Ardainian Right on Nostr: Fantasy as a genre should be "escapist," not in the sense of not having ...

Fantasy as a genre should be "escapist," not in the sense of not having cultural/political/social themes, but in the sense that they escape from the existing ones of our world and explore alternative worlds and worldviews. A good fantasy world should create values dissonance in an audience to some extent, and rethink our own society's mores and values. Good fantasy makes you feel like you're visiting a foreign country, with its own culture, history, traditions, morals, etc. Bad fantasy crams your own world and culture into an ill-fitting skinsuit.