Why reading fantasy isn’t as out of the world as it seems: delving deeper into why this genre is important in our daily life (Write About Reading)

There are some books that immediately strike our minds when we talk about fantasy: Harry Potter Series, Lord of the Rings, ever favorite Game of Thrones, etc. We all know these books are entirely fictional and have like no chance of occurring in real life. They are the innovations of the authors, something that is confined to just those pages. 
And moreover, people disregard fantasy nowadays. ‘It’s too childish!’ ‘You know that is never happening!’ ‘That is so stupid, what was the author doing?’ And if by chance they stumble upon creations like GOT, ‘Wait, isn’t that too dark for its genre?’ In fact, half of my family is considering the theory that my cousin’s introverted and absentmindedness has been born from reading too many novels! 
But I will proudly say fantasy is a genre that will never ever get outdated (20 years of Harry Potter and it’s still alive and kicking, isn’t it?), and in fact with time, fantasy makes even more sense! (Archie comics predicted online schooling, didn’t they?) I personally began my venture into the reading realm with this genre, and let me say it, I fell in love. As a fantasy author, I can also feel how exciting it is to write such books, to have the power to do anything on those pages. Fiction is integral to our lives, and fantasy is one of the most important categories of fiction.​

​Simply put, fantasy is a way to escape our reality. It is an escapade for all those of us who want to experience some magic in our lives from time to time. It helps us take off our minds from day-to-day worries and instead focus on decoding theories in our favorite series. I remember loving my life during my reading marathons that included piles of books (like Harry Potter, Rick Riordan and his creations, etc). 
But it doesn’t end there. It would have been good enough with this absolute reason, but fantasy has a much more important role to play. It teaches us about our reality, and helps us understand it better. It helps us solve real life problems, and there is no denying that. That is why it is recommended that it is included in curriculums and in reading lists. Actually, fantasy and reality are on both ends of the same spectrum. They can and very well coexist, and both have some elements of each other in themselves.
For example, Harry Potter is the journey of a young boy who we see transitioning from a kid to a teen and then finally an adult. We face problems along with him while reading, some like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named that are unlikely to occur in our lives and some like dealing with a close one’s loss, something that can very much occur in our lives. Harry Potter teaches us that life for teenagers is not as easy as adults’ make of it; it is full of hurdles and is a rollercoaster ride. It shows us that it is okay to make mistakes and life gives second chances, and at the end, what matters is to emerge out as better people (take in the case of Draco’s storyline). 
In the end, what matters is learning life lessons, something we do not exactly learn in school. Fantasy is a beautiful pool of stories we should definitely indulge in. At least try out and most importantly not disregard.
So whether you plan on starting your journey through this beautiful genre (Try out Harry Potter please. #potterhead) or are already on your way (Have you read Abandoned by Meg Cabot?), I wish you all the very best.
Let the magic keep running through your veins!

Avileena Dutta

Avileena Dutta is a guest columist. She is a sixteen year old author whose aspirations in life are to tell stories and travel the world.