There is something incredibly intriguing about fantastical stories and worlds of fantasy. To be immersed in a world similar, yet distinct from reality, full of endless bizarre, imaginative and extraordinary possibilities — it can be an incredible experience.
In any medium, including movies, books or video games, fantasy has a way of engaging the participant like no other fictional genre.
We relate to the characters, but we also desire to share their journeys and experiences. Part of us wishes we could be them, even with all the challenges and trials they face. There is something irresistible about living in a world full of magic and mythical creatures, potentially venturing on an epic journey across unexplored lands filled with hidden treasures and secrets.
The world of fantasy doesn’t need to be explained. It’s a world that often doesn’t make sense, and that’s OK. The mystery of it is compelling — since we don’t understand it, we want to spend time in it.
Mark Chadbourn, a fantasy author from the United Kingdom, said the genre is as broad as the imagination.
“The one defining characteristic is irrationality. The genre starts at the point where science ends,” Chadbourn said.
It defies modern reasoning and presents an alternative universe with its own set of rules, which are fascinating to explore.
When we set the ego aside and temporarily suspend logic and facts in our minds, we can let ourselves simply sit in wonder — marveling at the beautiful world and story of fantasy — free from the need to rationalize and criticize. Safe in the comfort of a theater, living room or bookstore, we can forget everything we know about science and enter into a universe where things are not as they seem.
Another UK fantasy author, Mark Newton, said fantasy offers us a chance to break out of mundane routines and moments.
“People like to explore greater themes — themes that go beyond the limited palette that literary fiction claims to offer. Anything is possible in fantasy, and the genre can exercise our ability to think, and to wonder,” Newton said.
Fantasy unearths the simple things that have been lost — truths, hopes, struggles and conflicts — which are challenges and triumphs experienced by all of humanity. It communicates the aspirations of society through symbolism and allegory in themes and stories that have been told and retold for thousands of years. As the critic, journalist and author Lev Grossman put it, “fantasy is a literature of longing, a longing for things that are lost.”
Fantasy stories aren’t only an escape from the monotony of daily life, they are the catalyst that unlocks wonder, imagination and hope inside the participant. They teach us to dream, to be filled with awe like a child, and to develop wisdom, courage and perseverance through challenges and adversity.
The stories of fantasy are the stories of humanity, and through them we can learn to be the everyday wizards, merchants, princesses and kings in our own reality — admirable and bold, kind and compassionate, fierce and strong — ready to venture out on this grand quest called life.
Andrew Brand can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @theandrewbrand