"Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers" by L. Sprague de Camp. Sauk City: Arkham House, (1976). Jacket Art by Tim Kirk
L. Sprague de Camp provides a history of the heroic fantasy genre from prehistoric myths and legends, biographical sketches of its leading practitioners, and literary criticism of the classic writings.
If a single individual may be said to have invented modern heroic fantasy, it was William Morris, the nineteenth-century English artist, decorator, poet, writer, publisher, industrialist, and reformer. In his last years, Morris composed several novels in imitation of the medieval romance. These are tales of romantic adventure, laid in imaginary pre-industrial realms in which magic prevails and supernatural beings participate actively in human affairs.
De Camp explores the subsequent development of this genre as Lord Dunsany adapted the sword & sorcery formula to the short story, while Eric Rucker Eddison fitted it to the mold of the Icelandic saga. Heroic fantasy attained its maturity with Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," T. H. White's "Once and Future King," and Robert E. Howard's stirring tales of Conan the Cimmerian. Other twentieth-century authors discussed include Henry Kuttner, Fritz Leiber, H. P. Lovecraft, C. L. Moore, Fletcher Pratt, and Clark Ashton Smith.
"Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers" by L. Sprague de Camp. Sauk City: Arkham House, (1976). Jacket Art by Tim Kirk
L. Sprague de Camp provides a history of the heroic fantasy genre from prehistoric myths and legends, biographical sketches of its leading practitioners, and literary criticism of the classic writings.
If a single individual may be said to have invented modern heroic fantasy, it was William Morris, the nineteenth-century English artist, decorator, poet, writer, publisher, industrialist, and reformer. In his last years, Morris composed several novels in imitation of the medieval romance. These are tales of romantic adventure, laid in imaginary pre-industrial realms in which magic prevails and supernatural beings participate actively in human affairs.
De Camp explores the subsequent development of this genre as Lord Dunsany adapted the sword & sorcery formula to the short story, while Eric Rucker Eddison fitted it to the mold of the Icelandic saga. Heroic fantasy attained its maturity with Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," T. H. White's "Once and Future King," and Robert E. Howard's stirring tales of Conan the Cimmerian. Other twentieth-century authors discussed include Henry Kuttner, Fritz Leiber, H. P. Lovecraft, C. L. Moore, Fletcher Pratt, and Clark Ashton Smith.