Fantasy Wallpapers

Fantasy - photo wallpapers; Galawallpapers.com : In literature, fantasy is a form of speculative fiction in which physical laws differ from our own through a reason for which no scientific explanation is offered, or which take place a world wholly different from our own. In the context of speculative fiction, if science fiction is considered a genre of what could be, and alternate history a genre of what might have been, fantasy is the genre of what is (or was) not. In its broadest sense, fantasy covers works by many authors, from ancient myths and legends to some recent works embraced by mainstream literary audiences.
Characteristics of fantasy fiction and its many overlapping sub-genres are the subjects of debate among some fans and writers. A critical characteristic is that the world feature some difference from Earth that is not a result of science or technology, but rather the result of magic or other anomalous phenomena. But, again, definitions and opinions on the proper classification differ. As a genre, fantasy is both associated and contrasted with science fiction and horror fiction. All three genres feature elements of the fantastic, of making radical departures from reality or radical speculations about what reality might be like, or might have been like. Some writers and critics prefer the term speculative fiction due to the frequent crossover from one genre to another. Further blurring the definition, some suggest there is a distinction between the fantasy genre and the fantastic, the latter being a fantasy-like element in other fiction.
Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. The genre is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by overall look, feel, and theme of the individual work, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction). In its broadest sense, fantasy covers works by many writers, artists, and musicians, from ancient myths and legends, to many recent works embraced by a wide audience today. Popular American author Raymond E. Feist, who has sold millions fantasy novels beginning in the 1980s, has stated that the essence of his work is to place ordinary people in extraordinary situations, and conjecture how they may react. See also human condition.
History: Though the genre in its modern sense is less than two centuries old, its antecedents have a long and distinguished history. Beginning perhaps with the Epic of Gilgamesh and the earliest written documents known to humankind, mythic and other elements that would eventually come to define fantasy and its various subgenres have been a part of some of the grandest and most celebrated works of literature. From The Odyssey to Beowulf, from the Mahabharata to The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, from the Ramayana to the Journey to the West, and from the Arthurian legend and medieval romance to the epic poetry of the Divine Comedy, fantastical adventures featuring brave heroes and heroines, deadly monsters, and secret arcane realms have inspired many audiences. In this sense, the history of fantasy and the history of literature are inextricably intertwined. The history of modern fantasy literature begins with George MacDonald, the Scottish author of such novels as The Princess and the Goblin and Phantastes, the latter of which is widely considered to be the first fantasy novel ever written for adults. MacDonald was a major influence on both J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. The other major fantasy author of this era was William Morris, a popular English poet who wrote several novels in the latter part of the century including The Well at the Worlds End. Despite MacDonalds future influence, and Morris contemporary popularity, it wasnt until the turn of the century that fantasy fiction began to reach a large audience. Edward Plunkett, better known as Lord Dunsany established the genres popularity both in the novel and short story form. Many popular mainstream authors also began to write fantasy at this time including H. Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling and Edgar Rice Burroughs. These authors, along with Abraham Merritt established what was known as the Lost World sub-genre, which was the most popular form of fantasy in the early decades of the 20th century although several classic childrens fantasies such as Peter Pan and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz were also published around this time. In 1923 the first all-fantasy fiction magazine, Weird Tales, was created. Many other similar magazines eventually followed, most noticably The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The pulp magazine format was at the height of its popularity at this time and was instrumental in bringing fantasy fiction to a wide audience in both the U.S. and Britain. Such magazines were also instumental in the rise of science fiction and it was at this time the two genres began to be associated with each other. By 1950 Sword and Sorcery fiction had began to find a wide audience, with the success of Howards Conan the Barbarian and Fritz Leibers Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories. However, it was the advent of high fantasy, and most of all the popularity of J. R. R. Tolkiens The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the late 1960s that allowed fantasy to truly enter the mainstream. Several other series such as C. S. Lewiss Chronicles of Narnia and Ursula K. Le Guins Earthsea helped cement the genres popularity.
The popularity of the fantasy genre has continued to increase in the 21st century, as evidenced by the best-selling status of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter. Several fantasy film adaptations have achieved blockbuster status, most notably The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.

This site contains a large collection of celebrity wallpapers, movie wallpaper, animal wallpaper (Desktop Wallpapers) for your computer desktop.The terms wallpaper and desktop picture refer to an image used as a background on a computer screen, usually for the desktop of a graphical user interface. Wallpaper is the term used in Microsoft Windows, while the Mac OS calls it a desktop picture (prior to Mac OS X, the term desktop pattern was used to refer to a small pattern that was repeated to fill the screen).Typical categories can include cars, models celebrities, scenery, abstract art, movies, pets, family, symmetry, and the users own photos.