Urban Fantasy


This week I looked into both the film Big Fish and managed to read some of the Anansi Boys for the genre of urban fantasy. There’s something truly fascinating about the outlandish and at times magical details that are sort of just accepted by the “normal” characters or world found is this genre. It’s become a key component that makes it a complete delight to read or watch.

In the Anansi Boys this is seen through circumstances like inviting an estranged, lost bother through a spider in the wall or the subtle conversational drop that your father was the reincarnation of a spider god. The main character Charlie, while being a little surprised, takes this information quite well, and even seeks out other gods when his brother messes with his everyday live.

This characteristic is even more apparent in Big Fish with his father’s ridiculous stories all represented in the most over the top way, but still somehow hold some real truth to them. This seen in tales of witches foretelling your death, meeting a giant on the road, or secret werewolves all told as if they were completely normal. At his funeral fantastical people from these stories pop up and have impact on the main character.

This blissful acceptance of the weird integrating effortlessly into everyday life makes for really surreal aspect of this fun genre. It’s because of this it will find new and interesting ways to mix normal with the abnormal.


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