The Problem of "Low Fantasy"

Everybody knows that High Fantasy means. So it should be easy to define "Low Fantasy," right? NOPE!! Nobody can agree on what it means, and every commonly provided definition contains glaring errors and inconsistencies. This problem has only been exacerbated by the proliferation of "Subgenre explainer" videos on fantasy booktube, where well-meaning people mix-up all of these definitions simultaneously and only spread the confusion farther. Can one man successfully dive into the long and (needlessly complex) history of 20th century fantasy definitions and try to untangle, once and for all, what "low fantasy" means???? MAYBE!! MAYBE NOT!!!! 00:00 Part 0 - The Problem of Subgenre Explainers 08:07 Part 1 - The Problem of "Primary" and "Secondary Worlds" 20:12 Part 2 - The Problem of "Sword-and-Sorcery" 38:42 Part 2.5 - The Problem of "High Fantasy" 50:47 Part 3 - The Problem of "Intrusive Fantasy" 01:03:50 Part 3.5 - The Problem of "Low Fantasy" 01:12:59 Part 4 - The Problem of "Game of Thrones" and Subjective Definitions 01:32:19 Part 5 - Conclusion and the Problem of Booktube Works that I cited: On Fairy Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien Putting a Tag on It by Michael Moorcock On Fantasy-Adventure by George R. Heap Sword-and-Sorcery Response by Fritz Leiber Introduction to Conan by L. Sprague de Camp High Fantasy and Heroic Romance by Peter S. Beagle The Rhetorics of Fantasy by Farah Mendelsohn The A-Z of Fantasy Literature by Brian Stableford Fantasy Literature: A Core Compendium and Reference Guide by Marshall B Tymn, Kenneth J Zahorski, and Robert B. Boyer That Stupid Tax Policy Quote by George R.R. Martin Here's the Reedsy listicle and Danny boy's video if you would like to compare them: https://reedsy.com/discovery/blog/fan...    • Fantasy Sub-Genres EXPLAINED!