Issues in Fantastic Literature

The fantasy tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann have been cited as precursors of modern science fiction and fantasy tales. But elements of metaphysical reality as well as "extra"physical reality are present in his stories. Nicholls says that Hoffmann's stories "express a grotesque Romanticism more effectively than those of any other writer of his time [early nineteenth century]." In particular, Nicholls cites "The Sandman" as "an important forerunner of robot and android stories."1 In such stories, the world of fantasy achieves the status of reality, and this explains why Lange says that in Hoffmann's stories, "the prag

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nd from responsibilities, and thrust into the bosom of his more maternal adult daughter. According to Bowden, "Rip Van Winkle" "combines the themes of the 'stranger in a strange land' with that of the hopedfor success of the storyteller."10 In other words, the experience of fantasy, lifting Rip out of the real world, has the effect of redeeming his realworld experience. A tired Rip retreats from the real world into a fantasy world, and then reenters the real world as a newcomer, more or less as he had entered the world of the little men. Rip has survived eternity and the second time around seems likely to survive (psychologically, at least) reality. The "uncanny" element of Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which Ericksen suggests is based on Balzac's The Magic Skin,11 arises from the implication that human reality can be altered by the extraordinary human will. Unfortunately for Dorian, his will cannot survive its attempt to circumvent reality, either psychologically or physically. Once the reader accepts that Dorian's physical presence is of an uncommon type and that Lord Henry's sophistication and depravity possess unnatural power, the line between everyday reality and the reality of Wilde's fantasy has been crossed.
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 7533
Approximate Pages = 30 (250 words per page)

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