Part II

Now I don’t believe that any one work of fiction, all by itself, ever did or ever would drastically alter the way that readers think. What I do believe is that a book can reinforce and encourage ideas that we already have or already feel inclined to adopt. When somebody reads a book, they are most likely to take away something very similar to what they brought with them.

But do we read fantasy to confirm what we think we already know? Or is the best fantasy...

This is a revised version of something I posted in my forum a few years ago. I hope it might provoke some lively discussion. Because it's longer than the software will allow for one blog entry, I will have to post it in two parts.

Cynicism, Realism, Sensationalism — and Where DID I Misplace that Sense of Wonder?

Part I

After using The Lord of the Rings as a convenient reference point in earlier entries, I’m going to begin this one by allowing the author...