The Tough Guide To Fantasyland
Encyclopedia
The Tough Guide To Fantasyland (1996) is a book by Diana Wynne Jones
that humorously examines the common tropes
of a broad swathe of fantasy fiction. It was nominated for both a Hugo award
and a World Fantasy Award
.
The book takes the unusual angle of presenting itself as a tourist guidebook (the title alludes to the Rough Guide series of holiday guidebooks). It claims that the fantasy world
s depicted in many fantasy novels, games and films are in fact part of a single land. In an extended metaphor, the readers (or viewers or players) are tourists; authors are tour guides, and their stories are sight-seeing tours or package holidays to this Fantasyland. In this context, it catalogues many of the common places, peoples, artifacts, situations, characters and events likely to be found on such a journey – in other words, the archetype
s and clichés found in fantasy fiction.
Thus it contains articles on Dark Lords and what they do, magic sword
s and where they come from, haunted forests and what they contain, and so on. There are several hundred articles, organised alphabetically, ranging from a couple of sentences to several paragraphs.
The book can be read as a thinly-veiled criticism of the fantasy
genre for being overly derivative, clichéd, and unimaginative; alternatively it can be seen as an affectionate study of the themes and ideas that resonate through fantasy writing. Overall, the writing style is very tongue-in-cheek, with discussions of why there are Dark Lords but not Dark Ladies, why casual sex in Fantasyland almost never results in pregnancy, and why male virginity is useless whereas female virginity is highly prized. The author has herself written fantasy novels that both use and subvert common fantasy elements.
The book was considerably revised for the 2006 Firebird
edition: the map was re-done, the text made to look more like a guidebook by including insets, eliminating the clip art, adding a list of other "Tough Guides" (to non-existent places) and the like.
Dark Lord of Derkholm
by the same author is set in a Fantasyland which maintains the cliches detailed in the Tough Guide for the benefit of tourists, and can be seen as a conceptual sequel.
Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones was a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction...
that humorously examines the common tropes
Fantasy tropes and conventions
There are many elements that occur throughout the fantasy genre in different guises. Worldbuilding, in particular, has many common conventions as do, to a lesser extent, plot, and characterization....
of a broad swathe of fantasy fiction. It was nominated for both a Hugo award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
and a World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
.
The book takes the unusual angle of presenting itself as a tourist guidebook (the title alludes to the Rough Guide series of holiday guidebooks). It claims that the fantasy world
Fantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...
s depicted in many fantasy novels, games and films are in fact part of a single land. In an extended metaphor, the readers (or viewers or players) are tourists; authors are tour guides, and their stories are sight-seeing tours or package holidays to this Fantasyland. In this context, it catalogues many of the common places, peoples, artifacts, situations, characters and events likely to be found on such a journey – in other words, the archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s and clichés found in fantasy fiction.
Thus it contains articles on Dark Lords and what they do, magic sword
Magic sword
The term magic sword refers to any kind of mythological or fictional sword imbued with magical power to increase its strength or grant it other supernatural qualities. The archetype originated in myth and legend, and occurs regularly in fantasy fiction....
s and where they come from, haunted forests and what they contain, and so on. There are several hundred articles, organised alphabetically, ranging from a couple of sentences to several paragraphs.
The book can be read as a thinly-veiled criticism of the fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
genre for being overly derivative, clichéd, and unimaginative; alternatively it can be seen as an affectionate study of the themes and ideas that resonate through fantasy writing. Overall, the writing style is very tongue-in-cheek, with discussions of why there are Dark Lords but not Dark Ladies, why casual sex in Fantasyland almost never results in pregnancy, and why male virginity is useless whereas female virginity is highly prized. The author has herself written fantasy novels that both use and subvert common fantasy elements.
The book was considerably revised for the 2006 Firebird
Firebird Books
Firebird Books is an imprint of Penguin Group Inc., publishing mainly paperback reprint editions of science fiction and fantasy for teenagers and adults....
edition: the map was re-done, the text made to look more like a guidebook by including insets, eliminating the clip art, adding a list of other "Tough Guides" (to non-existent places) and the like.
Dark Lord of Derkholm
Dark Lord of Derkholm
The Dark Lord of Derkholm is a fantasy novel written by Diana Wynne Jones, which won the 1999 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature. It takes place in a parody of a high fantasy world similar to that first explored in Jones' humorous guidebook in the Rough Guide model, The Tough Guide...
by the same author is set in a Fantasyland which maintains the cliches detailed in the Tough Guide for the benefit of tourists, and can be seen as a conceptual sequel.