Fantastic Metropolis

In conclusion…

We read to learn about ourselves, but we also read to reach beyond ourselves, to experience that which is blessedly and profanely other. Literature of the fantastic deals in the other with a generocity of vision, of spirit, that more realistic fiction cannot hope to match. The contemporary realistic novel is often a drab and sad affair. By contrast, each of the books recommended above contains an entire world within its pages; each book demonstrates a reverence for the imagination. Isn’t this, then, that is at the heart of any great fiction? Stories that take us farther than we want to go, so that, all at once, we are far from shore, the lights of civilization distant, and, before us, through the night, our faint flashlights can just make out the wine-dark reflection of something new, different, and wonderful.

Notes: Other books could have been discussed above but, because they are too well-known or too recent or for reasons of space, have not been included in this article. Among such works are:

• Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita
• Jonathan Carroll’s The Land of Laughs
• Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love
• Timothy Findley’s Headhunter
• Toni Morrison’s Beloved
• Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast novels
• Brooke Stevens’ The Circus of the Earth and the Air
• Lawrence Thornton’s Imagining Argentina
• Brooks Hansen’s The Chess Garden

Parts of this article appeared in the CLF Newsletter.