BRIAN ATTEBERY’S CONCEPTS OF FORMULA, MODE, AND GENRE IN FANTASY LITERATURE
BRIAN ATTEBERY’S CONCEPTS OF FORMULA, MODE, AND GENRE IN FANTASY LITERATURE

Summary/Abstract: Beginning with the second half of the twentieth century, fantasy literature has been analyzed from various perspectives, from structuralism to psychoanalysis. Brian Attebery, an acclaimed American literary scholar, considers that the field of fantasy criticism is somewhat muddled and full of confusing definitions and delimitations. His 1992 study, The Strategies of Fantasy, can serve as a guidebook for the confused reader. In what is one of the most notable parts of his study, he deals with the question of whether fantasy should be defined as formula, as a mode of writing, or rather as a separate genre. He offers ample justifications and examples for all three approaches and makes suggestions for further reading. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the differences between formula, mode, and genre, as it is inferred in Attebery’s study, as well as to open the path for further research in the study of this literary field.

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