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Fantastic Worlds: Myths, Tales, and Stories
Covers fantastic narrative from ancient myths to modern science fiction in more than fifty tales which represent man's imagination in etiology, entertainment, and wonder
496 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 16, 2015
You may have to find this book at the library or used book store as I think it's out of print, but it's worth picking up for the essays alone. There are several essays discussing just what fantastic literature is and what it's place is in the larger landscape of literature in general. The stories selected start with creation myths (the first story is the first three chapters of Genesis!) and move through the historical development of fantastic literature covering fable and fairy tale, then on to Poe, Carroll, Tolkien and Lovecraft ending with stories by Calvino and Barthelme.
July 17, 2017
not bad. kind of wished there was more myth but it is a short story collection that details the progression of how the fantastic develops. from old times to modern times. the fact still remains that it's only fantastic to those who wish to escape.
August 6, 2020
I would give this book 3.5 stars! I must say after reading the introduction chapters I wanted to give it 5 stars. The editor was so entertaining and I feel as though I gained a deeper understanding about the meaning of fantasy as a genre. I enjoyed quite a few stories from the book, but not enough to keep it on my bookshelf.
I would recommend checking out the following stories: “The Black Foot Genesis,” 1892, George Bird Grinnell, ed.; “The Tale of Cosmo,” 1858, George MacDonald; “Leaf by Niggle,” 1964, J.R.R. Tolkien; “Golden Wing,” 1856, William Morris; “The Star,” 1897, H.G. Wells; “EPICAC,” 1950, Kurt Vonnegut, and “The Third Level,” 1952, Jack Finney.
I would recommend checking out the following stories: “The Black Foot Genesis,” 1892, George Bird Grinnell, ed.; “The Tale of Cosmo,” 1858, George MacDonald; “Leaf by Niggle,” 1964, J.R.R. Tolkien; “Golden Wing,” 1856, William Morris; “The Star,” 1897, H.G. Wells; “EPICAC,” 1950, Kurt Vonnegut, and “The Third Level,” 1952, Jack Finney.
February 27, 2022
A series of short stories, worth reading for "Leaf by Niggle" alone. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did!
September 13, 2012
A fantastic collection, including some of my favourite stories of all time.
It strikes me that it is remarkable that both Hawthorne and Poe, who were wonderfully creative and erudite, always referred negatively to scientific developments, never once attempting to extrapolate them to their positive extremes. Despite scientific successes, their stories endure.
In Rapaccini’s Daughter, Hawthorne references the then new practice of homeopathy: “that which can cause can cure." The title tells us that the story is about a rapacious, bad person, and the subsequent description of Rapaccini's face, “singularly marked with intellect and cultivation, but which could never, even in his more youthful days, have expressed much warmth of heart,” warns us that the scientist/science has never been good. The conclusion warns of the “fatality that attends all such efforts of perverted wisdom.” The story echoes similar sentiments explored in The Birthmark and builds upon ideas expressed in The Celestial Railroad, a satire on the prevailing faith in progress and science.
In The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, Poe plays with us: there are no facts in this fantastical story. This tale, however, illustrates perfectly his attitude to science: that despite miraculous claims, it fails to solve humanity's problems, exemplified in this case by death. Poe returns to the theme of “fraudulent” science again, such as in The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.
Hawthorne’s writing indicates that he may have felt marginalised by new thinking that he could barely understand, so he attacked it. Poe’s stories portray resentment towards medicine in particular, a reflection perhaps of its inability to save the mother and wife he so loved--they both died from illness.
Someone (I forget who) wrote that “Poe was and is our hysteria, our uncanny unanimity in our repressions:" Poe endures because his writing resonates. This sentiment, as it relates to feelings about science, may also apply to Hawthorne, and it matters because, while Luddites have always and will likely always exist, the Romantic writers' eloquence perfectly crystallises the fear, mistrust and resentment that much of humanity feels about science and the unknown.
It strikes me that it is remarkable that both Hawthorne and Poe, who were wonderfully creative and erudite, always referred negatively to scientific developments, never once attempting to extrapolate them to their positive extremes. Despite scientific successes, their stories endure.
In Rapaccini’s Daughter, Hawthorne references the then new practice of homeopathy: “that which can cause can cure." The title tells us that the story is about a rapacious, bad person, and the subsequent description of Rapaccini's face, “singularly marked with intellect and cultivation, but which could never, even in his more youthful days, have expressed much warmth of heart,” warns us that the scientist/science has never been good. The conclusion warns of the “fatality that attends all such efforts of perverted wisdom.” The story echoes similar sentiments explored in The Birthmark and builds upon ideas expressed in The Celestial Railroad, a satire on the prevailing faith in progress and science.
In The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, Poe plays with us: there are no facts in this fantastical story. This tale, however, illustrates perfectly his attitude to science: that despite miraculous claims, it fails to solve humanity's problems, exemplified in this case by death. Poe returns to the theme of “fraudulent” science again, such as in The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.
Hawthorne’s writing indicates that he may have felt marginalised by new thinking that he could barely understand, so he attacked it. Poe’s stories portray resentment towards medicine in particular, a reflection perhaps of its inability to save the mother and wife he so loved--they both died from illness.
Someone (I forget who) wrote that “Poe was and is our hysteria, our uncanny unanimity in our repressions:" Poe endures because his writing resonates. This sentiment, as it relates to feelings about science, may also apply to Hawthorne, and it matters because, while Luddites have always and will likely always exist, the Romantic writers' eloquence perfectly crystallises the fear, mistrust and resentment that much of humanity feels about science and the unknown.
Want to Read
January 13, 2012What an interesting selection.
One of my coworkers is an early scifi geek, which is cool; he was telling me about this Hoffman guy. This thing has, like, Hawthorne in it. Just a neat way of looking at it.
One of my coworkers is an early scifi geek, which is cool; he was telling me about this Hoffman guy. This thing has, like, Hawthorne in it. Just a neat way of looking at it.
Read
October 11, 2013The introductory essay is useful for understanding the nature and breadth of fantasy writing as understood by the editor. The examples are good, but I would have appreciated a more thorough mapping of each story to its place in the fantasy universe.
October 21, 2016
Is it cheating to count this as read? I read selected stories out of this for a magical realism class. FANTASTIC in every sense of the word and will remain on my shelf for a long time to come. So much epic influential stuff in here.
November 12, 2007
One of the few books where Leaf by Niggle (JRR Tolkien) was published. My copy is a hardcover edition dating from 1979.
Currently Reading
June 4, 2009I so far have learned how to analyze a single sentence of literature, and have read many interesting tales.
Read
July 31, 2010Fantastic Worlds: Myths, Tales, and Stories by Eric S. Rabkin (1979)
July 24, 2013
wondwerfull perfect serve
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews