Importance of Fantasy Fiction in my Life...

Since this is my very first post, I wanted to write on a topic that is extremely close to me. At the outset, let me just mention that I am a fanatic about any kind of fantasy fiction- the more outrageous it is, the better. It is only very recently that I was able to dissociate myself and discern why I find this genre so very fascinating.

          Some people I speak to opine that fantasy fiction is merely a technique I use to escape reality. Also some are of the opinion that fantasy involves plots that are extremely outlandish and could not be farther away from the truth. For such people I only say- take a closer look.

          Studying Literature and Psychology at a deeper level has now helped me realize how beneficial this particular genre has been in my life. Yes, it’s true that the plots of fantasy are very unreal. But what dissidents do not understand is that, on a deeper level it makes much more sense than anything that could have been directly told. Everything in the unreal world is merely an allusion to what is actually happening in reality, albeit what we have willingly closed our eyes to and ignored.

          One may question me now- how do I think that dragons or vampires are related to the real world. This can be answered by going beyond the face value of something and instead finding out what traits or factors these unworldly creatures may represent. Each of us can come up with a different opinion as to what they may portray and that for me is why it is so important- because it is so personal in nature.

          I have often found that due to my habit of reading fantasy, I have emerged as quite an optimist. Due to the fact that I read about how the truth and the good emerges triumphant all the time, despite all the odds, I never give up hope as to something good eventually coming out of all the bad times. It has also helped me come up with diverse and innovative techniques to help solve problems.

          Apart from this, fantasy has helped me in many other diverse ways. I agree that one can get a little un-real with too much of fantasy reading but for me at least, the good outweighs the bad with a huge margin! So unicorns and vampires and otherworldly worlds are always welcome to me! :D