It’s Friday on the east coast now, so I’m going ahead and kicking this puppy off. What can you tell us about fantasy literature that we don’t know? Amaze and delight me! We’ll pick the best of the comments and buy them a beer (or latte, or mineral water, or whatever liquid is most appealing and yet affordable).
No problem, Paul. I suspect we are closer on this matter than first posts indicate.
I was exploring the idea that experience (reality), particularly conveyed through words (“fact” or fiction), is always fantasy in the sense that any representation is subjective.
When one sees Van Gogh’s Starry Night, one may see a great truth, perhaps even greater than a first hand view of the same sky, but we know (most of us) that a painting is subjective. When some see a news report, or a biblical passage, or even the latest publication on eating carbs in JAMA, some take it as truth and deny its subjectivity. I think this is a mistake. That’s what I was trying to convey.
Yes, I agree with you that people’s beliefs can indeed be dangerous. And that some/many conflict with others. But I believe the more we question beliefs and “facts,” the closer we get to truth.
Umberto Eco said it better:
“The Devil is not the Prince of Matter; the Devil is the arrogance of the spirit, faith without smile, truth that is never seized by doubt. The Devil is grim because he knows where he is going, and, in moving, he always returns whence he came.”
(–The Name of the Rose)
Finally, I do find it deliciously apropos that the prize for the best blog on Fantasy is alcohol, one of the oldest ways to alter reality. ;> ::Cheers::
Hey, what blog earned a beer? Or was the thread too unruly and the barkeep tossed everyone out?
Congrats to Michael Gordon, whose thoughtful commentary has earned him a beer! Michael, now that I have your e-mail, we’ll be sending your fabulous prize asap!
Thanks! In light of everything I’ve read here I think I’m going to have to completely revamp my personal definition of “fantasy”. Kudos to all participants and their fabulous insights!