A review by sa_ra
Rhetorics of Fantasy by Farah Mendlesohn
2.0
Interesting viewpoint, ultimately disappointing. Mendlesohn’s goal is to categorize works of fantasy fiction using rhetorical analysis. Ostensibly not interested in creating a taxonomy of genres and subgenres based on formal analysis, she nevertheless ends up suggesting hierachies and boxes.
A big oversight - that of many scholars interested in SFF, in my experience - is taking the exceptionality of fantastic fiction as given, and drawing from a limited pool of previous theory, mostly other SFF-related work. A lot of what is presented as qualities of fantasy literature is just as well found in realist literature, and theorized on by earlier scholars. A broader POV might have yielded better results.
There are some inspired readings of individual works, but there’s not much theoretical heft to this book. On a metalevel, though, a good example of SFF being the ”most typical literature in the world” in that it reveals the structures and potential of any kind of literature, and is thus fruitful and attractive material for any theorist.
A big oversight - that of many scholars interested in SFF, in my experience - is taking the exceptionality of fantastic fiction as given, and drawing from a limited pool of previous theory, mostly other SFF-related work. A lot of what is presented as qualities of fantasy literature is just as well found in realist literature, and theorized on by earlier scholars. A broader POV might have yielded better results.
There are some inspired readings of individual works, but there’s not much theoretical heft to this book. On a metalevel, though, a good example of SFF being the ”most typical literature in the world” in that it reveals the structures and potential of any kind of literature, and is thus fruitful and attractive material for any theorist.