chemistry

Magic in fiction

Magic in fiction is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Magic in fiction rather than just read about it. In short: Magic in fiction is the endowment of characters or objects in works of fiction or fantasy with powers that do not naturally occur in the real world. Magic often serves as a plot device and has long been a component of fiction.

Key takeaways

Magic in fiction belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Magic in fiction to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Magic in fiction from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Magic in fiction is the endowment of characters or objects in works of fiction or fantasy with powers that do not naturally occur in the real world. Magic often serves as a plot device and has long been a component of fiction.

Historical beliefs Historically, witches such as the Weird Sisters in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, wizards such as Prospero in The Tempest, or other characters like Doctor Faustus in Christopher Marlowe's play of the same name were widely considered to be engaging in real-world or realistic magic. Contemporary authors tend to treat magic as an imaginary idea, opting to build their worlds with a blank slate where the laws of reality do not carry as much weight.

Function Within a work of fantasy, magic can help to advance the plot, often providing power to heroes or to their opponents. The use of magic frequently manifests itself in a transformation of a character, if not the transformation of the fictional world. For magic to carry out its functions, it often comes at a price equal to its value. Fictional magic may or may not include a detailed magic system, but it is not uncommon for authors to omit details or explanations of certain limitations, ostensibly for pacing or other purposes; in these cases, it is possible that magic serves more as a convenience to the author rather than as a device for the character. In nearly any given fantasy magical system, magical ability is limited. Limitations can add conflict to the story and prevent characters from becoming all-powerful with magic, although characters with unlimited power (such as deities or transcendental beings) are not unheard of in fiction. Fantasy writers use a variety of techniques to limit the magic in their stories, such as limiting the number of spells a character has or may cast before needing rest, restricting a character's magic to the use of a specific object, limiting magic to the use of certain rare materials, or restricting the magic a character can use through its negative consequences. Some works feature magic that is performed through the use of certain words or incantations to cast spells. While many works use this method without offering an explanation for it, others do offer an explanation. Hard magic is a magic system with specific rules and regulations; a soft magic system is usually much more vague and undefined with a mysterious aspect to it.

Acquisition Authors introduce magic into their stories, and to their characters, in varying ways. Although there is great variation in how spontaneously magic occurs, how difficult it is to wield, and how the guidelines to the magic are implemented, there are a handful of methods for introducing magic found in many fictional works. While some fantasy works such as Hellblazer portray magic as a power gained through a pact with a devil or other spirit (as is traditionally recognized in folklore), others like Harry Potter portray magic as an innate talent, equivalent for example to perfect pitch.

Items

In some works, such as fairy tales, magic items either endow the main characters with magical powers or have magical powers themselves. Writers often use them as plot devices or MacGuffins to drive the plot of a story. Wands and staves often feature in fantasy works in the hands of wizards. Italian fairy tales had put wands into the hands of the powerful fairies by the late Middle Ages. Talismans such as rings or amulets may exert magical influence. Seven-league boots and invisibility cloaks have also proven popular. Many characters are often seen using magic swords or other weapons.

See also Magician (fantasy) Magic (Discworld) Magic in the Earthsea series Magic in the Harry Potter series Magic (Middle-earth), in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien Magic of Dungeons & Dragons Magic in video games

References

Further reading Technology or Magic? Expanding Imaginations and Fantasy Genres Zauberer Berlin (in German) Judgments of effort for magical violations of intuitive physics

External links Lawrence Watt-Evans, "Laws of Fantasy", Starlog Patricia C. Wrede, "Magic and Magicians", Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions Anders, C.J. (2011) "The Rules of Magic, According to the Greatest Fantasy Sagas of All Time" io9.com (includes 7x51 chart)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Magic in fiction

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Magic in fiction claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Magic in fiction before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Magic in fiction ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Magic in fiction

In research: Magic in fiction appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Magic in fiction in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Magic in fiction is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fantasy tropes, Fiction about magic (supernatural), Fiction about superhuman abilities, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Magic in fiction outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Magic in fiction in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Magic in fiction means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Magic in fiction out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Magic in fiction in simple terms?

Why does Magic in fiction matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Magic in fiction?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Magic in fiction.