Earlier, in front of the television, my sister engaged me in a conversation that was quite enlightening. In more or less words, she told me that the reason she did not enjoy a couple of television shows and movies was mainly that she does not like when a fictional character is mimicking reality too much.
The example she posed was Regular Show vs. Adventure Time. In her eyes, Adventure Time is superior because it is wholly a work of fantasy; though there are themes that mimic reality (i.e. romantic relationships, friendships, social interactions), the show mainly guides the viewer away from reality sticking to the idea of adventuring in an apocalyptic scenario. Regular Show, for instance, is more grounded in mundane activities, interspersed with some scenes that could never happen in real life. For years, I have been trying to figure out why she dislikes certain works of art, TV series and so forth. Now I know.
“Life is already bad enough,” she said, “Why would I want to watch a television show about awkward situations that I already deal with on a daily basis?”
Touché. Of course, most of America probably disagrees since most of our popular culture revolves around art that very closely enacts reality. Then again, Americans loathe a dialogue heavy film with little action. Still, whenever one goes to a museum or sees a film, many times a piece of art can be deemed extraordinary because it is so life-like. To this day, Jurassic Park is so impressive because of the CGI quality.
It comes down to the type of person you are: a realist or an illusionist? Do you like to grapple with life’s problems, or would you rather check out into the phantasmagoria of the imagination’s realm? What category do you belong to? Certainly, and absolutely, both components can exist at one time.
On Wednesdays, I dedicate my blog and readings to a book, writing or other activity that lends itself to suspending disbelief. As a prospective writer, I like to live in my head. Much of my work is criticized for being unbelievable, and I am completely okay with that. What is believable, after all, is personal preference. I’m also a big fan of free e-books on Amazon, which lead me to a collection of ghost stories.
James H. Hyslop wrote an especially interesting foreword to this collection, which was published in 1918:
“In the present age, which is saturated with psychic research, whatever the motive or outcome of that movement, ghost stories have been revived partly because you can invoke interest under the cloak of science and partly because of an interest in the unknown and the desire to please our fancies, and fiction, which is art and not science, can escape the duty of preaching.” Various (2012-12-18). Great Ghost Stories (Kindle Locations 16-19). . Kindle Edition.
Though many might not believe it, supernatural and fantastical literature, art, films and so on allow both the scientific skeptic and “the lovers of the marvelous” to come together on one even playing field. It looks like though the fascination in the mundane may change with the times, an interest in the otherworld will not.
