To many, literature in all its forms is a burden to some. They see it as simply a means to an end to their studies and lectures. To others however, literature is a form of escapism for millions of people, both children and adults, around the world. With its boundless world-building, engaging characters and their characterisation, and its plots endless potential, it’s no wonder why too!
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, escapism is the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy. Typically, the term is used for the internet, addictions, gaming, and now most recently, literature.
According to research facilitated by Dr Phillips, reader’s ideas on self-isolation, sadness and depression all decrease when they can process the fact that other people (even if they are fictional characters) go through these experiences as well (Literature as a coping mechanism – waiting for the second wave, 2020). She also goes in depth about the effects of the pandemic on our mind, and how many have been turning to literature in order to cope with the sudden and drastic change in their daily lifestyle, stating that literature study groups for the WA frontline staff may be the best way forward in order to keep morale high and preserve the mental health of many of the frontline healthcare workers.
Fictional fantasy books usually are the best way to cope and escape from reality, most opting for intricate world-building to get lost into. One example of such an ambitious world found right initially presented through the form of writing is the Lord of the Rings. JRR Tolkein spent an upwards of seventeen years in order to complete the book, continuing to make edits and changes even after it was published, and it shows. The appendix even includes the ancestry tree of each character, where they ended up after the events of the book, how different characters met up outside of the main plot, and even the rules, grammar, syntax, and letters of Elvish – the official language of the species of the Elf. Personally, The Lord Of The Rings was the book that was the most engaging to me as a reader as it presented to me a wide range of possibilities, with various opportunities to explore within the world and the rules that follow it.
To some, books are just a way of reaching their intended grades, bland and merely a tool for the next steppingstone. To many others however, books and literature are miniature portals into worlds and lives unimaginable in real life, and where anything and everything could happen with mere words. And in times like these, where bad news gushes in by the second like an overflowing waterfall, I feel like we could use these little breaks from reality now more than ever.
Stay safe!
Nikita
References
Uwa.edu.au. 2020. Literature As A Coping Mechanism – Waiting For The Second Wave. [online] Available at: <https://www.uwa.edu.au/news/Article/2020/June/Literature-as-a-coping-mechanism—waiting-for-the-second-wave> [Accessed 10 June 2020].