Fantasy trope

Common card · No. 462242

A fantasy trope is a specific type of literary trope (recurring theme) that occurs in fantasy fiction. Worldbuilding, plot, and characterization have many common conventions, many of them having ultimately originated in myth and folklore. J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium (and in particular, The Lord of the Rings) for example, was inspired from a variety of different sources including Germanic, Finnish, Celtic and Slavic myths. Literary fantasy works operate using these tropes, sometimes in a revisionist manner. Tropes can be subverted or played with in many ways, including for comedic effect, though any approaches to storytelling conventions can eventually become clichés if they are well-worn.

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