Even though the fantastic (in its most inclusive definition) has been a part of our culture for
as long as it exists it has not been a prominent feature of European academic interest. With
its inherent transgressive moment the fantastic allows for an ideal space of the cultural
negotiation of political social and physical boundaries which should place it at the center
of popular cultural research not as is the case at its periphery. But the commencing boom of
fantastic themes in contemporary media production has facilitated a paradigmatic change in
research prompting a wide interest in the fantastic in all its forms from fantasy to horror
from fairy tale to science fiction. This volume addresses this growing interest by reviewing
the status of research on the fantastic in Europe so far and by providing a necessary outlook
for the future. In the essays current trends such as the liminality debate as well as
established discourses as for example on genre theory are brought together to show interested
researchers a network of interdisciplinary (from literary media and social studies) approaches
towards the fantastic.
