Popular Culture Review Vol. 5, No. 1, February 1994 | Page 90
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towards magic. Readers can further expect a central theme to be
addressed through these elements: the overcoming of obstacles to the
flow of magic. The underlying question is whether the practice of
magic is acceptable~a perfect theme for an imaginative writer—and
the answer is always yes. By some means, generally faith in the self
and in others, misuses of magic are overcome and magical talent is
accepted by the principal characters.
Fantasy, because of its strong yet general framework, tends to
play content against the frame rather than challenging it, an
approach that easily leads to creating hybrids. Fantasy addresses
feminist issues, for instance, through the frame: the practitioner may
be condemned for magic because she is a woman. Fantasy writers tend
to use new content to reconsider form, while science fiction tends to be
reshaped by content. This contrast is evident in the work of Emma
Bull, who writes both fantasy and science fiction. Her fantasy novel.
War for the Oaks, is a hybrid with literary realism, a "contemporary
fantasy," but it retains all the fantasy elements, which dominate.
The story takes place in Minneapolis and all its principal characters
play in a rock band, but some of them are elves and the plot addresses
the central fantasy theme of magical vindication. Bull's science
fiction novels. Falcon and Bone Dance, are looser in form with greater
attention to individual situations.
Regency is a narrower form than fantasy, and its reader
expectations are more specific. There must be titled nobility, country
gentry, and a servant class. There must be contrasts between high and
low life, country and city, and between good and bad characters
irrespective of breeding. Heroes, male or female, are those who
display humor, initiative, and ultimate good sense. Male heroes are
thirty to forty years old, fennales seventeen to late twenties, and
neither has been seriously in love. Regency novels are generally set
in England, though parts also may take place on the Continent,
especially in France. Perhaps most important is the rich texture of
period details and the language of fashion, sport, and (x>pular culture
in general. Whether the hero's coat is made by Weston or Scott is as
momentous as his marriage plans. The slang, in particular, from
drinking "blue ruin" (swilling gin) to being a "mere whipster" (a poor
hand at driving a team) is used so consistently from book to book as to
constitute part of the framework. Much of the plot centers on the