Fantasy Is Not A Dirty Word 14 June, 2023 – Posted in: Books, Fantasy – Tags: Books, Fantasy, Reading

These days the fantasy genre has seen a lot of attention from Hollywood. Many millions of dollars spent on expansive and breathtaking fantasy films and television series. However, the fantasy genre, as a written form, is still not highly regarded by readers of mainstream literature. I just want to say that fantasy is not a dirty word.

Despite the critical and commercial success of recent fantasy franchises, the average reader wont’t look beyond their source material. They regard fantasy, as a whole, as something somewhat juvenile and escapist. But what’s wrong with that?

If the world were a little more juvenile and took more pleasure in escapist books, it would be a much nicer place than it is. However, fantasy is much more than escapism.

In reading fantasy books I’ve learned a lot about the world we live in. Given that the great majority of fantasy is set in some sort of past history, this sounds like a contradiction. But by reading about evil villains that regularly imprison, enslave, and generally mistreat those around them, I’ve been able to recognise these qualities in the world more readily.

I know from reading fantasy the terrible injustice of oppression and suppression. Reading fantasy has taught me that the way things are is not the way they must be. By reading fantasy I recognise that even the most humble of us can bring about great changes for good. Fantasy offers hope in the face of overwhelming obstacles and that if we persevere we can triumph.

The literati can frown whenever a fantasy book reaches the best seller list and dismiss its value, but for those of us that read fantasy regularly we can only smile. By not reading fantasy people miss out on some of the strangest and compelling stories ever put to paper. Ones that are every bit as complex, every bit as compelling, and every bit as important as any recognised as literature.

Fantasy is not a dirty word. It’s word that bears repeating as loudly and as often as possible.