Further information: Early history of fantasy

The Enlightenment[edit]

Illustration by Gustave Doré to Perrault's Cinderella

Literary fairy tales, such as were written by Charles Perrault (1628 – 1703), and Madame d'Aulnoy ((c.1650 - 1705)), became very popular, early in the Age of Enlightenment. Many of Perrault's tales became fairy tale staples, and influenced latter fantasy as such. Indeed, when Madame d'Aulnoy termed her works contes de fée (fairy tales), she invented the term that is now generally used for the genre, thus distinguishing such tales from those involving no marvels.^[9] This would influence later writers, who took up the folk fairy tales in the same manner, in the Romantic era.^[7]

Several fantasies aimed at an adult readership were also published in 18th century France, including Voltaire's "contes philosophique" "The Princess of Babylon" (1768) and "The White Bull" (1774), and Jacques Cazotte's Faustian novel The Devil in Love.^[10]

This era, however, was notably hostile to fantasy. Writers of the new types of fiction such as Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding were realistic in style, and many early realistic works were critical of fantastical elements in fiction.^[11] Aside from a few tales of witchcraft and ghost stories, very little fantasy was written during this time.^[7] Even children's literature saw little fantasy; it aimed at edifying and deplored fairy tales as lies.^[12]

In one respect, this was an essential stage in the development of fantasy as a genre. The development of a realistic genre ensured that fantasy could be defined as a distinct type, in contrast.