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a truly wonderful sci-fi/fantasy book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
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42!!!
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My personal feeling is that writing about dragons and Elves doesn't make a book escapist, any more than writing about viruses or new technology automatically makes a book "relevent" to life. You can have one author who handles dragons and Elves in such a way that it makes you think about important things: the questions people raise to explain why they're here and what they're doing. And you can have someone else write abook about modern, "relevent" things that really doesn't have much thought behind it. That's the kind of a book you read once and toss away and never look at again.
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A very good point,
Regin. In my sophomore English class we were required to read a "realist" book (I cannot recall the title); but it was one of those books that, through over-emphasis on the point the author wishes to make, the point (and the audience) get lost and immediately vacate the premises. I got nothing whatsoever out of the book, aside from a deep loathing toward my English teacher for making us read it. On the other hand, I have acquired some really brilliant lessons and insights from reading so-called "escapist" literature (LotR, HP, Sword of Truth (by Terry Goodkind)).
Tolkien himself had a few things to say about this. (The exact quote is inaccesible to me at the moment, but I will return with it as soon as I can...)
Abedithon le,
~ Saphy ~