Imagining the Celtic Past in Modern Fantasy
Published on 23. February 2023
Book
Hardback
232 pages
978-1-350-34999-5 (ISBN)
Description
Focusing on representations of Celtic motifs and traditions in post-1980s adult fantasy literature, this book illuminates how the historical, the mythological and the folkloric have served as inspiration for the fantastic in modern and popular culture of the western world. Bringing together both highly-acclaimed works with those that have received less critical attention, including French and Gaelic fantasy literature, Imagining the Celtic Past in Modern Fantasy explores such texts as Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Alan Garner's Weirdstone trilogy, the Irish fantasies of Jodi McIsaac, David Gemmell's Rigante novels, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison Keltiad books, as well as An Sgoil Dhubh by Iain F. MacLeoid and the Vertigen and Frontier series by Lea Silhol. Lively and covering new ground, the collection examines topics such as fairy magic, Celtic-inspired worldbuilding, heroic patterns, classical ethnography and genre tropes alongside analyses of the Celtic Tarot in speculative fiction and Celtic appropriation in fan culture.
Introducing a nuanced understanding of the Celtic past, as it has been informed by recent debates in Celtic studies, this wide-ranging and provocative book shows how modern fantasy is indebted to medieval Celtic-language texts, folkloric traditions, as well as classical sources.
Introducing a nuanced understanding of the Celtic past, as it has been informed by recent debates in Celtic studies, this wide-ranging and provocative book shows how modern fantasy is indebted to medieval Celtic-language texts, folkloric traditions, as well as classical sources.
Reviews / Votes
Imagining the Celtic Past in Modern Fantasy is an invaluable resource ... By blending rigorous scholarship with accessible prose, Fimi and Sims have curated a collection of research essays that is as enlightening as it is enjoyable, offering fresh perspectives on the enduring allure of the Celtic past in modern fantasy literature. * Fafnir: Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research * A really interesting new collection, up to date in coverage, which links two major scholarly fields of major importance in popular culture: Celtic Studies and modern fantasy. * Professor Ronald Hutton, Professor of History, University of Bristol, UK *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
1 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-350-34999-5 (9781350349995)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Dimitra Fimi | Alistair J. P. Sims
Imagining the Celtic Past in Modern Fantasy
E-Book
02/2023
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€32.99
Available for download
Persons
Dimitra Fimi is Senior Lecturer in Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. She has published monographs on J.R.R. Tolkien and Celtic-inspired children's Fantasy, as well as articles and essays on myth and Fantasy, medievalism, world-building, adaptation, artlangs and visual culture. She has co-edited Tolkien's manuscripts on invented languages, and has won awards for her books and essays. She sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Tolkien Research and co-edits the Perspectives on Fantasy series.
Alistair J. P. Sims is an independent scholar, bookseller and publisher at Books on the Hill, Clevedon, with a PhD in archaeology from Bangor University (2014). He has published on fantasy literature and archaeology in Fantasy Art and Studies (2019) and Proceedings of the 2nd European Symposium in Celtic Studies (2017).
Alistair J. P. Sims is an independent scholar, bookseller and publisher at Books on the Hill, Clevedon, with a PhD in archaeology from Bangor University (2014). He has published on fantasy literature and archaeology in Fantasy Art and Studies (2019) and Proceedings of the 2nd European Symposium in Celtic Studies (2017).
Content
List of Illustrations
List of Contributors
Series Editors' Preface
Acknowledgements
Note on Spelling
Introduction, Dr Dimitra Fimi (University of Glasgow, UK)
Part 1: Celticity as Fantastic Intrusion
1. Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: The Celtic Fairy Realm in Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Dr K. A. Laity (College of Saint Rose, USA)
2. The Evolution of Alan Garner's Celticity in Boneland, Gwendolen Grant (Independent Scholar)
3. Woman as Goddess in the Irish Fantasies of Jodi McIsaac, Kris Swank (Pima Community College, USA)
Part 2: Celtic Fantasy Worlds and Heroes
4. The Heroic Biographies Of Cu Chulainn and Connavar in the Rigante Series, Alistair J. P. Sims (Independent Scholar)
5. Classical Ethnography and the World(s) of the Rigante, Anthony Smart (York St John University, UK)
6. Celts in Spaaaaace!, Cheryl Morgan (Independent Scholar)
Part 3: Celtic Fantasy Beyond the Anglophone
7. From Vertigen to Frontier: The Fate of the Sidhes in Lea Silhol's Fiction, Viviane Bergue (Independent scholar)
8. 'Chaidh e nas doimhne agus nas doimhne ann an seann theacsaichean': Gaelic history and legend in An Sgoil Dhubh by Iain F. MacLeoid, Duncan Sneddon (University of Edinburgh, UK)
Part 4: Fantastic Perceptions of Celticity
9. The Celtic Tarot in Speculative Fiction, Juliette Wood (Cardiff University, UK)
10. Celtic Appropriation in Twenty-First-Century Fantasy Fan Perceptions, Angela R. Cox (Ball State University, USA)
Index
List of Contributors
Series Editors' Preface
Acknowledgements
Note on Spelling
Introduction, Dr Dimitra Fimi (University of Glasgow, UK)
Part 1: Celticity as Fantastic Intrusion
1. Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: The Celtic Fairy Realm in Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Dr K. A. Laity (College of Saint Rose, USA)
2. The Evolution of Alan Garner's Celticity in Boneland, Gwendolen Grant (Independent Scholar)
3. Woman as Goddess in the Irish Fantasies of Jodi McIsaac, Kris Swank (Pima Community College, USA)
Part 2: Celtic Fantasy Worlds and Heroes
4. The Heroic Biographies Of Cu Chulainn and Connavar in the Rigante Series, Alistair J. P. Sims (Independent Scholar)
5. Classical Ethnography and the World(s) of the Rigante, Anthony Smart (York St John University, UK)
6. Celts in Spaaaaace!, Cheryl Morgan (Independent Scholar)
Part 3: Celtic Fantasy Beyond the Anglophone
7. From Vertigen to Frontier: The Fate of the Sidhes in Lea Silhol's Fiction, Viviane Bergue (Independent scholar)
8. 'Chaidh e nas doimhne agus nas doimhne ann an seann theacsaichean': Gaelic history and legend in An Sgoil Dhubh by Iain F. MacLeoid, Duncan Sneddon (University of Edinburgh, UK)
Part 4: Fantastic Perceptions of Celticity
9. The Celtic Tarot in Speculative Fiction, Juliette Wood (Cardiff University, UK)
10. Celtic Appropriation in Twenty-First-Century Fantasy Fan Perceptions, Angela R. Cox (Ball State University, USA)
Index