By Ian Wilson
Originally published in Legends and Songs: The Newsletter of Ian Wilson
In certain sectors of the culture, there’s a disrespect for the fantasy genre, claiming that it’s “just for kids”. Basically saying that adults who read fantasy stories need to “grow up”. Calling us “silly” or patronizing us like children. As a fantasy reader and writer, it frustrates me greatly.
I suppose I should just let it go; people are always going to think things about me and mine that aren’t true, and I should just shrug it off. But it happens so frequently, I feel that I should address it, not simply for my own sake, but for you, my readers, the people who are being bullied by these pretentious jackwangs. I feel it’s my duty to give you a defense for when people deride you. If nothing else, I want you to feel more self-confident.
What is Fantasy, anyway?
First of all, let’s get our definitions right. Fantasy literature is a broad genre that features fantastical elements not normally encountered in our day to day life, such as magic, wizards, fairies, or dragons. Sometimes it has a medieval or ancient setting, like The Lord of the Rings, other times it is in a modern setting with fantastical elements, like The Dresden Files and sometimes it takes place in another world, like Narnia. While all these are very different from one another, they are all, broadly speaking, fantasy.
Why should anyone read Fantasy?
Why should anyone read any literature, really? Why should you read crime fiction, or thrillers, or horror, or history or mythology? Because it entertains us. It gives us a chance to live another life, to see a different world, to understand the world through different eyes. It gives us the opportunity to escape the humdrum world of our own lives and experience a different world. There is nothing wrong with escapism, so long as it doesn’t consume us.
and beyond that, because there are things written in those pages that can teach us something about the world, or about ourselves. We go to books to help us understand the world through the eyes of others, whether they be a historical figure or a fictional character. And often by doing so, we grow to understand ourselves a bit better. We go to literature, not simply to escape our own lives, but to inform them.
This is the reason why The Lord of the Rings has remained so popular. So many common human experiences can be found there – good and evil, corruption, war, valor, true love, beauty and so much more, all told through the lens of a fantastical world.
“But there are no such things as magic or dragons; why should we read about that?”
Who says there are no dragons? The dragon is a metaphor for something else; chaos, evil, some other great obstacle that stands in the way of our greatest treasure. By reading about heroes who defeat monsters, we are able to face the monsters in our own lives.
You see, fantasy speaks to us in the language of symbols and metaphors, communicating deeper truths that plain speech could not communicate as effectively. The problem is with people who misuse fantasy. They use it as a means of abdicating their own lives, instead of aspiring to be better people. They run away and hide in their fake world rather than facing their dragons in the real one. And yes, I am guilty of this.
People who sit on the sidelines rather than playing the game are not truly reading fantasy for it’s intended purpose. So too are those who treat their fantasy books like a religion. I speak of the extreme Potterheads and people who take LOTR far too seriously. To do so does a disservice to the authors and the works themselves. It’s there to be enjoyed, not obsessed over. That would be like eating nothing but mac and cheese. Mac and cheese is a fine, hearty meal, enjoyed by millions of people worldwide, and there are certainly good gourmet versions, but it’s better to have a well rounded diet.
Furthermore, reality is pretty fantastical. You’re reading this article right now on what amounts to a magic mirror that lets you see the world from the palm of your hand. We ride in steel giants that take us anywhere we want to go. We live on a rock hurtling through space around a giant ball of fire. We have things like giraffes and platypuses, and there are plenty of mysteries about the world that have yet to be solved. The world is a wondrous place if you have eyes to see, and sometimes going into a book and seeing a different world can help you appreciate the real one even more.
LogoSophia Magazine 