World-building in Urban Fantasy
"Urban Fantasy came into popularity in the early 1980's and has continued to expand and gain a devoted readership. Although certain conventions of early Urban Fantasy have changed, such as the world model and narrative style, the multifarious nature of the genre has not. Often defined as fantasy for those who do not like fantasy, Urban Fantasy attracts an audience from many diverse reading backgrounds because it does not use a straight Fantasy narrative formula as its label implies. In fact, aside from employing magic and myth, Urban Fantasy is not exceedingly similar to traditional Fantasy because it employs a realistic rather than imagined setting. Although contemporary, the grittier side of the urban location more closely resembles that of Dark Fantasy, which combines elements of the fantastic with Horror. A recent article from the Library Journal, titled - The City Fantastic, claims - contemporary Urban Fantasy started as an offshoot of horror fiction rather than sf [science fiction]/fantasy (Donohue, par. 6). And still other critics of the genre maintain that it owes much of its conventions to Crime fiction. With so many contributors, at least one certainty can be ascertained- Urban Fantasy is not rooted in a single genre, but in many, borrowing different popular fiction conventions to build a unique but relatable storyworld."
(Julie Saffel p.65)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
What KateModern did next
"Billed as a cross between Buffy and Skins, the supernatural drama''s second series killed off its main character in January, and now everyone is a suspect. KateModern is the brainchild of the team behind LonelyGirl15, an American web-based video series that was initially thought to be the video blog of a real person, until the writers admitted it was fictional.
This blurring of fiction and reality, with unknown actors wandering round with hand-held cameras and audience participation, is being hailed as the future of drama. It is cheap, has a quick turnaround, and, in its brand integration (Apple iMacs, for example, are everywhere) is self-funding outside the confines of conventional advertising."
(The Guardian, March 3 2008)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
