The Cultural Dominance of Fantasy Literature Today
Fantasy literature stands as one of the great cultural forms of our time, pervasive and ubiquitous in contemporary publishing. According to a bookseller's joke, the industry now divides into two categories: romantasy and everything else. This genre requires no defence, yet it often demands explanation for those who dismiss it as mere wish-fulfilment or a lesser form compared to literary fiction.
As a writer who has transitioned from literary fiction to fantasy, I embrace the genre without embarrassment. Having cherished fantasy throughout my life, I believe its finest creators rival the greats of any literary tradition. However, a lingering sense persists that writing fantasy necessitates justification, even as it permeates our cultural landscape.
The Innate Appeal of Fantasy to the Human Psyche
Fantasy resonates because it authentically mirrors the wild, untamed aspects of the human psyche that the rational, restrained daylight world often suppresses. Children and teenagers, in particular, find solace in fantasy due to conflicts between their dependence and perceived inner power, where dragons and monsters naturally embody the evils they perceive.
This truth extends to people of all ages. Philosopher Charles Taylor's concept of the "buffered self" describes how we inhabit a disenchanted world, maintaining a secure boundary between our interior selves and external forces like ghouls or spirits. While this safeguards us, it also curtails our imaginative and unruly impulses, fostering a longing for enchantment.
Perhaps it is a need rather than a mere desire. A strictly disenchanted world, reduced to physical processes and material consciousness, can feel desiccated, starving the heart and mind. Philip Pullman, in The Rose Field, illustrates this through Lyra's reflection on the human need for unprovable yet essential elements, especially imagination, which he describes as a wind blowing through all worlds, revealing truths.
Fantasy as a Regulated Return of the Repressed
Fantasy serves as a controlled resurgence of repressed elements, allowing a partial haunting of kings, quests, and magical powers without fully reinstating them. Adam Roberts, in Fantasy: A Short History, traces this origin to the first world war, where figures like Tolkien and Lewis, witnessing modernity's mechanical savagery, sought to revive mythic stories with modern twists.
We dream of Conan's muscles in an office-bound world or envision ourselves as chosen ones amidst crowds, yet we prefer to set these fantasies aside safely. This explains why fantasy often concludes in trilogies or closed books, packaging wonder without real-world chaos.
Fantasy as a Form of Necessary Realism
Beyond escapism, fantasy functions as a paradoxical realism, capturing contemporary realities that other genres cannot narrate effectively. It not only expresses frustrations with disenchantment but also highlights the world's lingering enchantment despite our efforts to buffer it.
Fantasy literature acknowledges the recurrent unearthliness in human experience, recognising us as metaphorical beings who weave meaning through patterns akin to spells. It confronts struggles with overwhelming stakes, where pure forms of good and evil hinge on human choices, and it understands love as a perilous journey into strange landscapes.
In essence, fantasy is indispensable for making sense of a disenchanted world, offering both mythic solace and profound insight into our collective psyche.
