Varieties of The Fantastic in Fiction

Yoko Ogawa’s beautifully fantastical novel The Memory Police describes a world in which people are forced to forget items little by little, until eventually they forget themselves. During each disappearance, everyone will wake up “[and] feel that something has changed from the night before.” (1) After this, they must get rid of everything remaining of that item, which […]

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“In The Reign of Harad IV” is a fantastical short story that alludes to ideas of craftsmanship, artistry, and the trials that come with these pursuits. Despite the title, the story is focused on a charming, lonely old miniaturist.  The third-person point of view has a logical voice that resists forthright connotation; this, alongside the […]

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