A comment by Aaron James a few days back in response to my post “The Novel as a Time Machine” has prompted me to rethink my own expectations of literature, both as a reader and a writer. It was one of those elephant-in-the-room moments, actually, in which the most obvious thing can sometimes be the hardest to see.
Quite simply, when he said “a lot of people like to read as a form of escapism,” an alarm was triggered, based on a deeply engrained value from my formative years, the one that derided escapism as, well, unhealthy at its core and essentially fluffy. Looking back, I suspect the message was that escapism had the social relevance of sugar overload or a wild drunken night on the town. You know, it just wasn’t serious enough.
At a deeper level, I suspect the reaction also touches on the lingering historic distrust of the arts from my dad’s Quaker and Dunker roots, perhaps even some from my mother’s mix of Calvinist traditions (never mind Sir Walter Scott), and that’s even before we get to Tertullian and his critique of the “pagan” arts during the formation of the early church itself. You know, it all begins with assuming a role of another’s identity, something that’s simply counterfeit and a lie. (My apologies for way oversimplifying a marvelous line of reasoning. And, for the record, many modern Quakers are fine writers, actors, and artists.)
Still, as I was reflecting on Aaron’s comment, I had to admit how much I enjoy work that crosses from “reality” into a magical realm, one of fantasy or surrealism. I like to be taken places – or, as he hints, be given a sense of travel where exploring and learning are part of the sensation of the trip.
Is that escapism? Or is it encounter?
My inclination is to argue the latter. But does that make for a more rugged route? It even has me thinking about the “diet” we allow ourselves when it comes to literature – do we go vegan, for instance, or kosher, or out-and-out hedonistic? What’s “good” and what’s “bad”? And what’s simply another guilty pleasure?
Jnana's Red Barn 
It’s all good. I think some of what I read is for entertainment and some for educational purposes. There’s crossover. Some of the entertainment is also deeply moving, which then become educational or inspiring in my own writing.
Still, there are those unrecognized influences that shape and guide our experiences. Not just in literature, either.
Escape can be valuable, even healing. Reading has been my escape since childhood. I’m seldom able to physically get away from the stressors in my life, but I can usually carve out a few hours to get lost in a good novel. But your observation about encounter is spot-on: encountering something different from our daily lives is both a reason for and means of escaping.
But escape by means of a book can be just as unhealthy and addicting as escape by means of chemicals or video games or what-have-you. I pay close attention to the balance I maintain in my reading. When it tips too far toward the escapism side, I know I need to make adjustments elsewhere in my life.
well i do like a novel that makes me feel like i am there – wherever there is