 1908, in New York City.
1,670 words (approx. 6.7 pages), 13 sources, MLA, $ 54.95
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Abstract
This paper relates that Elliott Carter's "Eight Etudes and a Fantasy for Woodwind Quartet", composed in 1949, is defined as an etude because it is a musical composition for a solo instrument designed to give practice in some point of technique. The author describes the first etude, entitled "Maestoso", which means majestically, in which all the instruments play a very similar part dynamically and rhythmically, with each stressing a wide range. The paper concludes that the final and ninth movement, "Fantasy" is a culmination of all the previous techniques demonstrated in all the eight etudes in a fugue setting, with direct musical "quotes" taken directly from the etudes.
From the Paper
""Quietly" is the second etude, meant to tax a musician's ability to play extremely quickly while maintaining a very quiet dynamic. Each instrument encounters the same melodic line that remains identically every time it is repeated. The majority of the movement stays below a mezzo forte with a few statements of the melody rising to forte. Carter said that the melody "...sounds like four birds that sing as birds do, sporadically, the same song, over and over." The flute states the melody first which is then followed by the clarinet, oboe and bassoon in that order."
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Fantasy, 2002.
An examination of Russian composer Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky's "Fantasy" - an adaption of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet".
1,245 words (approx. 5.0 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 42.95
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Abstract
The writer of this paper presents five elements that must be analyzed to understand and underline the Romantic nature of this composer's work. Firstly, one must consider the 'storytelling' use of the sonata form of the Fantasy. Secondly, one must consider the way in which the sonata was considered by the composer to be an Overture, a work that gives a 'summary' or a miniature of a larger story or musical work. Thirdly, the tone color of the music must be analyzed. And fourthly and fifthly the timber and texture the work must also be reflected upon to understand the opulent quality of the music that renders it characteristic of the Romantic period during which Tchaikovsky composed music.
From the Paper
"According to the musicologist E.T.A. Hoffman, the Romantic period of Western music was characterized by the "fantastic, idealistic, and marvelous." He states that such qualities are associated with the "romance, a medieval tale or poem about heroes or events written in one of the languages descended from Latin." (Cited in Grout & Palisca 563) Tchaikovksy's choice to use the story of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" as the title of his Fantasy underlines the importance of Romantic thought in the orchestration of the composition. Rather than simply expanding upon or working within sonata form, defined as "an ambitious work in several movements for one or two solo instruments," "
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Male Fantasy in "Le Morte D'Arthur", 2006.
Examines how Thomas Malory expressed male fantasy characteristics through the protagonist, Sir Lancelot in his book.
2,256 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 69.95
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Abstract
In order to analyze people's fantasies, Sigmund Freud says that we can look at their creative writing, thereby seeing the wishes and desires that they have. By approaching an analysis of the character Sir Lancelot in Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte D'Arthur" in this way, this paper provides insight on what was important to men in that society. Lancelot is made the primary hero of the story. The paper shows, therefore, that Lancelot becomes the vehicle through which Malory and male readers can stop being "ashamed" of their fantasies and find a release of tension through the adoration Lancelot receives from women and the excellence of Lancelot's fighting skills.
From the Paper
"Guenivere's desire for Lancelot throughout Malory's story shows us how Lancelot is the figure of a daydream. Guenivere is the wife of the king. This attribute of Guenivere's places her on a pedestal. She is the most important woman in the territory controlled by King Arthur. Having an affair with a married woman such as Guenivere would make the person having the affair seem important. Guenivere's actions toward Lancelot characterize her as someone who is in desperate need of the hero's love. When Lancelot is trying to draw attention away from his interest in Guenivere, Guenivere says, "Sir Lancelot, I see and feel daily that they love beginneth to slacken, for ye have no joy to be in my presence, but ever ye are out of this court (403). It makes a male feel good to have an important woman want his "love" and not want the "love" to "slacken.""
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The Fantasy Worlds of Tennessee Williams, 1991.
This paper compares and contrasts the fantasy worlds in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and "A Streetcar Named Desire".
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 9 sources, $ 63.95
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From the Paper
"This paper will compare and contrast the fantasy worlds in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and "A Streetcar Named Desire". In The Glass Menagerie, Laura is an extremely shy girl who must wear a brace on her leg. Her demanding and insensitive mother wants her to get married as soon as possible. However, Laura's insecurities and shyness make it difficult for her to function in the real world. When she is rejected in romance by Jim, her childhood idol, Laura retreats into a world of fantasy. In A Streetcar Named Desire, the character Blanche experiences a number of personal losses. Her first husband shoots himself when she refuses to accept his affair with a man. Later, many of her older relatives die, and she loses the family fortune as well as her country home. When she comes to her sister's home for refuge, Blanche has become almost anti-social with her drinking ... "
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Reality and Fantasy, 2002.
This paper looks at what is real and what is fantasy from a philosophical perspective.
1,730 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 55.95
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Abstract
A discussion of what is real and what is imaginary. The author conducts this investigation through understanding the ideals of philosophers such as Descartes and Hume. The author examines this topic looking at issues including perception, senses, physical and virtual realities, the immortal soul and the existence of God.
From the Paper
"When looking at the world as if it was a croquet game in Alice and wonderland we can argue quite easily that life is a mutable role in the ideology of the philosophers, by looking at several aspects and views of the great philosophers we can see and determine what is reality and what is not. This therefore provides us with the ideal proof that what we believe is real and what we do not believe does not exist.
In the universe we know that there is thought and matter. The paradigm that belies dualism is a single idea; why should reality need to be only one of these aspects. In duality there is the argument that the ideas of the mind, and that the physical world of the matter are both equally real."
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Supernatural in Literature, 2007.
An analysis of the depiction of the supernatural through some of William Shakespeare's works.
1,266 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 42.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the depiction of the supernatural in literature. It specifically looks at the ways that the supernatural is portrayed in William Shakespeare's plays and focuses on the witches in "Macbeth" and the fantasy and illusion of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The paper concludes by mentioning other works that have depicted the supernatural, such as Rudolfo Anaya's novel, "Bless me, Ultima."
From the Paper
"There are no significant actual dreams in the play but rather some dreamlike situations that add to the magical quality of the story. For example, after Titania, the fairy queen whom Oberon wanted to fall in love with someone other than the little boy of her friend's, wakes up from her sleep with love potion on her eyes and under the spell of that charm, immediately falls in love with a clownish figure Bottom. This may appear to be a very hilarious situation to the readers but it is situations like these that were responsible for bringing about a significant change in the course of the play. During that period when she was under the influence of the charm, she dotes on the clown but as soon as the spell ends, she starts loathing the very same person. Whatever has taken place during the spell was a beautiful dream to Bottom who lacked the intelligence to fathom what had happened to him. (IV, i., ll.205-214) Another very important role of dreams can be understood by the speech of Puck in the last Act when he offers an explanation for dreamlike situations to other characters. He wants them to think of their past as nothing but a dream because this explanation could answer whatever questions they had in mind. (ACT V)"
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Tolkien's Fantasy, 2001.
Discusses the four major works by Tolkien.
5,045 words (approx. 20.2 pages), 4 sources, $ 127.95
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Abstract
This paper examines writer J.R.R Tolkien, one of the first fantasy writers, through his Lord of the Ring series. The author summarizes each work and explains how each Tolkien novel includes all of the elements that make a great fantasy series including epic battles in far-off places, interesting, creative characters and plots filled with wonder, amazement, and magic.
From the Paper
"As in all fantasy novels there has to be a hero. Usually the hero is the person least expected and goes through significant changes throughout the novel. Bilbo Baggins is the hero in The Hobbit. In the beginning he is very weak and afraid, but as the story progresses he changes significantly. Bilbo shows all of the signs of being a hero. "
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Ed Gein and his Use of Fantasy, 2007.
A look at the theory behind why Ed Gein carried out his gruesome murders.
1,539 words (approx. 6.2 pages), 9 sources, APA, $ 50.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews the use of fantasy in Eddie Gein's mind as he launched his horrific wave of murders in the late 1950s. The paper explores Gein's sexual frustrations, his curious inability to connect with women (or to find sexual gratification) in anything approaching a normal way, and his deeply conflicted relationship with an abusive and domineering mother. In the end, the paper suggests that Gein had fantasies about dominating and possessing women that were conjoined to murderous fantasies directed towards the maternal presence in his life.
From the Paper
"The theory being developed thus far is that Eddie Gein was an individual who was unable to connect with women from a very early age and this inability - perhaps because of his curious relationship to his mother (Bardsley & Bell, 2005a) - led him down a path whereby women became objects he had to possess and consume. Obviously, there are many sexually frustrated men who do not become sexual psychopaths like Edward Gein, but a potent combination of latent insecurities, perhaps a psychological predisposition towards doing malevolent things to others, and a strained family life in his formative years pushed him "over the edge" and into a life of unspeakable evil."
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