Celtic themes in fantasy literature

[Steve Hayes]

In her introduction to this useful and insightful collection,
co-editor Dimitra Fimi writes: “This edited volume aims to open a
conversation about fantasy's multifaceted and enduring fascination
with the Celtic past, and its various perceptions” (p. 4). Fimi notes
that, while previous scholarship (including her own 2017 monograph)
has focused on work written for children, the essays in this volume
examine texts aimed at adult readers. The collection is divided into
four sections: the first deals with what is loosely defined as
“intrusion fantasy,” in which a Celtic “otherworld” overlaps with our
own; section two looks at “worldbuilding” and the way authors use
Celtic elements to create a fantasy world; section three has
discussion of works in languages other than English; and the fourth
and final section looks at how “the fantastic is situated within
cultural practices perceived as Celtic” (p. 5).

Read it all here:

<http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/imagining-the-celtic-past-in-modern-fantasy-edited-by-dimitra-fimi-and-alistair-j-p-sims/>

Read my thoughts on it here:

<https://methodius.blogspot.com/2023/08/celtic-themes-in-fantasy-literature-and.html>

[David Dalton]

This post by Steve Hayes to alt.mythology and some other
groups may be of interest to the groups I have added.

Post by Steve Hayes
In her introduction to this useful and insightful collection,
co-editor Dimitra Fimi writes: “This edited volume aims to open a
conversation about fantasy's multifaceted and enduring fascination
with the Celtic past, and its various perceptions” (p. 4). Fimi notes
that, while previous scholarship (including her own 2017 monograph)
has focused on work written for children, the essays in this volume
examine texts aimed at adult readers. The collection is divided into
four sections: the first deals with what is loosely defined as
“intrusion fantasy,” in which a Celtic “otherworld” overlaps with our
own; section two looks at “worldbuilding” and the way authors use
Celtic elements to create a fantasy world; section three has
discussion of works in languages other than English; and the fourth
and final section looks at how “the fantastic is situated within
cultural practices perceived as Celtic” (p. 5).
<http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/imagining-the-celtic-past-in-modern-fa
ntasy-edited-by-dimitra-fimi-and-alistair-j-p-sims/>
<https://methodius.blogspot.com/2023/08/celtic-themes-in-fantasy-literature-an
d.html>