Definition of fantastic tale – What it is, Meaning and Concept

In order to know the meaning of the term fantastic tale, it is interesting to begin by discovering the etymological origin of the two words that give it its shape:

-Count derives from Latin, exactly it comes from “computus” which can be translated as “count” or “computation”.
-Fantastic, on the other hand, derives from the Greek. In his specific case it comes from “phantastikos” which means “that only exists in the imagination”. It is the result of the sum of two differentiated parts: the verb “phaine”, which is synonymous with “appear”, and the suffix “-tico”, which is equivalent to “relative to”.

A story it is a short narrative that presents fictitious facts. Fantastic, for its part, is something out of the ordinary or linked to fantasy (imagination).

Characteristics of a fantastic tale

In this framework, we can affirm that a fantastic tale is a story that has supernatural elements. The definition, however, is not too precise, since most stories are based on situations or characters supernatural, and yet not all are rated fantastic.

A fantastic tale is generally considered to be one based on something extraordinary, which has no existence in the real world nor can it be explained from reason. In the internal logic of the story, however, the fantastic can be seen as normal.

The example of “Thousand and One Nights”

The book known as “Arabian Nights”, to cite one case, he is popular for his fantastic tales. In “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp”For example, a genie comes out of a lamp and fulfills all the wishes of a young man. In “Ali baba and the forty thieves”, a magical cave that holds treasures opens and closes at expressions “Open Sesame!” or “Shut up, Sesame!”. These stories are fantastic since, in the real world, there are no geniuses capable of granting wishes or objects that move by magic formulas.

A fantastic tale could include the following excerpt: Desperate for the death of his son, Ringo went to the village shaman. The sorcerer, moved, gave him a purple powder and told him to throw it on his son’s grave on the next night of the full moon. Ringo took the powder, left, and three days later, he was able to carry out the shaman’s instructions. Despite his action, he did not notice any movement and returned home crying. While he was trying to rest in his room, he heard the door open: when he looked up, he saw his dead son enter the room … “

Great authors of fantastic stories

Throughout the history of literature there are many authors who have managed to leave their mark thanks to the fantastic stories they have made. Among those we can highlight some such as the following:

-The American writer Henry James (1843 – 1916), who bequeathed us works such as “Private life” (1892), “The altar of the dead” (1895) or “Another turn of the screw” (1898).
-The Englishman Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) wrote fantastic works such as “The Ghost of Canterville” (1887).
-Washington Irving (1783 – 1859) is an American author who has also achieved great relevance thanks to his fantastic-style short story entitled “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820).
-The genre of horror literature has a great exponent in the North American writer Stephen King. A pen that has made fantastic stories that it has collected in different anthologies such as “Fantastic Stories” (2016).