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The following article examines the portrayal of Indigenous peoples and traditions in modern horror fiction written by non-Indigenous Euro-American authors. While the figures of the noble savage, beautiful maiden and victim of white progress are some of the most enduring stereotypes associated with indigeneity, in this article I demonstrate how in modern horror Indigenous characters and traditions serve as the embodiment of evil, which the White protagonists need to defeat to ensure their own survival. If any Indigenous characters appear in these narratives, they do so mostly in the roles of helpers, which contributes to the marginalization of Indigenous characters in the genre. To illustrate these problems, I draw examples from a number of horror stories ranging from classic to pulp fiction in order to expose the genre’s latent colonial rhetoric, which reinforces the simulation of Indigenous presence in contemporary culture – a phenomenon analysed by the Anishinaabe scholar, Gerald Vizenor, whose work will provide a theoretical background for my investigation.

The aim of this article is to investigate the works of Charles de Lint in order to evaluate their position within the genre of urban fantasy. The theoretical framework is adopted from Stefan Ekman’s article “Urban Fantasy: A Literature of the Unseen” (2016) which investigates the genre’s development and formulates a list of its most distinctive features. While this article uses Ekman’s study to examine de Lint’s fictional cities, it also indicates how de Lint’s works challenge Ekman’s analysis. Moreover, the article demonstrates how de Lint’s concern with problems of urban communities transforms his works into narratives of social inclusion, which are particularly significant in the age of the Anthropocene.

The aim of this paper is to examine Charles de Lint’s novel Widdershins(2006), whose main theme is an interspecies war for the American land. The paper demonstrates how, by exploring the themes of Indigenous suffering, belief in species interconnectedness, reverence for the natural world, and approach to trauma, the novel participates in the deconstruction of colonial structures present in the concept of the Anthropocene. The paper also engages de Lint’s novel in a dialogue with the studies on the Anthropocene to prove that, by providing its readers with alternative modes of thinking, fantasy fiction can contribute to the cognitive change required to save our planet from human-wrought destruction.

The aim of this article is to analyze the portrayal of Native Americans in Orson Scott Card’s The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987-2003). The series is an alternative history of America in the early 19th century, which allows Card to condemn the country’s colonial history, particularly the institution of slavery and the plight of Native Americans. Nevertheless, in spite of his obvious sympathy for Native Americans, Card does not manage to avoid all of the traps awaiting a non-Native author writing about Indigenous people. The following article examines the series’ portrayal of Native Americans, demonstrating how the author both empowers his Indigenous characters and undermines their empowerment. The framework for the proposed analysis is provided by Gerald Vizenor’s theories regarding the simulation of Native presence in dominant culture, the persistence of stereotypical indians, the concept of survivance, and the possible retrieval of Indigenous sovereignty. O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a representação de nativo- americanos em The Tales of Alvin Maker de Orson Scott Card (1987-2003). A série é uma história alternativa dos Estadus Unidos no início do século 19, o que permite que Card condene a história colonial do país, particularmente a instituição da escravidão e a situação dos nativo-americanos. No entanto, apesar de sua óbvia simpatia pelos nativo-americanos, Card não consegue evitar todas as armadilhas que aguardam um autor não nativo escrevendo sobre os povos indígenas. O artigo a seguir examina a representação dos nativo-americanos na série de Card, demonstrando como o autor tanto fortalece seus personagens indígenas quanto minimiza seu empoderamento . A estrutura para a análise proposta é fornecida pelas teorias de Gerald Vizenor sobre a simulação da presença indígena na cultura dominante, a persistência do estereótipo do índio, o conceito de sobrevivência e a possível recuperação da soberania indígena.

The aim of the following paper is to examine the conflict between the cultof the Mother Goddess and Christianity, which affects King Arthur’s reign in MarionZimmer Bradley’s original retelling of Arthurian legends – The Mists of Avalon (1983).The religious conflict presented in the novel is inextricably linked with representationsof femininity and the figures of Morgaine (Morgan le Fay) and Queen Gwenhwyfar, whoare dedicated, respectively, to Avalon and the Church. By investigating both women’sbeliefs, actions, and relationship with Arthur, this paper will demonstrate how in Bradley’sretelling the transition from the worship of the Goddess to Christianity conditions KingArthur’s reign and ultimately contributes to his downfall.

This essay investigates the theme of female empowerment in William Morris's late prose romances: The Wood Beyond the World (1894), The Well at the World's End (1896), and The Water of the Wondrous Isles (1897). The comparative analysis of these narratives offered here demonstrates how Morris, a Victorian writer, gradually liberates his heroines from stereotypical constructs of femininity generated by the tradition of chivalric romances and Victorian sensibility.

The following article explores the similarities between Polish Indian novels (written mostly in the second half of the 20th century) and modern fantasy fiction in an effort to argue that the former should not be examined–and then criticized–only in terms of their idealized representations of Native American tribes and life in the wilderness. To demonstrate the parallel between these Indian novels and fantasy fiction, this article will first analyze how the works of Polish writers and fantasy narratives are motivated by similar desires. It will then examine the Indian novels in the context of John H. Timmerman’s study on the six generic traits of fantasy. This perspective will allow us to circumvent the question of authenticity in representation, and instead acknowledge the significance of the Indian novels for the readers and writers of the People’s Republic of Poland.

The following paper analyzes how fantasy literature addresses the topic of religion. The discussion of the genre’s dependence on myths, supported by Mircea Eliade’s claims about the sacred and profane spheres of human life, offers an answer to the questions why religion is one of the most prominent themes in fantasy fiction. The analysis of a selected group of fantasy novels (the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, C. S. Lewis, Guy Gavriel Kay, Celia S. Friedman, Jack Vance, Poul Anderson, Philip Pullman, Dave Duncan, George R. R. Martin, and Brandon Sanderson) presents various ways in which a fantasy narrative may approach religious themes: by inventing secondary religions that enrich the imaginary realm, by reworking particular religious themes and turning them into an axis of the narrative, and by supporting, promoting, or criticizing a certain faith through the means of fantasy fiction.