Collision of Realities: Establishing Research on the Fantastic in Europe

Even though the fantastic (in its most inclusive definition) has been a part of our culture for as long as it exists it has not been a prominent feature of European academic interest. With its inherent transgressive moment the fantastic allows for an ideal space of the cultural negotiation of political social and physical boundaries which should place it at the center of popular cultural research not as is the case at its periphery. But the commencing boom of fantastic themes in contemporary media production has facilitated a paradigmatic change in research prompting a wide interest in t he fantastic in all its forms from fantasy to horror from fairy tale to science fiction. This volume addresses this growing interest by reviewing the status of research on the fantastic in Europe so far and by providing a necessary outlook for the future. In the essays current trends such as the liminality debate as well as established discourses as for example on genre theory are brought together to show interested researchers a network of interdisciplinary (from literary media and social studies) approaches towards the fantastic.