In case it wasn’t clear, fantasy is special to me. I mentioned a few reasons why in the previous post, but there’s so much more to talk about.
People, whether they admit it or not, have a deeply ingrained need to see stories that are meaningful, and fantasy is an excellent vehicle to deliver such stories. They are often tales about personal growth, becoming an adult, overcoming risks, navigating the tangled web called “love”, and figuring out how to deal with the gravities of reality.
Over the course of an adventure, the heroes struggle with virtue and loss, and the interpersonal drama gets elevated to a truly epic scale, making the highs and lows hit harder than with any other genre.
Possibilities are what inspire us and electrify our minds with wonder. Unexplored lands, mysteries unsolved, and secrets untold ignite our desire to explore and discover. This desire sleeps deep within us and wants to reawaken.
In the real world, you can’t look across the ocean with the same sense of wonder as you could in 300 A.D.. In this modern era, we almost have to turn our eyes to the stars to feel any sense of wonder at all, and even then, we have to admit it probably feels a whole lot less magical than it would have a thousand years ago.
Only the freedom to build our own space-faring vessels and explore the unknown could fully restore that sense of wonder, and I’m afraid we’re at least a few centuries away from that kind of technology. Fantasy, in the meanwhile, can give us whole new worlds to explore … vicariously … through the eyes of the characters. For many of us, this serves as a good substitute.
Fantasy shows us that characters can win by making good, courageous, responsible choices and by fighting for what’s right, even against impossible odds. It shows us that there’s good within all of us, and–if we’re pushed hard enough–it can be awakened. It reminds us that, so long as there’s at least one sword in the hands of someone virtuous, there’s always hope.
This genre teaches us to think about our relationship with our family, our ancestors, and where we came from. It makes us question where we are heading, and helps us appreciate the written records of the past. It makes us realize what a struggle and sacrifice it can be to bring peace, and it challenges us to be stronger than our parents, to resist the temptations they were unable to overcome.
Furthermore, reading fantasy teaches us the esoteric ancient past of our world, and how it is still very alive today, hiding in plain sight … often in nefarious ways.
Fantasy teaches us that the wisdom of the past can be the key to our future, and that we must be good stewards of that information, preventing its destruction or alteration. Without the true wisdom of the past, we are as lost and blind as our ancestors and damned to repeat their same tragic mistakes.
A cursory look at the world tells me these messages are needed now more than ever.
Nick Enlowe 