Short form: by and large, the reason we read adult fiction to see people act — wisely, foolishly, rightly, wrongly — something so many of us have a hard time doing ourselves due to internal and external restraints.
Makes sense to me.
Embedded Link
» Blog Archive » What Adult Fiction is For
Or, why the words “entertainment” and “escape” aren’t all that helpful. This is going to sound dumb, but I’ve struggled over the last couple of years with what adult fiction is for. The answer is obvi…
Google+: View post on Google+
37 view(s)
And fiction gives a break from reality, even if it's not a fantasy book. As an avid reader and college student I really appreciate the breaks between semesters to read something fictional.
But that's where +DeAnna Knippling is getting with her thesis here (if I read her properly) that "escape" (i.e., a "break from reality") isn't what it's really about. A novel about a college student who did something outside of normal would be, I'd think, far more refreshing and entertaining and of interest to read than a novel about the a group of trans-dimensional colonists on Zendak VII who go about their day-to-day jobs in a placid and dutiful fashion.
I turn to Robert Jordan for escape. No doubt that any good writer successfully creates characters that make decisions that we can relate to, but I would intentionally stay away from fiction about a college student on my college break. I want magic, creatures, swords, lasers, armor, etc. Topics that I get no exposure to in academia.