Fantastique is a French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
The fantastique is a substantial genre within French literature. Arguably dating back further than English language fantasy, it remains an active and productive genre which has evolved in conjunction with anglophone fantasy and horror and other French and international literature.
Definition
What is distinctive about the fantastique is the intrusion of supernatural phenomena into an otherwise realist narrative. It evokes phenomena which are not only left unexplained but which are inexplicable from the reader's point of view. In this respect, the fantastique is somewhere between fantasy, where the supernatural is accepted and entirely reasonable in the imaginary world of a non-realist narrative, and magic realism, where apparently supernatural phenomena are explained and accepted as normal. Instead, characters in a work of fantastique are, just like the readers, unwilling to accept the supernatural events that occur. This refusal may be mixed with doubt, disbelief, fear, or some combination of those reactions.
The Fantastique is often linked to a particular ambiance, a sort of tension in the face of the impossible. A good deal of fear is often involved, either because the characters are afraid or because the author wants to provoke fright in the reader. However, fear is not an essential component of fantastique.
Some theorists of literature, such as Tzvetan Todorov, contend that the fantastique is defined by its hesitation between accepting the supernatural as such and trying to rationally explain the phenomena it describes. In that case, the fantastique is nothing more than a transitional area on a spectrum from magic realism to fantasy and does not qualify as a separate literary genre.
History
The Middle Ages
The fantastique began to become defined in the Middle Ages. The old Celtic and Germanic myths were translated from religion (implying belief and worship) into popular folklore (implying belief but not worship).
The root of modern thought about, and artistic depiction of, many things which are today often termed 'supernatural' (such as angels, demons, fairies, witches, etc.) has its beginnings in this period, often called the Middle Ages. Concepts and characters such as Melusine, Harlequin, Oberon, Morgan Le Fay etc., were first given their definitive shapes at this time.
Significant contributions of the times include: The chansons de geste [songs of deeds] such as [The Song of Roland] (c. 1100), Le Roman de Tristan et Iseult [The Romance of Tristan and Ysolde] (c. 1170), Lancelot, ou Le Chevalier de la charrette [Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart] (c. 1177) and Perceval, ou le Conte du Graal [Perceval, or The Tale of the Grail] (c. 1182), both by Chrétien de Troyes. Between 1215 and 1235, Robert de Boron, a successor of Chrétien de Troyes, published Histoire du Saint-Graal [The Story of the Holy Grail], Histoire de Merlin [The Story of Merlin], Le Livre de Lancelot du Lac [The Book of Lancelot of the Lake], La Quête du Saint-Graal [The Quest for the Holy Grail] and La Mort du Roi Arthu [The Death of King Arthur]. These books formed the basis for all subsequent Arthurian legends, and established the now well-known origins of the Holy Grail as the vessel in which Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of Jesus Christ. The fabliaux, satirical fables which relied on the tradition established by Aesop of using anthropomorphic animals such as Le Roman de Renart, generally attributed to the poet Pierre de Saint-Cloud (c. 1175). (By the 14th century, Le Roman de Renart included over 30 books.) Medieval poetry which often employed the supernatural as a mean of literary artifice, such as Le Roman de la Rose [The Romance of the Rose] by Guillaume de Lorris (c. 1230), the ballads of Marie de France (c. 1170), Le Jeu de la Feuillée [The Game of the Leaves] (c. 1275) by Adam de la Halle, and the anonymous Le Livre de la Fontaine Périlleuse [The Book of the Perilous Fountain] (c. 1425). The religious dramas called mysteries and miracle plays which often took several days to perform, and included spectacular stage effects, such as Le Jeu d'Adam [Play of Adam]; La Résurrection du Sauveur [Our Savior's Resurrection]; Le Jeu de Saint Nicolas [Play of Saint Nicolas] by Jean Bodel of Arras and the monumental Le Mystère de la Passion [Mystery of the Passion, or Passion Play] by Arnoul Gréban, organist and choirmaster of Notre Dame de Paris.