For some, fantasy is a descent into the unconscious, an expression of repressed fears or desires; for others it is an exploration of weird and wonderful landscapes inhabited by playful and provocative beings drawn into a deceptive web of morality and myth. This anthology, companion to "The Penguin Book of Classic Fantasy by Women", aims to show that fantasy has been an important vehicle for women to express the diversity of their writings. It contains 38 stories written from 1941 to the present, featuring authors such as Daphne du Maurier, Muriel Spark, Margaret Attwood, P.D. James, Fay Weldon, Ursula le Guin and Angela Carter.