Friday, August 12, 2011

Is There a Dragon in the House?

This is a repeat of something I wrote in 2009.  I find it a bit funny that many of us tend to revisit writings that touch a spot in our lives and sometimes and find it still very appropriate for the time times today as well.  


A couple of weeks a go I finally capped the Potter book series with seeing the final movie with a friend.  Good movie!

Dragons and castles. They really only live in fairy tales and stories from the European Middle Ages or tales that come out of early China or Japan, right? Most of the time they do, but when the days get tough and things get really hard those stories have often drawn many in our country to those great escapes where the world in those books, comics, and video games becomes different, intriguing, and on the whole a wonderfully different place to live - if only in our minds!

For me imagination is a way to find an out - an escape from the reality of our world to a place where we can all have those private dreams that really take us out of this world. There are of course other genres that fits a fantasy escape people often take advantage of, and they are found in the many of the games (computer or otherwise) that help many create those other worlds just for the fun of it!

So what drives the change for more and more people to those imaginary worlds, the economy,loss of jobs, fear or all of the above? In my world it is all of them and the need to have an escape that is right there if I turn the page is what drives my reading at the moment.

My personal escapes at the moment happens to be Harry Potter (both the books and the movies), and time period mysteries as well, books like any Miss Marple, by Agatha Christie and of course my favorite monk, Cadfael, by Ellis Peters. Are there some others I rely on for that escapism that sends me flying into outer space, or back to a time to paint the world in a vastly different hues? Of course!  Discovering and creating new towns or times gives me a sense of real excitement.  Constructing those imaginary worlds where that getting away from my life can be a real release valve these days.

Another great book series is the ones by Christopher Paolini which begins with Eargon, and ends with Brisingr (Thus far!). Though considered a young people's series, this group of books creates a fascinating totally new world filled some of the very best places and characters to take a little literary vacation in, and for me that kind of holiday from the world can always be found between the covers of a good book.

9 comments:

Dorothy said...

Oh the comfort of a great chair, fireplace and great reading light then my world collides with fantasy verses reality.

Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com

Unknown said...

Thanks for the words, Dorothy. Your spot for reading sounds lovely!!

TC said...

I've also wondered why people read and if they read more in different circumstances. Right now I have a book I've had for like 3 weeks and never started which is unusual but I've been bloggging and trying to work.
Great thoughts on literature.

The Baxteria said...

You know what ? I have seen the Eragon series . I will certainly pic these series up.

Unknown said...

A good imagination, and feeding it, is the key to happiness ... or one of them.

Unknown said...

Baxteria,
You will like the story if you pick the Eragon books up! I enjoy reading with my granddaughter and this was a series I'm glad I read with her.

Gigjets (Joker or the Thief) said...

Oh! Super! Sometimes very small things together make wonder!

Unknown said...

Robert,
in this day of total reality it's good to have some place to escape to when things become a little to much! I agree, without it life can be more than a little too much and certainly not very happy.

Joker,
You are so right! Little things like imagination can make a huge difference in our lives.

Judith van Praag said...

Lately we've escaped to that quaint British seaside town where Doc Martin holds office. Since we missed the first seasons we've been watching them on Hulu.com (for free), and allowing ourselves one, at the most two episodes at a time. Every person is a character.