Lately I’ve been wondering, why do people love fantasy literature?
For me, I think the love began when I was a child, getting wrapped up in the magical lands I could only discover in fairytales. My parents read fantasy books to us sometimes at bedtime, which must have influenced me.
Whatever the reason, Fantasy caught my imagination in a special way from a young age. I remember whenever I went to the library as a child I went straight to the fairytale section.
There, I discovered such wonderful picture books of fairytales I will always treasure. Here are two unique picture books that stuck with me:
Princess Furball is a wonderful story similar to Cinderella, as she is a beautiful princess who has glamorous dresses, but she disguises herself as a muddy, fur-claden cook to gain entry to the castle. It has beautiful, memorable illustrations and the hallmarks of a brave heroine determined to win the heart of her prince.
The King’s Equal is a story about a young woman who lived on a mountain, with a mission to take care of what her dying father left her, including a sheep. When a wolf threatens that mission, she finds that the wolf is actually a wise guide, who teaches her until she becomes the most wise, intelligent, and beautiful woman in the land.
When the King declares he wants to find a woman who is his “equal,” the woman from the mountain appears before him in all her beauty and grace. He declares her to be matchless in her beauty and wisdom, therefore admitting he is not equal to her. In a twist, he must now go spend time on her mountain until he becomes her equal, for his character is lacking.
As I am re-thinking and doing some more writing for my own children’s fantasy book, I found this article about the relevancy of children’s fantasy to be helpful and encouraging.
I loved how the author expresses part of the appeal of fantasy literature, which resonates with me:
“One of the most obvious benefits of fantasy is that it allows readers to experiment with different ways of seeing the world. It takes a hypothetical situation and invites readers to make connections between this fictive scenario and their own social reality.
Fantasy writing, says Stephens, operates through metaphor – so that the unfamiliar is used to stand in for, or comment upon, the familiar. Metaphors are obviously less precise than other forms of language (they are subject to more complex interpretive processes) and this is perhaps a significant advantage of fantasy over realism.
Fantasy’s use of metaphor makes it more “open” to different readings and meanings. This allows fantasy to explore quite complex social issues in ways that are less confrontational than realism because it takes place in a world that is distanced from social reality (and can also be mediated with humour).”
What are some of your favorite fantasy stories and fairytales?
Classic Reads 
Great post! It is interesting, that almost everyone loves fantasy as children, but many people stop completely with this genre, when growing up. I don’t read much fantasy these days, but when I do, I normally love it. Favourites include Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Rivers of London.
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Thanks, Stargazer! It is interesting, and somewhat ironic that people “grow out of it” as we can actually better understand the symbolism, metaphor and meaning when we’re older! Loved the 1st 2 you mentioned, I haven’t read Rivers of London.
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