Editing Contemporary fantasy (section)

== Style ==
In his preface to ''[[That Hideous Strength]]'', one of the earlier works falling within this subgenre, [[C. S. Lewis]] explained why, when writing a tale about "magicians, devils, pantomime animals and planetary angels", he chose to start it with a detailed depiction of narrow-minded academic politics at a provincial English university and the schemes of crooked real estate developers:

{{Blockquote
|text=I am following the traditional fairy-tale. We do not always notice its method, because the cottages, castles, woodcutters and petty kings with which a fairy tale opens have become for us as remote as the witches and ogres to which it proceeds. But they were not remote at all to the men who first made and enjoyed the tales.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=C.S.|title=That Hideous Strength|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IbVTcgOyCRoC&q=I+am+following+the+traditional+fairy-tale.+We+do+not+always+notice+its+method,+because+the+cottages,+castles,+woodcutters+and+petty+kings+with+which+a+fairy+tale+opens+have+become+for+us+as+remote+as+the+witches+and+ogres+to+which+it+proceeds.+But+they+were+not+remote+at+all+to+the+men+who+first+made+and+enjoyed+the+tales&pg=PA7|date=October 1996|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9780684833675|access-date=15 October 2017}}</ref>
}}

The same is true for many later works in the genre, which often begin with a seemingly normal scene of modern daily life to then disclose supernatural and magical beings and events hidden behind the scenes.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

In an analysis of religion in modern fantasy, Sylvia Kelso notes a "market shift" from [[high fantasy]] toward contemporary fantasy, also explaining that "paranormal" subgenres have branched from contemporary fantasy, especially ones centered on vampires and werewolves. Kelso notes that contemporary fantasy is more willing to draw on religious themes than high fantasy. This has been influenced by its openness to vampires and other traditionally evil supernatural beings, which encourages writers to use Christianity to create villains such as demons. However, other books and series draw on other religions and traditions.<ref name=Kelso>{{cite journal
	| last1 = Kelso
	| first1 = Sylvia
	| date = 2007
	| title = The God in the Pentagram: Religion and Spirituality in Modern Fantasy
	| journal = [[Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts]]
	| volume = 18
	| issue = 1
	| pages = 76–77
    | jstor = 24351027
}}</ref>