KingCarlton--
I don't know if your ears are burning, but I just couldn't get your post out of my head, not your individual response to my words, but the general feelings you expressed about fantasy:
Quote:
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If I sound rude or harsh, well I just speak my mind. I have never had my judgments in life in accordance to any fictional story. True that such tales reflect life and history, but fiction is to be read as just that, especially fantasy. Pure escapism for a while and back to reality again.
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I guess there is something in this small hobbit heart that strongly disagrees. When I reread this thread, I was struck by how different everyone's experiences have been: school problms, concerns for family, disappointments from friends, and the need to find hope in times when much seems sad. Different ages, different circumstances, different cultures and countries--yet we share one common thing. Each of us read a book that, at some point, touched our lives on more than just an intellectual level.
Yes, it was a work of fiction, even fantasy. And, yes, in some sense, it offered an escape. But I believe some words carry the power to change people, their attitudes and feelings, and how they view the world. To me, Tolkien is an example of precisely this.
Tolkien understood that we have lost so much in this modern era. We no longer have the capacity to believe in unseen myths the way our ancestors did. We have forfeited so much of the magic. So what is now left to console us and help us reach out beyond the little worlds that each of us inhabit? Certainly, people themselves are the most precious gift that has been given to us, and, for some of us, at least sometimes, we may sense the presence of a Creator. But there is, I believe, something else we can share: what Tolkien called "subcreation." And even those of us who are not so gifted to actually do the subcreation can at least participate in what others have done.
Without art and music and words in written or storytelling form, we would be so much poorer. I can not fully comprehend the experiences Amarinth had when she went to college and saw a fellow student, whom she admired, die because of political realities. For the most part, my life has been in a more protected, stable environment. Yet I do understand how she could read Tolkien and come away with some hope for the future. And when I first read her post, I was moved by what she said.
In some parts of life, things seem very hard and, in others, we manage to bump along with fewer roadblocks. But all of us have experiences at times when we need to find meaning that extends beyond our individual existence. Art and music and words carry some of that meaning.
In your own post, you say fantasy is "pure escapism and back to reality again". I believe this is true, but with one important difference. When you return, you are changed just a bit from having read and participated in that subcreation. It may be just a fantasy world with Elves and Hobbits and Ents, but this subcreation carries messages about who we are, our values, and how we should respond when challenges abound. And because Tolkien is such an amazing writer, the messages he brings are necessarily profound. This is why I can read and reread his book many times. And this is why I have found my life enriched by Tolkien's portrayal of the small hero who makes his way not by prowess but by obedience and by his conviction that every victory carries a price.
I think you will probably disagree with what I've said, but that is ok. There's certainly room for more than one way of looking at things. But, for me, this way makes the most sense. sharon, the 7th age hobbit