BLog #7

Modern Fantasy:
Modern Fantasy is defined as literature that is set in the real world; the author alters one or more characteristics of everyday reality. This literature genre derives from ancient mythology; do the names of these Greek, mythological gods sound familiar: Zeus, Athena, Hades, Hercules. You probably remember them from the Disney cartoon, Hercules. Using legends and myths from long ago can help stimulate imagination and creativity. One of the first Modern Fantasy books was The Odyssey by Homer. I recall reading some of this book during my ninth grade Honors English class. I don’t remember every detail within the bounds of the covers, but I do remember being excited to flip the next page. It is a fun experience to travel to a world in which its reality IS NOT THE NORM. Anything is possible; there are no bounds. I loved reading James in the Giant Peach. The story starts out (it has been awhile since I read it) in reality, then jolts the reader into this alter- world. In the alter- world of modern fantasy books, the unbelievable is believable, the intangible become tangible and the unkown is evident.

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Pagemaster. It is set in a time where libraries are ancient and books are of no interest to children; their only use it to collect dust and disintegrate into the dirt. However a young boy stumbles upon three adventurous books and becomes a part of their reality, rather than his own. Due to his discovery of the magical world of books and how they became a part of his reality, his love and respect for these stories grew indefinitely.

Fun Classroom Activity:
I would have each child write down the following…
· Think of a make-believe place
· What creatures/animals (fictional or real) could be found in your land?
· What is the climate like?
· What could you find there on your land/island/planet?
· What is your place’s name

I would have the students draw illustrations of their make believe place. After gathering their written information I would have them concoct a main character; one whom despises reading books, and who would rather play video games. I would then write a story using their information and illustrations about a child who gets trapped in a book and travels to all sort of places and encounters different creatures and animals. I would have it bound and give a copy to each student. In this they have validly of their capability of adding ideas to a storyline by using their imagination. I would dedicate a day to read the story, discuss and share. I suppose this would be an appropriate activity for a third grade class.

I enjoyed learning about Modern Fantasy and definitely look forward to using teaching methods for this genre.