Escapism is when a person turns to something more enjoyable and more pleasurable to get away from the harsh realities of the real world. Escapism is natural and healthy, allowing people not to be immersed in a world of depression. Krystal (2012) believes that fans of the fantasy …show more content…
People hear that there is a hit movie coming out in the next year, and it’s based on a book, so of course they read the book before anyone else, just to try and get ahead. Ask them about their interpretations of the book, and they probably wouldn’t be able to tell you, as this isn’t why they read it. As Murakami (1987) said, “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” This quotation isn’t all about conforming, it’s also about not conforming, and how reading books that suit the individual can augment that individuality and also their scope of …show more content…
I’d heartily recommend a box of tissues if you were to read Bridge to Terabithia (Paterson, 1977), Les Misérables (Hugo, 1862) or any of the Harry Potter series (Rowling, 1997-2007), because you will need them. They aren’t all sad though, books can make people feel great, and many people turn to reading them when they get down. These books enhance our own emotions and can make us feel emotions that aren’t possible in our own lives. Novels can also conjure empathy. A well written book will make it out as if the reader actually experienced the events, not just read them on paper. This allows people to connect with each other when these situations happen in real life. While one may have never lost someone close to them, after reading a few novels where this happened, they can begin to sympathise and empathise with the person feeling those emotions. Fiction novels are great tools when it comes to harnessing a sense of belonging, allowing us to feel things we have never felt before, learn things we would never have otherwise, and escape to a world never thought possible.
Krystal, A. 2012, A Critic at Large, “Easy Writers,” The New Yorker, May 28, 2012, p. 81