Fantasy literature is hugely popular amongst readersworldwide yet has long been shunned by literarycritics. Why Are Critics Afraid of Dragons? examinesthe reasons for this neglect, and presents a newcritical paradigm for understanding and valuing genrefantasy on its own terms. The book answers questionssuch as, what is the relationship between fantasy andmedieval romance? Why do some critics see fantasy asa cult? Is there a link between fantasy andenvironmentalism?By examining the socialcontexts of fantasy fromfairytales to the mass-market genre, the book drawsinnovative conclusions about fantasys place in thefield of literature and its relevance to contemporaryaudiences. It is the first study of its kind,combining critiques of fantasy from Coleridge toTolkien, Todorov and Le Guin with cultural criticismand ecofeminism, reconstructing fantasy as a complexfield of cultural production.It presents a substantial contribution to theories offantasy literature, offering historical perspectivesand critical insights into the scholarly heritage offantasy, and will be a useful resource to studentsand researchers of popular culture and appeal to ageneral readership.