--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I write what publishers call…" description: "\"When I write what publishers call 'fantasy' I am writing in what I think is the most important tradition of fiction: starting with Homer and up through..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/janet-morris-1935_body_when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantas_156638.png" --- # When I write what publishers call 'fantasy' I am writing… ![“When I write what publishers call 'fantasy' I am writing in what I think is the most important tradition of fiction: starting with Homer and up through Shakespeare and Milton, the most important themes to tackle are those of the mythopoeic domain, tales of the body and mind seen through a…” quote by Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/janet-morris-1935_body_when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantas_156638.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/janet-morris-1935_body_when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantas_156638.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/janet-morris-1935_body_when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantas_156638.png) > “When I write what publishers call 'fantasy' I am writing in what I think is the most important tradition of fiction: starting with Homer and up through Shakespeare and Milton, the most important themes to tackle are those of the mythopoeic domain, tales of the body and mind seen through a temperament and a cosmos divorced from current reality so what is said can be more clear.” [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author sees fantasy as a continuation of the ancient literary tradition, using mythic storytelling to explore deep psychological and cosmic themes beyond everyday reality. **In simple terms:** Fantasy continues ancient mythic storytelling to explore deep ideas. Key Takeaway Use mythic narratives to clarify complex ideas. Themes mythology literature psychology cosmos tradition Mood inspired reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing fiction - creative workshops - academic study - worldbuilding Key Concepts mythopoeia archetypes symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How does mythic framing clarify modern issues? - What archetypes resonate most today? A Different Perspective May alienate readers seeking realistic settings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body And Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-and-mind/) [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-writing/) [Domain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domain/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind and body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-and-body/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishers/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Temperament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperament/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Q: Do you have any advice for upcoming writers who want to pen weird stories? A: READ, damn it. Fill your brain to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-e-grau/q-do-you-have-any-advice-for-upcoming-writers-who-want-to-pen-weird/) T.E. Grau > [I have a really good idea for a novel and would like to just kind of try my hand at fiction. I'm starting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/i-have-a-really-good-idea-for-a-novel-and-would-like-to-just-kind-of/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [If you can have a show that has quite strong morals and cover important themes but be able to put them out to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-speleers/if-you-can-have-a-show-that-has-quite-strong-morals-and-cover/) [Ed Speleers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-speleers/) > [I believe that love is the greatest mystery in everyone's lives, and therefore it is one of the most important themes in cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-song/i-believe-that-love-is-the-greatest-mystery-in-everyone-s-lives-and/) [Celine Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-song/) > [A good headline is far more than a summary. It has to characterize, in a few brief words, the most important themes and news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-conrad/a-good-headline-is-far-more-than-a-summary-it-has-to-characterize-in/) [Parker Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-conrad/) > [For me, life and death are very important themes. There is no life without death. That's why it's very important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/for-me-life-and-death-are-very-important-themes-there-is-no-life/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [I think that books for young people should have serious and important themes, they shouldn't be trivial. So the books I write, they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/i-think-that-books-for-young-people-should-have-serious-and-important/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [“You ought to give up detecting and try fantasy writing, Strike”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/you-ought-to-give-up-detecting-and-try-fantasy-writing-strike/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [My first seven novels were contemporary spiritual novels, my next nine had strong elements of fantasy, and now I'm writing thrillers, more as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-first-seven-novels-were-contemporary-spiritual-novels-my-next-nine/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [“Ridiculous," he said breathlessly. "You ought to give up detecting and try fantasy writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/ridiculous-he-said-breathlessly-you-ought-to-give-up-detecting-and/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“Dismissing fantasy writing because some of it is bad is exactly like saying I'm not reading Jane Eyre because it is a romance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/dismissing-fantasy-writing-because-some-of-it-is-bad-is-exactly-like/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [When I turned to writing fantasy, and writing for young people, it was joyous. It was like discovering an underground lake of ideas that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/when-i-turned-to-writing-fantasy-and-writing-for-young-people-it-was/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [As a generalization, fantasy writing has leaned more on political storytelling the more it's tried to escape the inevitable influence of Middle-earth, and revise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/as-a-generalization-fantasy-writing-has-leaned-more-on-political/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [Very little in science fiction can transcend the gimmickry of a technical conceit, yet without that conceit at its heart a book is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/very-little-in-science-fiction-can-transcend-the-gimmickry-of-a/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [If you want to write something completely unique, you will probably fail or at best write something without redeeming value. The mind works in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/if-you-want-to-write-something-completely-unique-you-will-probably/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) ## More by Janet Morris > [This is as 'alone' as I'm likely to get with you - you're not half so fetching as your daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/this-is-as-alone-as-i-m-likely-to-get-with-you-you-re-not-half-so/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [I survive. I survived it all then and I'll survive the rest of it. Without your help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/i-survive-i-survived-it-all-then-and-i-ll-survive-the-rest-of-it/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [So some will be left who remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/so-some-will-be-left-who-remember/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Don't blame yourself, or worry. Neither does a bit of good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/don-t-blame-yourself-or-worry-neither-does-a-bit-of-good/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Painful things are quickly forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/painful-things-are-quickly-forgotten/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [It is upon each soul to recognize its limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/it-is-upon-each-soul-to-recognize-its-limit/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Proof of war, when it comes, always comes too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/proof-of-war-when-it-comes-always-comes-too-late/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Loyalty must be forged - to him, to his: stronger than iron, from experience, from risk - it can't be bought, or taught, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/loyalty-must-be-forged-to-him-to-his-stronger-than-iron-from/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Fury from the heavens; fury at the gods - inseparable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/fury-from-the-heavens-fury-at-the-gods-inseparable/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Learn what can, and cannot, be asked from destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/learn-what-can-and-cannot-be-asked-from-destiny/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [It's all right. Things as they once were will never be again, but it's all right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/it-s-all-right-things-as-they-once-were-will-never-be-again-but-it-s/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [For me, myth is the 'common' language of us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/for-me-myth-is-the-common-language-of-us-all/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [He loves the world so much. I agree it would be a shame to take that love away from meadow and tree, stream and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/he-loves-the-world-so-much-i-agree-it-would-be-a-shame-to-take-that/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Survival has its own etiquette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/survival-has-its-own-etiquette/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Here Stormbringer spies the Stepsons, the Theban fighters, and the 3rd Commando, attending to their own. In the face of such unflinching determination and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/here-stormbringer-spies-the-stepsons-the-theban-fighters-and-the-3rd/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) [Explore all 197 Janet Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I write what publishers call 'fantasy' I am writing in what I think is the most important tradition of fiction: starting with Homer and up through Shakespeare and Milton, the most important themes to tackle are those of the mythopoeic domain, tales of the body and mind seen through a temperament and a cosmos divorced from current reality so what is said can be more clear.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Janet Morris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantasy-i-am-writing-in-what-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantasy-i-am-writing-in-what-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/janet-morris-1935_body_when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantas_156638.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/janet-morris-1935_body_when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantas_156638.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/janet-morris-1935_body_when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantas_156638.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I write what publishers call 'fantasy' I am writing in what I think is the most important tradition of…” — Janet Morris", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Janet Morris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I write what publishers call...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantasy-i-am-writing-in-what-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/when-i-write-what-publishers-call-fantasy-i-am-writing-in-what-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```