Short post today, but with the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, I felt a strong affinity to my beloved Fantasy genre. I’ve been thinking recently about why everything I seem to love most is entirely escapist. My addiction to media only stands to support my lack of interest in reality as we know it. Each day, my love for all things fantasy seems to deepen as I retreat further from reality. There has to be a reason. I doubt I can narrow down the reason through this post, but I can certainly explain why Fantasy can be so enrapturing.
1. Escapsim
The very fact that we live in a society that values reality means that we need to commit. Not committing to real world reality has the potential to land us in a sanatorium. In our society, thinking outside the box is fine, as long as you understand that you are squarely based in our world. There is no avoiding it. Delving into a Fantasy world gives us the opportunity to forget the drag of normal life. Fantasy takes you to a place with new surroundings. Everything may look the same or may look entirely different, but there is no doubt that it isn’t the world you know. Even as you absorb yourself into this world, there is a recognition that you are losing reality, which simultaneously grounds you. As a result, the fantasy world you desire is still non-committal. You aren’t given the opportunity to commit because reality is waiting for you.
I strongly believe that the people who are fully invested in Fantasy want more from life. This doesn’t mean they aren’t happy with reality, but there is some deep desire that the advances they wish for are currently beyond the reaches of our society. The Fantasy doesn’t just become a world to escape to, but possibly becomes a desired world.
2. Worldbuilding
One of the best things about Fantasy is the worldbuilding. A wonderful fantasy on any medium will have a world that feels completely real. it can deceive you into believing it exists and it can be attributed to detail. Every rich tidbit colors the world you are experiencing. The worldbuilding, in fact, is what makes a Fantasy world an experience. The ability to delve into a well developed world is intoxicating and freeing as we look at everything to the world. A fascinating world can make you want to become a part of it. Not everyone can pull off creating a world that can feel real.
3. Exciting
Plain and simple. Fantasy is exciting. The dangling of a world that is not our own in front of my face is enough to jump up and down in excitement. When something thrills you so much it is the only thing you can think of for hours on end, you know you’ve found something that you truly love. Fantasy is that thing for me. Sometimes it is difficult to describe how Fantasyimpacts my life.
Why do you love Fantasy?
So, I pondered... 