This study explores the manner in which modern French fantasy novels have diverged from the Tolkienian, high-fantasy precedent established in the late 90s and the very early 2000s. From 2010–2020, authors Jean-Philippe Jaworski, Justine Niogret, Pierre Pevel, and Claire Duvivier have re-imagined the fantasy realm by deliberately working in opposition to the tropes of high-fantasy. The following work is split into two segments–the first of which analyzes how this high-fantasy divergence manifests within the evolved role of the hero, as it pertains to Jaworski, Pevel, and Niogret. The latter tackles the inverse, being the de-heroized, humanist approach of Duvivier that further depicts how the genre continues to evolve. Through a varying theoretical framework, this interdisciplinary work establishes that the following novels mutually support one another in an effort to diverge from the historic, high-fantasy precedent: Jaworski's Gagner la guerre (2009), Niogret's Chien du heaume (2010), Pevel's Le Chevalier (2015), Duvivier's Un long voyage (2020). / Master of Arts / The project follows a continued line of inquiry related to modern French fantasy novels, and questions the place of the hero within the fantasy realm from 2010–2020. What is uncovered is a shifting within the genre–one that favors varying forums of heroism, and rejects the restricted nature of the righteously motivated high-fantasy hero. This is a genre study; many of the literary devices discussed are only marginally innovative, in a greater literary sense. However, this research asserts that their uniqueness within the scope of the genre merits inquiry. This project discusses the modern French fantasy scene and its divergence from the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/110837 |
| Date | 17 June 2022 |
| Creators | Sielaff, Kevin Michael |
| Contributors | Foreign Languages, Dickow, Alexander, Johnson, Sharon P., Shryock, Richard L. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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