The Value of Wholesome Fantasy

If you were to walk outside today and ask any neighbor who you saw out walking on the street, they would probably agree that we are blessed to live, today, in a world where media is bountiful - so bountiful, in fact, that it is nearly becoming a challenge, as readers young and old are pulled in countless directions by what seems like an infinite amount of options available in today’s world of literacy. Several generations ago, having a book or several books in the home was a luxury, and threadbare volumes of Shakespeare or the Bible were passed down from mother to daughter and were replaced piously in their kitchen shelves. These albums were comparatively few and far between - but they more than made up for their relative scarcity with a quality that many would agree is unmatched today, with books coming out of that era including the likes of our beloved Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice.

I would be loath to claim either that the sole works of literature that emerged from this period were diamonds in the rough or that this potential for quality has been extinguished today; instead, I would rather contend that the books of express quality then were the only lucky ones which reached their audiences, while now, in our world of vast multitudes of books - although their authors and style are admirable and deserving in their own right - we are exposed not only to the select few favorites of the literary crop, but also to the seemingly infinite world of books surrounding them. Of course, in and of itself, this is hardly a negative. Quite the opposite, rather. Yet for all of the opportunities and advantages this endless world of media provides, like so many other good things, it comes with its own baggage as well: the necessity to recognize the value of wholesome literature, and to filter one's intake in books accordingly.

The issue of content aside, although it may not be immediately obvious to readers (especially younger ones), many compelling books engineered for middle-grade audiences provide little in terms of enriching the vocabulary, imagination, capacity, or character of their readers. The books are absorbing, and, yes, grow the reader's mind in terms of breadth of experience, but nonetheless it still seems as though every other book in the library shelves are not something that takes up necessarily valuable space in a reader's head. Even if this 'space' is simply the discovery of a new word and the consequent expansion of vocabulary, the growth in imagination that comes with the wonder of a magnificently crafted world, the nuancing of personality that occurs in 'becoming' a new protagonist for a few days, or the confidence that comes from reading a witty dialogue, every single bit matters - it matters vitally. As such, my wish for any young reader would be not to think only that entertainment is excellent, but to think rather that entertainment is excellent, but beauty is better.

For this is the fundamental purpose of good readership - not only to provide hours of enjoyment for young readers, but also to grow them emotionally and intellectually. They do not need to become the next Socrates when reading, but perhaps they will learn to clarify their opinions, present them thoughtfully, ask attentive questions, and learn and pivot based on others' thoughts as well. They may not become the next Winston Churchill, but they may gain invaluable skills in how a leader behaves. They may not even become the next great reader, but at least they will have dipped their toe in the proverbial waters of literature.

I can write all of this in confidence, without thinking that any of this is an exaggeration, because I know that books not only should have these outcomes in readers, but they can. This does require, however, a willingness to actively search for books among the plethora of available media that could be described, as above, as 'wholesome' - those books that do, in fact, grow the reader emotionally and intellectually, that do give the reader a boost in confidence, that do encourage the reader to be more like the positive traits they see in the characters, and that do send sparks flying through a newly active creativity. This contention - this commitment to reading literature that doesn't act as 'fluff' but rather grows the reader - is especially important to keep in mind, now more than ever - not because the quality of all literature has hopelessly decreased, but because with more options in media comes the chance that some options may not be as beneficial as others.

Even in a blatantly fiction genre such as fantasy, this dedication to both beauty and entertainment not only matters, but makes a significant difference. Truly, fantasy books still have the opportunity for engaging characters, intelligent dialogue, and thought-provoking plots - and arguably the richest opportunity for building fascinating settings out of any genre.

However, I hope that this is not the point in time where you, dear reader, mistake me for trying to state that any book that does not have an 'agenda' or a strong, significant character arc, or even a 'civically-minded thesis', is not worth taking up space in our heads. This is not the contention that I am hoping to make; far, far from it - in fact, the contention that I am truly hoping to make is almost the polar opposite of this. Instead, I would prefer to say that a book does not need to have an underlying issue to address in order to be beautiful, or in order to be good. A thesis is not equivalent to beauty - an issue is not equivalent to wholesomeness. Rather, the story may be simply a beautiful expression of writing, which transports and introduces the reader to its new world and enriches its audience in these other, more beautiful, ways.

Ultimately, this is the value of wholesome fantasy, and this is the importance of identifying it and focusing readership within those boundaries. As such, to any reader, I would once again say - enjoyment is excellent, but beauty is better.