To love, or not to love fantasy

[Túroch]

A lot of people that I know dismiss Tolkien and other fantasy as merely escapist reading. They say it doesn't have the "reality" that true literature has. Well I think that fantasy has a real property to it that soothes the soul. When accused of writing escapist reading Tolkien himself said:

"Escapism isn't wrong when one is in a jail"

And the 21st century realy is a jail of sorts. What we sometimes like in fantasy is what he don't have in reality or have in very small amounts. Charles De Lint said,

"If you want reality, read fantasy"

Fantasy is not real as far as the actually happenings but, fantasy has a lot themes and problems that very real. LOTR has many themes which Tolkien himself was aware of in the real world. The scouring of the Shire for example, presents a fightining look at what progress and modernization can do if left unchecked. Another theme is attempt to escape death. People in the 21st century are all concentrated on the prlonging of life and the enrichment of there lives right now. However, as one great Sci-Fi show said,

"Immortality is a curse, not a blessing"

The prolonging of life in the LOTR certinly isn'tr shown as a blessing. Sure the wraiths might live forever, but what a way to live. The Numenorians in the fall, wanted among other things to escape death, their gift from the creator. For as Peter S. Beagle said,

"Death takes what man would keep and leaves what man would lose"

The death in LOTR is a gift not a curse as many elves start to see as all that they cherish fades away.

But I digress, many people like myself enjoy fantasy for it's appeal to our dreams and our longings and in our dreams is where we really show ourselves. Fantasy, at least some fantasy has real elements in it that capture our interest and our daydreams or it's just plain silly.

"Who has choices need not choose.
We must, who have none.
We can love but what we lose--
What is gone is gone."