Excellent post, Squatter [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Of course the genre definitions crumble under any critical evaluation. And as I posted earlier, I think any elitism arising from an sword-and-sorcey fetish is misplaced. It is we, the reader, that exercise our imaginations upon the words of any author.
In fact I tend to baulk at the 'fantasy' genre as such. Surely many of the great triumphs of imaginative, fantastic and inspiring literature actually fall outside the boundaries placed by niche-marketing labels ... Borges, Oscar Wilde, Allende, etc. etc. along with all the examples of Squatter.
The labels are perhaps there to make life easier for people who do NOT wish to be challenged or inspired, but who wish to be comforted by what they find familiar and unthreatening (for whatever reason).
On the other hand, when in a bookshop I admit I ALWAYS steer clear of the Romance section [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img].
Peace [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Kalessin
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