It’s that time again. Halloween is coming up, and World Fantasy is upon us! I’ll be out in Toronto next weekend, if anyone wants to stop by, I have a panel!
Friday 1:00 p.m. GOTHIC FANTASY NOIR
In the Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997) Mike Ashley writes: “The cityscape has replaced the old castle, and Urban Fantasy is the new Gothic.” As counter-intuitive as that may read, it can be argued that this is true. And there’s a type of Urban Fantasy that could be termed Urban Fantasy Noir, with the popular “huntress” theme a variant of this: down these mean streets a woman must go, armed only with edged weapons and a wit as dry as the pavement is damp. Phillippa Marlowe, Boogen Hunter, still the knight errant. The panel will examine the evidence of a reversion, in Urban Fantasy, to older forms of literature, whether it be the despair of the Gothic or the bleakness of noir. And is the growth and popularity of Urban Fantasy—with its mean streets, grim realities, modern attitudes, and contemporary
settings—a response to High Fantasy, with its emphasis on Arthurian- style legend and faux-Medieval settings? With more people living in, or on the fringes of, cities than ever before, what’s the attraction of going to a darkly fantastic world under their streets or above their rooftops, as opposed to a distant past or an unknown kingdom?
Elwyn Cotman (M), Dana Cameron, Gemma Files, Elizabeth Hand, Rhiannon Held, Nicholas Kaufmann.
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