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21st Century Literature from

the Philippines and the World
Quarter 2 – Module 7:
Elements of Fantasy Fiction
Learning Area – 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 7: Elements of Fantasy Fiction
First Edition, 2020

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written for the learners. After going
through this module, the learner is expected to:
1. demonstrate understanding of fantasy fiction;
2. analyze a fantasy fiction by identifying its basic elements
3. appreciate the use of multimedia in sharing the lessons learned
from a fantasy fiction
(EN-12Lit-IId-25)

What I Know

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your

answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. It is an imaginative story, especially one dealing with supernatural or

unnatural events or characters.
a. science fiction b. fantasy fiction c. memoir d. detective story
2. Which of the following is not an element of fantasy?
a. magic b. quest c. fight between evil and good
d. undetailed settings

3. Which of the following is a subgenre of fantasy?

a. flash fiction b. creative nonfiction c. magical realism
d. chick literature

4. The Lightning Thief; A Percy Jackson Story is an example of:

a. high fantasy b. epic fantasy c. mythology d. dark fantasy
5. In fantasy the character’s action is based on:
a. setting b. archetypes c. magic d. power

Lesson Elements of Fantasy

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 1 Fiction

What’s In

In the previous lessons, we talked about the elements of short story.

Let us find the important terms that you can still remember about the
elements of short story.
Direction: Re-arrange the jumbled letters to be able to decode the
elements of short story. Opposite is the meaning of each element to give you
a clue.
1. T-N-G-S-T-E-I refers to the time and place of the story
2. H-T-R-C-A-E-A-C people or animals who take part in the story
3. P-O-L-T the sequence of events in the story
4. M-E-H-E-T the central idea in a short story
5. N-O-C-C-T-I-L-F the problem in the story

What’s New

In this module, you will learn about the basic elements of fantasy
fiction. Read the summary of the fantasy novel “Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone’ and answer the essential questions that follow.
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER‟S STONE
J. K. Rowling

Retrieved from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/harrypotter/summary.html,

retrieved on January 4, 2016.

Mr. Dursley, a well-off Englishman, notices strange happenings on his way

to work one day. That night, Albus Dumbledore, the head of a wizardry
academy called Hogwarts, meets Professor McGonagall, who also teaches at
Hogwarts, and a giant named Hagrid outside the Dursley home. Dumbledore

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tells McGonagall that someone named Voldemort has killed a Mr. and Mrs.
Potter and tried unsuccessfully to kill their baby son, Harry. Dumbledore
leaves Harry with an explanatory note in a basket in front of the Dursley
home.

Ten years later, the Dursley household is dominated by the Dursleys‘ son,
Dudley, who torments and bullies Harry. Dudley is spoiled, while Harry is
forced to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. At the zoo on Dudley‘s
birthday, the glass in front of a boa constrictor exhibit disappears,
frightening everyone. Harry is later punished for this incident.

Mysterious letters begin arriving for Harry. They worry Mr. Dursley, who
tries to keep them from Harry, but the letters keep arriving through every
crack in the house. Finally, he flees with his family to a secluded island
shack on the eve of Harry‘s eleventh birthday. At midnight, they hear a large
bang on the door and Hagrid enters. Hagrid hands Harry an admissions
letter to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry learns that
the Dursleys have tried to deny Harry‘s wizardry all these years.

The next day, Hagrid takes Harry to London to shop for school supplies.
First they go to the wizard bank, Gringotts, where Harry learns that his
parents have left him a hefty supply of money. They shop on the
wizards‘ commercial street known as Diagon Alley, where Harry is fitted for
his school uniform. Harry buys books, ingredients for potions, and, finally, a
magic wand—the companion wand to the evil Voldemort‘s.

A month later, Harry goes to the train station and catches his train to
Hogwarts on track nine and three quarters. On the train, Harry befriends
other first-year students like Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, a Muggle
girl chosen to attend Hogwarts. At school, the first-years take turns putting
on the ―Sorting Hat‖ to find out in which residential house they will live.
Harry fears being assigned to the sinister Slytherin house, but he, Ron, and
Hermione end up in the noble Gryffindor house.

As the school year gets underway, Harry discovers that his Potions professor,
Snape, does not like him. Hagrid reassures Harry that Snape has no reason
to dislike him. During their first flying lesson on broomsticks, the students

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are told to stay grounded while the teacher takes an injured boy named
Neville to the hospital. Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin bully, snatches Neville‘s
prized toy and flies off with it to the top of a tree. Harry flies after him.
Malfoy throws the ball in the air, and Harry speeds downward, making a
spectacular catch. Professor McGonagall witnesses this incident. Instead of
punishing Harry, she recommends that he play Quidditch, a much-loved
game that resembles soccer played on broomsticks, for Gryffindor. Later
that day, Malfoy challenges Harry to a wizard‘s duel at midnight. Malfoy
doesn‘t show up at the appointed place, and Harry almost gets in trouble.
While trying to hide, he accidentally discovers a fierce three-headed dog
guarding a trapdoor in the forbidden third-floor corridor.

On Halloween, a troll is found in the building. The students are all escorted
back to their dormitories, but Harry and Ron sneak off to find Hermione,
who is alone and unaware of the troll. Unwittingly, they lock the troll in the
girls‘ bathroom along with Hermione. Together, they defeat the troll.
Hermione tells a lie to protect Harry and Ron from being punished. During
Harry‘s first Quidditch match, his broom jerks out of control. Hermione
notices Snape staring at Harry and muttering a curse. She concludes that
he is jinxing Harry‘s broom, and she sets Snape‘s clothes on fire. Harry
regains control of the broom and makes a spectacular play to win the
Quidditch match.

For Christmas, Harry receives his father‘s invisibility cloak, and he explores
the school, unseen, late at night. He discovers the Mirror of Erised, which
displays the deepest desire of whoever looks in it. Harry looks in it and sees
his parents alive. After Christmas, Harry, Ron, and Hermione begin to
unravel the mysterious connection between a break-in at Gringotts and the
three-headed guard dog. They learn that the dog is guarding the Sorcerer‘s
Stone, which is capable of providing eternal life and unlimited wealth to its
owner and belongs to Nicolas Flamel, Dumbledore‘s old partner.

A few weeks later, Hagrid wins a dragon egg in a poker game. Because it is
illegal to own dragons, Harry, Ron, and Hermione contact Ron‘s older
brother, who studies dragons. They arrange to get rid of the dragon but get
caught. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are severely punished, and Gryffindor is
docked 150 points. Furthermore, part of their punishment is to go into the
enchanted forest with Hagrid to find out who has been killing unicorns
recently. In the forest, Harry comes upon a hooded man drinking unicorn
blood. The man tries to attack Harry, but Harry is rescued by a friendly

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centaur who tells him that his assailant was Voldemort. Harry also learns
that it is Voldemort who has been trying to steal the Sorcerer‘s Stone.

Harry decides that he must find the stone before Voldemort does. He, Ron,
and Hermione sneak off that night to the forbidden third-floor corridor. They
get past the guard dog and perform many impressive feats as they get closer
and closer to the stone. Harry ultimately finds himself face to face with
Quirrell, who announces that Harry must die. Knowing that Harry desires to
find the stone, Quirrell puts Harry in front of the Mirror of Erised and makes
him state what he sees. Harry sees himself with the stone in his pocket, and
at that same moment he actually feels it in his pocket. But he tells Quirrell
that he sees something else. A voice tells Quirrell that the boy is lying and
requests to speak to Harry face to face. Quirrell removes his turban and
reveals Voldemort‘s face on the back of his head. Voldemort, who is
inhabiting Quirrell‘s body, instructs Quirrell to kill Harry, but Quirrell is
burned by contact with the boy. A struggle ensues and Harry passes out.
When Harry regains consciousness, he is in the hospital with Dumbledore.
Dumbledore explains that he saved Harry from Quirrell just in time. He
adds that he and Flamel have decided to destroy the stone. Harry heads
down to the end-of-year banquet, where Slytherin is celebrating its seventh
consecutive win of the house championship cup. Dumbledore gets up and
awards many last-minute points to Gryffindor for the feats of Harry and his
friends, winning the house cup for Gryffindor. Harry returns to London to
spend the summer with the Dursleys.

Essential Questions:

1. What subgenre of fantasy is the story?

2. Describe the setting of the story.
3. Who are the characters in the story? Describe them.
4. Identify some scenes or parts in the story that show fantasy.
5. What part of the story did you enjoy most? Why?
6. What makes fantasy fiction unique compare to other genres?

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 What is It

FANTASY FICTION AND ITS ELEMENTS

What is fantasy fiction?

 Fantasy fiction is an imaginative story, especially one

dealing with supernatural or unnatural events or
characters.
 Fantasy writing must be grounded in both truth and life
experience if it is to work. It can be as inventive and
creative as the writer can make it, a whirlwind of images
and plot twists, but it cannot be built on a foundation of
air. (Terry Brooks - Author of Shannara Series)
 Fantasy allows you to bend the world and the situation to
more clearly focus on the moral aspects of what's
happening. In fantasy you can distill life down to the
essence of your story. (Terry Goodkind - Author The Sword
of Truth Series)
 Fantasy opens the door to experiencing the magic that is in
the world around us and more importantly the magic in
ourselves. As a genre, fantasy is about moving from our
world into the world of experiences beyond. By tapping into
those experiences we come to know more about ourselves.
(T.A. Barron)
 There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real
world, and other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like this are
worlds of the human imagination: their reality, or lack of
reality, is not important. What is important is that they are
there. These worlds provide an alternative. Provide an
escape. Provide a threat. Provide a dream, and power;
provide refuge, and pain. They give your world meaning.
They do not exist; and thus they are all that matters. (Neil
Gaiman - Author Good Omens)

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Fantasy Genre Elements

 Often based on myth or legend

 Detailed settings
 Magic generally involved
 Fight between good and evil (good usually wins)
 Often features a quest for/with a Talisman
 “Coming of Age” theme
 Treachery
 Fictional creatures and creations
 Romance/Strong Friendship

Subgenres of Fantasy Literature

Arthurian Fantasy- Relates to story of King Arthur and the Knights of the
Round Table
Examples:
Merlin, Guinevere (Arthur’s Wife), Igraine (Arthur’s Mother), Uther
Pendragon (Arthur’s father), Morgan Le Fay, (Arthur’s sister, Lancelot, Sir
Gawain, Tristan & Isolde, Lady of the Lake, Mordred Pellinore, Green
Knight

Comic Fantasy- Stories that are spoofs of serious fantasies or are light-
hearted tales
Examples: Myth Series by Robert Asprin, The Discworld Series by terry
Pratchett

Dark Fantasy- The nastier, darker side of fantasy Nightmarish Evil

creatures and magic
Example: Interview with the Vampire by Ann Rice

Epic Fantasy -Young nobody shoved into a struggle; often has a large cast
of characters and takes place over a vast area of a fantastical world;
focuses on good versus evil.
Example: The Lord of the Rings

High Fantasy- Almost Middle Ages feel; wizards, dragons, etc.; hero is
often “muscle-bound sword-wielding” type.
Example: Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Fairy Tales and Mythology- The original fantasy literature: Myths of

ancient cultures Fairy Tales for young (and old) children Often a lesson is
learned (moral to the story .
Example: Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Lightning Thief; A Percy Jackson Story

Magical Realism- “In magical realism, the supernatural is not displayed as

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questionable. While the reader realizes that the rational and irrational are
opposite and conflicting polarities, they are not disconcerted because the
supernatural is integrated within the norms of perception of the narrator
and characters in the fictional world” (Lindsey Moore. “Magical Realism”)
Example: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriela Garcia Marquez

Modern Fantasy- A sub-genre of fantasy which posits that magic exists in

our modern-day world, and often wrestles with contemporary issues.
Examples: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

FEATURES OF LITERARY ELEMENTS OF FANTASY FICTION

Plot

Plot is always a natural serial sequence. It is simple, predictable and

often patterned on- the schedule of birth, growth, and death, the
seasonal cycle, on the hero’s journey of separation, quest, and
reconciliation/salvation.
The action is often stylized or ritualized.
The character’s actions often based on traditional roles and
archetypes rather than on personal motivation
Archetypes are universal symbols that encapsulate the collectively
inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc. that is
universally present in people. Example: for male archetypes
chief- leader; tough; goal-oriented
The best friend-kind, responsive
Female archetypes- the free spirit-fun; irresistible
The waif-damsel in distress
Setting

Usually set in primitively natural surroundings

Medieval nature is usually magicalized rather than scientifically
explained and is often emblematic and symbolic rather than literal
Although magic works, it is not random and there are usually
elaborate rules to govern the use of magic but no explanations for
why magic works
Characters

Usually a few human beings are surrounded by proto- people or

para-people who represent transformations of basic human traits:
wizards, witches, elves, fairies, gnomes, dwarves, goblins, trolls,
sprites, angels, and devils etc.
Style/Mood/Tone

The style is often “folk” or “oral”

Using simple vocabulary
Lots of repetition
Not much simile or metaphor since the setting itself tends to supply

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 the metaphor
In ‘sword and sorcery fantasy’, the simple style is replaced by
baroque, ornate, bombastically stylized diction which is often
deliberately archaic.
The story in either case may be studded with proverbs, formulaic
wisdom and clichés.
Theme
Fantasy tends to concentrate on the psychological character of
archetypal truths and experiences-birth, growth, wisdom, pain, love,
sin, guilt, beauty, discipline, good and evil, sacrifice, and death
The stories lead to statements about human beings’ encounters with
their inner selves.
Fantasy tends to be used easily as religious or spiritual readings.

What’s More

Activity 1. Read again the summary of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Complete the graphic organizer below that shows the literary elements of fantasy
fiction.

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Activity 2

Using PowerPoint Presentation, create your own fantasy movie poster. Send
your output to your teacher via messenger. Refer to the rubrics below.

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 What I Have Learned
Directions: Reflect on what you have learned from fantasy fiction. On your
Facebook wall, post your thoughts about your review on the story of Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

What I Can Do

Directions: Post your movie poster on your Class FB page. Generate likes
and comments from your classmates.

Assessment

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your

answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. It is an imaginative story, especially one dealing with supernatural or

unnatural events or characters.
A. Fantasy fiction B. science fiction C. memoir d. flash fiction
2. It focuses on good versus evil.
A. High fantasy
B. Epic fantasy
C. Magical realism
D. Fairy tale and mythology

3. It is the original fantasy literature.

A. Fairy tale and mythology
B. Arthurian Fantasy
C. High fantasy

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 D. Dark fantasy

4. They are universal symbols that encapsulate the collectively inherited

unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc. that is universally
present in people.
A. Constellation
B. Symbolism
C. Archetypes
D. Stereotypes

5. These are elements of fantasy.

A. magic
B. treachery
C. detailed settings
D. all of the above
6. It is always a natural serial sequence.
A. plot
B. setting
C. character
D. theme

7. The characters in fantasy fiction could be:

A. robots
B. talking machines
C. wizards
D. ghost

8. Who is the author of the story “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone?
A. J.K. Rowling
B. Catherine Lim
C. Franz Kafka
D. Suzane Collins

9. The main character in the story is:

A. Harry
B. Dumbledore
C. Voldemort
D. Hermione

10. What subgenre of fantasy fiction is the story?

A. High fantasy
B. Dark fantasy
C. Epic fantasy

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 D. Fairy Tales and Mythology

11. From the story, which of the following is not a fantasy element?
A. Hagrid
B. Dudley
C. flying broomstick
D. invisibility cloak
12. What is the purpose of the Sorcerer’s Stone?

A. it provides eternal life and unlimited wealth

B. it provides eternal youth and beauty

C. it can cure illness

D. it can curse bad people

13. This is the wizardry academy.

A. Hogwarts B. Fantasia C. Majika D. Fantastica

14. What is the theme of the story?

A. courage b. death c. loneliness d. freedom

15. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneak off that night to the forbidden
third-

floor corridor. What element of fantasy is shown?

A. magical B. strong friendship C. fight between good and evil

D. detailed setting

Additional Activities

Directions: Using the resources available at your home, imitate the

fantasy characters in the story “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”.
Capture a selfie photo of yours and post it in your Facebook Wall. Write the
name of the character that you portray and give short explanation why you
like that character. Ask your classmates to react and give comments about
your photo.

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Answer Key

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What’s More, Activity 1

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References
BOOKS:
Mendoza, Paul Anthony B. et. al., 2016. 21st Century Literature from the
Philippines and the World. Plaridel, Bulacan. St. Andrew Publishing House.

Alternative Delivery Mode, Module in 21st Century Literature from the

Philippines and the World-Department of Education Region IV-A-
CALABARZON
Quarter 1-Module 5-Elements of Short Story, First Edition, 2020

WEBSITE:
Analysis of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Retrieved from https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/harrypotter/facts/
Characteristics of Fantasy and Futuristic Fiction
Retrieved from www.wcpss.net › Fantasy-Science Fiction versus Fantasy

Elements of Fantasy

Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/kbbandrowski/fantasy-

elements
https://www.slideshare.net/jtrometter/elements-of-fantasy-literature
https://www.slideshare.net/Arcadoom/fantasy-14741453
Movie Poster Rubric-Retrieved from www.gcit.org
Summary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Retrieved from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/harrypotter/summary.html,
retrieved on January 4, 2016.

What is Fantasy Literature?

Retrieved from
https://www.scasd.org/cms/lib/PA01000006/Centricity/Domain/1252/Fa
ntasy%20Lecture%20Day%201.pdf

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