[ldb111781]

Fantasy by definition is: a creation of the imaginative faculty whether expressed of merely conceived. I understand that I'm new to this foroum and probably should hold my tongue, but I have issues. When a fantasy is written by any author should it not spark one's imagination. In my opinion I think that it would be better to leave a detail out if it lets the readers mind wonder on it's on and make the story unique to that particular person. Maybe some people like to be led by the hand but not me. Just wondering what are you veiws on this?

[jfclark]

I'm not sure what your question is really getting at. Are you pointing at a problem with fantasy books--they're too detailed, too long, maybe not "literary" enough? (If you are, some examples might help to tease out the issue.) Or are you saying that fantasy fans are the problem--that they are misunderstanding the function of fantasy somehow? Maybe you're saying both things.

Your post makes me think in particular of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The book comes with a map, half of which doesn't figure in the narrative, leaving the reader to "imagine" what those countries could be like. In addition, the book is filled with vague references to past events or to people not involved in the narrative. Many people have felt that this lends scope to the work, and that leaving some stories untold is a valuable aspect of the book's appeal. I tend to agree.

Other authors, by contrast, do seem to want to tell everything, by having their characters visit or come from every part of their world, or by revealing all aspects of each culture--dialect, ecology, commerce, politics, social structure, etc. (Jordan comes to mind here, though there are others.) Is this what you're getting at? And if so, what's wrong with it? Seems to me that that kind of novel is a great outlet for the *author's* imagination, even if it doesn't leave much to the reader's.

[ldb111781]

Yes I'm talking about both. The authors inability to let the reader imagine and the readers lake of imagination. You often hear people talk about how they read a book that left them thinking....Why would that be a bad thing? It just seems to me that fantasy should be just that.

[jfclark]

I see what you mean now. Clearly you are correct in saying that there are some fantasy works that aren't intended to "challenge" their readers; these novels tell a story in which no stone is left unturned, no mystery left unsolved, no loose end untied. Tidy, comforting books. The question is whether this kind of book is inherently inferior. You appear to believe that it is, and that fantasy literature is meant to stimulate imaginations and leave readers pondering deep mysteries and philosophical ramifications.

My response would be, bluntly, "So what?" If it's true that there is a lot of easy-to-read literature out there with an audience that likes to be spoonfed, it's also true that there are plenty of fantasy authors out there who do aim to challenge and make statements and open minds, and those authors, too, have an audience. More importantly, quite often the audiences for the two kinds of fantasy books are more or less the same. I read both Gene Wolfe and Robert Jordan. I read Wolfe because his stuff is "literary," and stimulates the mental faculties; I read Jordan for pure entertainment, or for insights into what's "popular" these days. So if your complaint is that bad books exist and are read by dumb people, I'd say that it doesn't carry much weight unless you could demonstrate that there is no "quality" fantasy out there.

For the last week or so, some of us on this board have been discussing a related issue under the "What Is Literary Fantasy?" thread. We haven't arrived at any firm conclusions, other than perhaps to decide that there's not much harm in saying that there are different categories of fantasy writing, some of it "literary" and some of it not, so long as everybody recognizes that personal tastes are hard to argue against.

You'd be just as well off asking why people watch dumb television all the time, or why kids spend so much time playing video games, or why we all go see dumb movies like Star Wars. Our culture is big enough to embrace lots of different stuff, high-brow and low-brow both. Neither one will ever go out of style completely.

[ldb111781]

Well worded and well thought out thank you for taking the time to answer my inquiry. Perhaps I'm being to judgemental and should just take things with a grain of salt, but since you obviously have a better understanding of this than do I. Could you give me a few authors that you think would stimulate my imagination and possibly shut me up about how some authors are uninpsired leash totting locusts who just want everyone to know their opinion and not think for themselves.

[milamber_reborn]

I enjoyed Tolkien - the Hobbit and LOTR are fun light reads. Jordan I prefer by a huge margin because he is detailed. There is so much more to enjoy becasue there is more of everything. He keeps you guessing with his multiple plot threads too.

I guess you mean that things should be implied. That would be fantasy mystery perhaps.

[ldb111781]

I believe that would be a type of book I would buy.......Fantasy Mystery. But that posses another problem is there such a thing and if so who writes it and where can I find it?