Modern Good Reads discussion
Fantasy
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Why Read Fantasy?
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Let me start off saying that I’m a huge fan of the paranormal and urban fantasy genre. I feel that I already spend most of my day in the real world (going to work, playing and taking care of my kids, and spending time with my wife). When I open a book, I want to dive into a world that is magical, where anything can happen. So, one might ask, well, why not just pure fantasy novels? Fantasy novels tend to build amazing magical worlds that can allow the reader’s imagination to completely run free. I would agree with that. And I do enjoy a fantasy novel every so often for that reason. However, urban fantasy has the ability to cause a paradigm shift from how we would view our everyday life. They like to twist the things that would seem mundane into things that really make you wonder. And when you then add the paranormal theme to these urban fantasies what you end up with is a masterpiece that drills down the dark forbidden paths that you would avoid in real life. These stories tantalize your curiosity, fear, excitement, and bewilderment all at the same time.
Personally, I love fantasy. I am currently conducting a research project on the reason that people love fantasy (participation in this forum is part of that project). I have come to realize that people love fantasy for many different reasons such as: to escape, because it lacks boundaries, and because of the variety. I would appreciate any feed back so that I can gather various opinions on why we love fantasy. Thanks!
Gail wrote: "I never thought of myself as a fantasy reader because I thought I was a realist, mind you a spiritual realist. However, I now understand that I enjoy fantasy set in an ordinary realistic scenario. ..."Beautifully written! I've always loved to read fantasy. However, in my research, I have often come across theories that we love fantasy because it was the first genre we fell in love with, and we never branched out. Your testimony of learning to love fantasy later in your reading career provides an interesting rebuttal of sorts to that theory.
For me fantasy is the most psychologically truthful of the genres. It depicts how I actually experience the world and what's really going on in my head.
Thanks! :)