The description is taken from Dr. Robert Sweetland's Notes​
Characterization
- Characters can have special powers.
- Animals act like people (animorphisism).
Setting
- Place is imaginary or of another world or universe.
- Time is anytime or no time.
- Fantasy time (Once upon a time sets the stage and They lived happily ever after closes the tale.) any time or any place, timeless or placeless, or long long ago.
- Time travel is possible.
Plot
- Varied, but usually suprising twists or developments.
- Involving situations not possible in our realistic world.
- Full of action and follows specific and simple patterns.
- The plot starts right out with fast moving action that grabs the listeners interest and keeps it.
- Conflicts are usually resolved with great deeds or acts of human kindness related to good and bad/evil.
Theme
- Good versus bad or evil.
- Uses magic or other ideas to achieve the extremly impossible.
- Problems of young adults
- Security
- Fear of leaving home
- Fear of not having children
- Fear of not being loved or giving love
- Reflect basic values and concerns of different cultures
- Good and evil
- Right and wrong
- Justice and injustice
- Happiness, kindness, friendship, loyalty
- Good triumphant over evil
- Love and loyalty
- Love and loyalty can transform ...
- Discuss basic values of people
Style
- Use of magic or possibly powers that have no scientific bases yet verified by repeatable evidence.
- Use of mental powers or technologies that are not possible or not yet discovered.
Tone
- Feel that in a magical world the story is plausible.
- Despite the availability of magic the struggle of the characters seems authentic and failure an option.
Point of View
- Could be any. Often third person narrative.