Chronological Index: Fantasy in the Public Domain

Some dates may be approximate

This index is separated into three categories: poems, short stories, and artwork.

If a link doesn’t work or you have a question, please let me know! Otherwise, have fun exploring the list. I will update it with each new addition.

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Poems

1800s

1819

• La Belle Dame sans Merci — John Keats (English)

1830

• The Kraken — Alfred, Lord Tennyson (UK)

• The Merman — Alfred, Lord Tennyson (UK)

• The Mermaid — Alfred, Lord Tennyson (UK)

1833

• The Hesperides — Alfred, Lord Tennyson (UK)

1841

• The Sirens — James Russell Lowell (US)

1850

• The Fairies — William Allingham (Irish)

1862

• Goblin Market — Christina Rossetti (English)

1900s

1913

• The Mocking Fairy — Walter de La Mare (English)

1914

• Overheard On A Salt Marsh — Harold Monro (UK)

1918

• Winged Man — Stephen Vincent Benét (US)

1927

• Sonnet (1) — Gwendolyn B. Bennett (US)

• Fantasy — Gwendolyn B. Bennett (US)

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Short Stories

1800s

1825

• Peter Rugg, the Missing Man — William Austin (US)

• Further Account of Peter Rugg — William Austin (US)

1885

• The Sandman — E.T.A. Hoffman (German)

  • Part 1

  • Part 2

1888

• The Happy Prince, And Other Tales — Oscar Wilde (Irish)

  • The Happy Prince

  • The Nightingale and the Rose

1891

• A House of Pomegranates — Oscar Wilde (Irish)

  • The Young King

  • The Star Child

1900s

1928

• The Field Where the Satyrs Danced — Lord Dunsany (Anglo-Irish)

1929

• The King of the Cats — Stephen Vincent Benét (US)

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Artwork

If an artwork came directly as an illustration or cover from a book, I’ve likely not included it. I have also not included paintings used as cover art for a post if they are not fantasy-related. The artwork in this section consists of two types:

• Artwork depicting one of the works above. Some are cited within the posts themselves, but I also shared further art on previous notes, and I wanted to collect them in a place where they could be more easily found by anyone interested in viewing various adaptations.

• Fantasy artwork used as cover art for a post (though not specifically depicting an above work).

Adaptations of Literature

1800s

1800s

• The Kraken — William Bell Scott (Scottish)

1861

• Goblin Market; “Buy from us with a golden curl” rough draft — hand drawn, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (English)

1862

• Goblin Market; “Buy from us with a golden curl” frontispiece — engraved woodblock, Charles Joseph Faulkner (British)

1863

• La Belle Dame sans Merci — Arthur Hughes (English)

1893

• La Belle Dame sans Merci — John William Waterhouse (English)

1900s

1902

• La Belle Dame sans Merci — Frank Bernard Dicksee (English)

1926

• La Belle Dame sans Merci — Frank Cadogan Cowper (English)

Other Fantasy Artwork

1600s

1646

• Landscape with Dancing Satyrs and Nymphs — Claude Lorrain (French)

1800s

1866

• Dancing Fairies (Älvalek) — August Malmström (Swedish)

1875

• Nymph — Arnold Böcklin (Swiss)

1900s

1900

• The Siren — John William Waterhouse (English) [warning: nudity]

1921

• All amidst the Gardens fair; Of Hesperus, and his daughters three; That sing about the golden tree — Arthur Rackham (London)