People have made up worlds and creatures that can't exist
since ancient times. In fact, one of the
earliest surviving works of literature, The
Epic of Gilgamesh, is an epic poem with a fantasy setting. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are some huge names in
literature, and they're considered the fathers of modern fantasy. Even they were predated by John Ruskin and
George MacDonald, who wrote fantasy books in the 19th century.
And what about science fiction? It's been around for a long time, too. H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback
were among the first who wrote books that we would consider sci-fi.
Since then, some of the best-selling franchises have been in
the fantasy/sci-fi category of speculative fiction. Harry Potter, Star Wars, Percy Jackson &
The Olympians, Final Fantasy, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons,
Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, The Lord of the Rings... The list goes on and
on.
The huge successes of these franchises and my own love of
them make me wonder: why? Why is it that
we're so attracted to these genres? What
is it about these universes that makes me want to fill my bookshelves, hard
drive and closet with them? What makes
me want to fill my mind with them?
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| Trust me, there's more where that came from. |
Is it some form of escape from reality? Sometimes, but it's not that I'm unhappy with
reality. In fact, I don't think I would
survive long in most of the worlds that I read about. I have a hard enough time understanding other
humans; add any other sentient species in there and the world would be a whole
lot more complicated. And knowing me, if
I had any sort of magical talent, I'd probably end up tearing a hole in the
fabric of reality. I'd try to sew it
back together, of course, but reality would probably end up with a crooked
seam. Who knows what might happen
then?
Getting back to the point, I think the best thing about
speculative fiction is that nothing is impossible. Giant reptiles that breathe fire? Sure.
Guns that shoot laser bolts? You
betcha. Inanimate objects that can talk? Why not?
Nothing has to be logical because this story has reinvented logic.
Plus, if something really
doesn't make sense, it can usually be explained by the phrase: "It's
magic." or, if you're talking about sci-fi: "It's
technology."
When logic gets reinvented, a whole new realm of
possibilities open up. Not only does our
hero or heroine have to deal with the problems that the fantastic elements of the
world bring, but they often have to deal with many of the same problems that
you and I face. Sometimes these
characters have family problems (Just think of the Skywalkers), sometimes they
have to make difficult moral choices.
And when you take applicable themes and wrap them up in cool
holographic technology or a really pretty Pegasus (or both!), you make it more
interesting to read about. Maybe that's another
reason why speculative fiction is so popular.
You know it is something to think about I like what you said, and for me it's about things that I wish could happen I would fall over dead then come back to life just to hug a talking rabbit. Or I mean being a kick-butt demigod would be so cool! But I can enjoy that cool thrill from me bed, with my tea, and both my parents neither one a temperamental Greek god in the other room.
ReplyDeleteI think it's about getting away with out going anywhere, fallowing a Hobbit to a mountain while staying on the couch!
There is one other thing to it for me and that is as a writer who likes to come up with things like in those books and knowing that there are other people who think that way. *shrugs* at least that is part of it for me.