SADAB 5th International Social Research and Behavioral Sciences Symposium , Tbilisi, Georgia, 11 - 12 October 2019, vol.1, no.1, pp.306-341
Fantastic literature, also known as fantasy literature, dates back to ancient times. It is not that
easy to identify its inception or claim that it has ended. It has survived from the early periods
when there was no written literature to the present day. Anthropological findings reveal that
almost all the fairy tales that form the basis of the literary culture of pre-literacy are categorized
under the fantasy genre and they are similar to each other although they were written in
different geographies. These mysterious tales are seen as primitive and childish today,
and although they have undergone some changes over time, they have been transferred from
generation to generation uninterruptedly. Throughout history, new stories have been added
and such stories have survived to the present day. Tales beginning with “once upon a time…”,
legends, mythological stories, animal tales known as fables, and fairy tales are the most well-known examples of fantastic literature. This paper argues that not only the above-mentioned
ancient types but also such most recent types of narratives as scientific fantasy or science fiction should be regarded as the derivatives of fantastic literature.