Literature is an art because it incorporates elements from reality. Escapism is not about forgetting completely about reality, and neither is fantasy, for one has the responsibility to live in truth and act upon it. Rather, escapism in literature is about finding new more enlightened ways of approaching the mundane. It is a temporary relief that immerses you in a different truth where, when you emerge, you emerge better for it, refreshed, stronger, or with a new or better understanding of things.
This is what true fantasy, true art, must do. Literature that does not transform the reader is not literature at all, but rather a mere echo of it, a lifeless copy, cheap entertainment. With this I am not saying that entertainment is a bad thing, but that entertainment for the sake of only itself, like so many other things, is not beneficial for an individual's mind and soul.
An author should strive to convey what is true through literature. Not what they think might be true, but what is objectively true, and convey it in a way that also provides entertainment to the reader. This is the plight of the artist. The trouble with this is that it is not easy, it is time-consuming, and in this age of hustle and economic focus, it is not profitable, so people may turn to other easier means.
Creating a story that entertains may not at all times be easy, but it is certainly not art, or rather, not truthful art. It is deceptive. It is insulting to those who consume it for escapism, to escape their uncertain lives and come back stronger to face their problems. It is degrading to those who consume it for pure entertainment without knowing of the alternative.
On this note, it follows then that also those writings that proclaim the truth can be flawed in this way. It is not sufficient to proclaim the truth directly, for we do not live in a perfect world, where the truth might be understood perfectly. One who pretends to write like this runs the risk of being misinterpreted. This might not be one’s fault, but if we are to dedicate ourselves to this craft, it should be done to the best of our abilities, therefore it is the obligation of the artist to not only write truth but write it in a compelling way. St. Thomas Aquinas believed that faith is not enough, but must be in balance with reason, and it is this I speak of in the context of literature.
Fantasy is often used to refer to something not real, but even in fantasy literature we must find reality in some way, if only to guide those who even in reality do not know truth.
SAPIENTIA ET VENUSTAS
Santiago Muguiro