Escapist fiction

Escapist fiction, also called escapist literature or escapism, is fiction that provides escapism by providing readers with an alternate reality or a diversion from reality. Typically, a specific work of escapist fiction can be classified as a particular form of genre fiction. Quotes People who read tend to commit fewer violent crimes, I guess. I think that one of the reasons for that isn’t just that they’re brighter, but I think books give you a place to go. They give you a time-out. They give you a different headspace to be in, rather than getting more and more frustrated or angry or upset or whatever it is that leads people to these outbursts. So I think that books provide a social service that way, for their readers, that isn’t recognized in your basic literature course. Escapist literature gets a bad rap, but I think escape is pretty important for a lot of people in a lot of places. Lois McMaster Bujold, as quoted by David Barr Kirtley], host of the The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy, in: Interview: Lois McMaster Bujold February 2013 issue 30 Lightspeed Magazine https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-lois-mcmaster-bujold/ (This interview was originally on Wired.com’s The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast.) Though fairy-stories are of course by no means the only medium of Escape, they are today one of the most obvious and (to some) outrageous forms of 'escapist literature' ... J. R. R. Tolkien, Tree and Leaf: Including the Poem Mythopoeia 2nd Unwin Hyman Ltd 1988 9780044402541 https://books.google.com/books?id=1m9lAAAAMAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=medium 55 (101 pages; 1st edition 1964) Real life is overrated. But as readers we can escape to any elsewhere our heart desires – and at present all my heart wants is hope and kindness and liberty and pure escapism. Francesca Segal, Five of the Best Escapist Books 30 May 2024 The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/may/30/five-of-the-best-escapist-books When the seas of life get rough, some readers look for escape, while others dive right in. So it is COVID-19 lockdowns during the pandemic, when many book lovers are turning toward Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction apocalyptic fiction. Martin Wolk, Essential end-of-the-world reading list offers a glimpse of the abyss May 13, 2020 Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-05-13/apocalypse-reading-list-emily-st-john-mandel-station-eleven See also Fairy tale Fantasy Horror Science fiction External links Category:Literature