Is reading fantasy childish?

The short answer is “no”. Fantasy as genre can be as thought-provoking as any other category of fiction. But… it depends of what particular authors you are reading. If the author is using the same tired tropes and writes in a mediocre style about two-dimensional characters then it is childish not to notice such flaws.

Why is fantasy an important genre for children?

Fantasy is a genre that has much to offer young readers. One of the most compelling reasons for giving children fantasy is that it comments on social reality through indirections (metaphor, allegory, parable) and can therefore deal with complex moral questions in a more playful and exaggerated manner.

What are the features of fantasy genre?

Fantasy is characterized by imaginary and unrealistic elements. Fantasies typically involve supernatural powers, like magic and magical creatures. Fantasy stories often contain elements of Medievalism, such as castles, knights, kings, magical swords, and references to ancient spells.

Why is fantasy so popular?

The reason that fantasy is so popular for both adults and children alike is that they offer escapism from work or school into a different realm. This is probably the reason that fantasy is such a broad category and unites almost everyone, from the elderly to those just starting to read, or to take an interest in films.

Why do people read fantasy literature?

As humans, we crave a sense of wonder, of hope in small miracles and unexplainable mysteries. We want to be awed and astonished and amazed. Additionally, the distance of fantasy allows us to explore concepts and issues that might be too scary or too overwhelming for younger readers.

What must a fantasy story have?

Why do people like fantasy so much?

Fantasy also allows us to lower our guard, which makes it easier to understand otherwise difficult subject matter, and helps us see things from new perspectives. Maybe the new insights into ourselves that we gain from fantasy literature are too difficult for critics to accept. People usually don’t like to admit they’re wrong.

Is fantasy becoming mainstream?

Fantasy has become mainstream, with the huge successes of the Lord of the Rings films and Game of Thrones. Science fiction repeatedly appears in movies and the best-seller lists. Star Trek and Star Wars franchises sprawl across society.

Do you have to vary things up when writing Asian fantasy?

Unless your story is set in some sort of weird multiverse, it might behoove you to vary things a bit more than that. Even worse are authors who seem to think that people who look Asian have to correspond to modern (and Western) Asian stereotypes, or that fantasy people with dark skin all have to live in tribal societies in a desert.

Do critics really not understand how to read fantasy?

There isn’t any lost, secret knowledge on how to write fantastical literature. There isn’t anything about English that changes the literary merit of genre writing. Perhaps, as Le Guin asserts, these critics simply don’t understand how to read fantasy.