The Fantasy Genre and Mythopoetic Aspects in Children’s Literature: Based on Foreign and Kazakh Literature

Abstract

The fantasy genre in children’s literature is a distinct subgenre in literature aimed at children, transporting young readers to a world of imagination. A primary characteristic of the fantasy genre is its depiction of worlds and events that are beyond reality while maintaining a logical structure. Originating in Greek philosophy as φαντασία (imagination), today’s concept of imagination possesses various meanings and fulfills different functions. The article explains the concepts of fantasy, magic, and second worlds through literary dictionaries and the theoretical frameworks of philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, as well as reviews of both foreign and Kazakh researchers’ works. The poetic peculiarities of fairy tales and stories in children’s fantasy literature, both foreign and Kazakh, are analyzed with examples regarding characters and artistic systems. The article also considers anthropocentrism in children’s literature, a phenomenon common to all fantastical works. We identified the distinct features of anthropocentric phenomena in fantasy literature, often portrayed through the figure of a woman possessing magical and mystical powers, characterized by their mastery of magic. This phenomenon’s representation methods in both Kazakh and English literature are examined. Research methods such as hermeneutical, comparative, and comparative-historical analysis were employed.