New exhibition Fantasy: Realms of Imagination is now on at the British Library

The British Library celebrates the worlds created with over a hundred items including historical manuscripts, rare first editions & much more…

Critical Popcorn

Nov 14, 2023

6–8 minutes

Alan Garner, Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, ancient folk tales, Angela Carter, Beowulf, Books, British Library, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, C.S Lewis, China Miéville, E. Nesbit, fairy stories, Fantasy: Realms of Imagination, Gormenghast, Gothic Horror, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jeannette Ng, Late at the Library, Lewis Carroll, live action role-playing games, London, London Events, Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, Mervyn Peake, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, N.K. Jemisin, Neil Gaiman, Pan’s Labyrinth, Princess Mononoke, Rudolf Nureyev, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Susanna Clarke, Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic, The Dark Crystal, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Lord of the Rings, The Magic City, The Owl Service, The Sleeping Beauty, Ursula K. Le Guin, Wayland Games, weird fiction, Wicked

Now this sounds like a wonderful exhibition at the British Library that’s open now, until 25 February 2024!

Fantasy: Realms of Imagination celebrates the worlds created and the evolution of fantasy itself, with over a hundred items including historical manuscripts, rare first editions, drafts of iconic novels, scripts and maps, film props and costumes – individually offers unique insights into the roots and evolution of the genre, and you can book via this link directly – or at the British Library itself!

From ancient folk tales and fairy stories, gothic horror and weird fiction, to live action role-playing games inspired by Fantasy worlds, the exhibition celebrates the genre and its enduring impact. For centuries readers have escaped their everyday lives and journeyed into new worlds filled with magic and adventure, incredible mythical creatures, and heroes and villains that speak to our greatest dreams and fears.

The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the fantastical worlds imagined by writers, artists and creators over the centuries and across continents. Visitors will get to see works from authors as varied as Ursula K. Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, Mervyn Peake, N.K. Jemisin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Susanna Clarke, Angela Carter, Terry Pratchett, China Miéville and Jeannette Ng to name a few.

Highlight objects include:

Unique manuscripts of Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, C.S Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, The Magic City by E. Nesbit, The Owl Service by Alan Garner and The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Ursula K. Le Guin’s drafts and drawings for her Earthsea novels – which are on display in the UK for the first time
Original sketches and outlines for Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake and Michael Palin’s notes for Monty Python And The Holy Grail
The costumes worn by Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in the Royal Opera House’s 1968 ballet production of The Sleeping Beauty and props and costumes from The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Crystal and Wicked
Clips from iconic Fantasy film, television and video games including Princess Mononoke, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pan’s Labyrinth and Skyrim
A playable mini-game by Failbetter Games designed especially for the exhibition, based on the Fallen London universe.

The design of the exhibition allows visitors to journey through different Fantasy landscapes, from a dark enchanted forest, through epic mountains and a sinister fallen city to sunrise on a new world.

The exhibition begins by exploring the Fantasy archetypes that still fascinate us today in ‘Fairy and Folk Tales’ from The Snow Queen to The Arabian Nights and Peter Pan. Visitors will discover how different cultures shape local legend and reflect on the conflict between destiny and choice, how frightening figures in Fantasy can both repulse and thrill us, and how transformation and metamorphosis can change not only the stories themselves, but also readers and viewers. Highlights include items from Angela Carter’s archive and costumes from the 1968 ballet production of The Sleeping Beauty.

Visitors then enter the world of ‘Epics and Quests’,meet iconic heroes and villains from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to Xena, Warrior Princess, and explore how ancient tales have helped to shape modern Fantasy epics. On display will be a version of Gilgamesh, the oldest known epic story, and there is a rare chance to see items related to The Lord of the Rings, including J.R.R Tolkien’s notes for the 1955-56 BBC Radio adaption of the book. Visitors will also get to see Ursula K. Le Guin’s drafts and drawings for her Earthsea novels – which are on display in the UK for the first time.

The ‘Weird and Uncanny’ section focuses on iconic monsters, sinister landscapes filled with eerie edifices and the darkness at the heart of Fantasy. Visitors will discover the roots of weirder fantasies in works like Frankenstein and the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, learn how Piranesi’s Carceri etchings inspired the design of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, see how G.K. Chesterton visualised his nightmarish thriller The Man Who Was Thursday and understand how Fantasy presents twisted versions of our reality to reflect our greatest hopes and fears. They’ll also meet strangely sympathetic anti-heroes from Paradise Lost to Gormenghast.

Once they have encountered the strange creatures that haunt the genre, visitors journey into ‘Portals and Worlds’ and discover the richly detailed world-building that makes Fantasy universes unique, and how the sub-genre of Portal Fantasy has shaped the history of children’s literature. On display will be a map of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, original manuscripts of Diana Wynne Jones’ The Dark Lord of Derkholm and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, and costumes and props from The Dark Crystal.The exhibition concludes with a look at the impact of fan culture. It features live action role-play costumes, an exploration of fan fiction and filmed interviews with fans exploring what Fantasy means to them, recognising the creativity and innovation that fans have brought to the genre.

Tanya Kirk, Lead Curator of Fantasy: Realms of Imagination at the British Library, said:

‘Fantasy is hugely influential today but it has roots that are far older than many imagine. For centuries, people have loved stories about impossibility, and they’ve responded to Fantasy’s ability to provide us with both an escape but also a way to view our own world from a new perspective. This exhibition tells the story of the genre, from its origins to the enormously rich and diverse forms it takes today. We wanted visitors to feel they were on a journey into imagination, and to experience the genre across different media – not only rare printed books and original manuscripts, but also film, TV, art, music, gaming, costume and fan culture.’

Accompanying Fantasy will be a display in the Entrance Hall of the Library, The Fantastical World of Mervyn Peake: Islands and Seas (24 November – 25 February 2024) which will showcase the richness of the Mervyn Peake Visual Archive. The archive was acquired by the British Library in 2020 and includes works from Peake’s unpublished Moccus Book (1929), as well as images from Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor (1939), Treasure Island (1949) and The Swiss Family Robinson (c.1950).

There is also a season of in-person and online events inspired by the exhibition, with a Late at the Library filled with musical performances and art inspired by the electronic music duo Drexciya and the fantasy mythos they created, with a live performance by Dopplereffekt and talk from Drexciya collaborator Abdul Qadim Haqq. The Library will also be celebrating fantasy literary classics with Neil Gaiman and Rob Wilkins marking the 40^th anniversary of Terry Pratchett’s first Discworld novel The Colour of Magic and Susan Cooper in conversation with Natalie Haynes on the 50^th anniversary of her best-selling novel The Dark is Rising, alongside events exploring the legacies of J.R.R Tolkien, Angela Carter, Ursula K. Le Guin and Mervyn Peake. There will also be events exploring queer representation in fantasy, world-building in fantasy films and games and a celebration of Dungeons and Dragons which turns 50 next year, alongside in conversation events with writers including Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, Susanna Clarke and Rebecca F. Kuang, Alan Moore and artists Alan Lee, Terri Windling and Brian and Wendy Froud. There is also an event series in partnership with Irenosen Okojie’s Afrofuturist festival Black to the Future, with special events Genre Marauders and Imaginary Cities exploring Afrofuturism and the work of Black British creators across art and literature, including Tade Thompson, N.K Jemisin, Victor La Valle and others.

fantasy-realms-of-imagination

Fantasy: Realms of Imagination runs at the British Library from 27 October 2023 – 25 February 2024. The exhibition was made possible with support from Wayland Games and The Unwin Charitable Trust, with thanks to The American Trust for the British Library and The B.H. Breslauer Fund of the American Trust for the British Library.

The exhibition will be going on tour after it closes at the British Library, the first confirmed tour venue is the Bowers Museum, USA from October 2024 – February 2025 with more to be announced.