Things I love.

I love children's fantasy literature. I think it will always be the one genre I can always return to no matter what age I am - all the collected works of Philip Pullman, Tamora Pierce, Diana Wynne Jones, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Eva Ibbotson, C.S. Lewis (blatant Christian motifs aside, they're still great books), Neil Gaiman, and so, so many more, although I have a particular weakness for the fantasy epics. So it's odd that I always feel ashamed to admit my love for this genre, especially the books geared towards younger ages.

I've given this a lot of thought over the past few years as I grow up and find myself increasingly expected to read literature of a so-called higher caliber (which, don't get me wrong, I love as well, but in a very, very different way). And what I've come to conclude is that the reason I am embarrassed by my adoration for the fantasy lit of my childhood is because I consider myself a serious reader who reads serious books and thinks seriously about their meanings. And, as a "serious reader", I know perfectly well that most people view fantasy as fluffy, inconsequential writing and don't really believe it can ever be considered true "literature" (if you'll pardon the somewhat excessive use of quotations).

This is something I disagree vehemently with but am always too nervous to voice (I'm petrified people will associate me with the kind of people who read trashy, poorly written murder mysteries or lusty romance novels and the like). Because I believe firmly and unshakeably that writing fantasy literature, especially for older children/younger teenagers, requires a unique skill that most contemporary authors, even the critically acclaimed ones, do not possess. What people don't understand is that writing fantasy literature requires creating the world anew. It demands characters that remain believable and alive and true even as the most extraordinarily unbelievable things are happening to them. Writing fantasy is a process of rewriting - of stepping back and changing every single one of the rules that up until that point had been accepted without question. As such, good fantasy by its very nature necessitates plots so intricately, delicately, and beautifully crafted that a reader is willing to gladly and joyfully suspend their disbelief. Good fantasy literature may be shelved with the children's books, but its basic principles (plot, character, and fantastical setting) are the ones that transcend age; these are the components of a story that is capable of appealing to any reader at any time in their lives.

A lot of the time I read books because I feel that I should (they won major awards or received excellent reviews from reputable sources and so on) or simply because I truly, truly love the act of reading itself. And I would say that I enjoy most of what I read. So many of the books I read are beautifully written and engaging and wonderful. But few evoke the same reactions in me that I felt as a child when I was first discovering the fantasy genre, reactions that I still feel even now when I revisit those books. I remember thinking to myself, "Holy shit!" the first time I read Diana Wynne Jones's books. I remember reading the entirety of Tamora Pierce's collected works (easily twenty or more books) over and over and over and over again as a kid and never tiring of the stories or characters. I still race through the His Dark Materials trilogy, dying to know what happens next even though I already know what's coming. And so on and so forth. I could really talk forever about this particular subject. I could describe in great and complex detail why I love this genre and why it never disappoints me. I could expound at length on what distinguishes great fantasy from mediocre fantasy and why particular authors have or haven't been able to write the former. I could passionately discuss the unique rewards and responsibilities of writing for children. Yeah, I could go on and on and on...

But I won't. There's no time for rambling when there are books to be read.