Fantasy: Realms of Imagination
Epic quests. Powerful princesses. Heroes and hobgoblins and mystical, magical places. The Fantasy genre has been providing portals into other worlds since ancient times. The modern evolution now includes role play, film & tv, video games and multimedia but the core is and always has been literature. And since the only sure-fire way to bring a book to life is to read it and let your imagination run wild, I was curious to see if a British Library exhibition could be just as engaging as the written word.
Staged within a labyrinth-like space, dim lighting and scattered screens running well known fantasy film and TV clips provide an atmospheric environment for modern props and historical artefacts. Unsurprisingly given the venue, most are books and manuscripts, including a 14th-century copy of Homer's epic poem the ‘Iliad’ and Lewis Carroll’s handwritten version of ‘Alice's Adventures Under Ground’ from 1862-64. Aside from a few other mainstream inclusions, I was unfamiliar with most of what was shown since I’m only a casual fantasy fan, but everything was so succinctly and engagingly explained that I walked away with a check-list.
The displays are loosely clustered around four core themes that underpin the most commonly told stories. ‘Weird and Uncanny’ was my favourite zone and I particularly enjoyed hearing author Victor LaValle discuss the challenge of writing and “not making it sound ridiculous”. He’s one of many notable genre authors, such as Neil Gaiman and Natalie Haynes, whose video interviews for the exhibition are presented throughout, with both audio and subtitles. There’s also a playable mini-game by Failbetter Games designed especially for the exhibition, based on the Fallen London universe, and an amusing funhouse style video mirror inspired by Twin Peaks. However, the bulk of the show is a more traditional, museum-style presentation format which is something to keep in mind if you’re bringing young readers.
As you progress towards the end you’ll notice a distinct shift in the genre away from pure storytelling and towards interactivity and role play. The Dungeons & Dragons display might not look that engaging, but the explosion of table top games and fantasy multimedia, as well as LARP costumes and interviews with cosplayers, show the passion and extent to which fans of the genre now go to in order to embrace and expand upon worlds that originated from one author’s imagination. And as you’ll see from displays for Susanna Clarke's Piranesi (2020) and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, fantasy authors are just as passionately detailed in their efforts to define their worlds before writing about them.
Those authors’ working notes, along with the many first additions and other historical items, will certainly make many dedicated fantasy fans’ eyes go wide with excitement. However, everything is presented in an open and inviting style that will entice a novice to want to explore the source. And there is a lot of source to explore! The show presents such a wide ranging catalog for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of the genre that when I got to the end I skipped right past the exit and went straight back in.
Plan your visit
‘Fantasy: Realms of Imagination’ runs until 25 Feb 2024.
Tickets from £16 adult / children (12-17) £8 / concessions available
Members go free!
NOTE: As of 09 Nov the BL website is having issues, but you can book tickets for this show at See Tickets.
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Visit bl.uk and follow @britishlibrary on Instagram for more info about the venue.
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