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This is in contrast to the traditional horror model, which focuses more on the victims and survivors. Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain, and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman are early examples of this style of dark fantasy. He often used dark fantasy as an alternative to horror, as horror was increasingly associated with more visceral works.ĭark fantasy is sometimes also used to describe stories told from a monster's point of view, or that present a more sympathetic view of supernatural beings usually associated with horror. Grant defined his brand of dark fantasy as 'a type of horror story in which humanity is threatened by forces beyond human understanding'. Grant is often cited as having coined the term 'dark fantasy'. Some writers also use 'dark fantasy' (or ' Gothic fantasy') as an alternative description to 'horror', because they feel the latter term is too lurid or vivid.

The term itself may refer collectively to tales that are either horror-based or fantasy-based. As a result, dark fantasy cannot be solidly connected to a defining set of tropes. However, these stories rarely share universal similarities beyond supernatural occurrences and a dark, often brooding, tone. Īdditionally, other authors, critics, and publishers have adopted dark fantasy to describe various other works. Stableford also suggests that supernatural horror set primarily in the real world is a form of ' contemporary fantasy', whereas supernatural horror set partly or wholly in ' secondary worlds' should be described as 'dark fantasy'. Brian Stableford argues 'dark fantasy' can be usefully defined as subgenre of stories that attempt to 'incorporate elements of horror fiction' into the standard formulae of fantasy stories. Grant and Karl Edward Wagner are credited with having coined the term 'dark fantasy'-although both authors were describing different styles of fiction. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called 'the woman who invented dark fantasy'. Definition Ī strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dread. Fantasyĭark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. For the radio series, see Dark Fantasy (series).

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