Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary,
artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and
frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements
of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dread.
Definition
A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude
Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy".
Both Charles L. Grant and Karl Edward Wagner are credited with having
coined the term "dark fantasy"—although both authors were describing
different styles of fiction. Brian Stableford argues "dark fantasy" can
be usefully defined as subgenre of stories that attempt to "incorporate
elements of horror fiction" into the standard formulae of fantasy
stories. Stableford also suggests that supernatural horror set primarily
in the real world is a form of "contemporary fantasy", whereas
supernatural horror set partly or wholly in "secondary worlds" should be
described as "dark fantasy".
Additionally, other authors, critics, and publishers have adopted dark
fantasy to describe various other works. However, these stories rarely
share universal similarities beyond supernatural occurrences and a dark,
often brooding, tone. As a result, dark fantasy cannot be solidly
connected to a defining set of tropes. The term itself may refer
collectively to tales that are either horror-based or fantasy-based.
Some writers also use "dark fantasy" (or "Gothic fantasy") as an
alternative description to "horror", because they feel the latter term
is too lurid or vivid.
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