Is Literature Escapist?

 by Isabella Tarttelin

Recently, I stumbled across the Magdalene College Arts and Humanities Essay Competition and found a title that intrigued me: " ‘Reading literature, in any language, is escapism and will never replace real experiences.’ Discuss." There were many other thrilling questions, some that I may even write another article on myself, such as ‘ “Studying poetry is like looking at life through a magnifying glass.” Discuss.’, one I found particularly thought provoking. But I decided on this one, on reading literature as escapism, and thought I could use it to discuss (perhaps a little more amateurly, not one I would send off) in an article to the blog.

The part that pulled me in was the fact it described reading literature as ‘escapism’. And I absolutely agree. I believe that is what is dearly loved and treasured about literature. No matter the age, the complexity or developed meaning behind it, the power of imagination can take hold. The definition of ‘escapism’ is to seek distraction and relief, which completely supports the remark. Even from a young age, you were able to seek solitude in the colours and shapes set in front of you. And it’s not just fiction: bibliographies and factual information can provide the same intellectual stimulation as non-fiction. When reading we hide in the pages, our peripheral vision blurring as our mind controls our sight; contorting reality to depict the grand scenes the words on the page create. Reading is almost a point of vulnerability, especially when getting into a good book, as you are unaware of your surroundings, completely caught off your guard, escaping reality to hide between the metaphors, paradoxes and similes. 

Yet I did disagree with this discussion point also, when it states that literature can ‘never replace real experiences’. The word ‘replace’ almost disregards the effect literature has, implying the real experiences have a sense of superiority over the imagination. At first, one can agree and put it bluntly that it can't. A real experience can be simply described as physically real. You are hindered in literature by the lack of senses; you can’t touch the tumultuous tide, or smell the wafting aromas. Yes you lack in physicality, but not with emotions. You can grieve at the pages when your devoted favourite character dies, or squeal in delight at a particularly funny joke. I know for myself, I feel the same shock, joy, anger and so on while developing the story in my head, as much I would if told face-to-face. But in the end it waters down to how we define ‘real’. Is ‘real’ seeing, touching and tasting, or is ‘real’ feeling, crying, and laughing? Can one contradict this discussion point, due to the fact that it is our emotional reaction that makes reading literature: real? 

But I agree that it will ‘never replace real experiences’, of course it won’t. If we’re defining ‘real experiences’ as the physical, and reading literature as the emotional, then you can’t replace one with the other. Imagination is a highly valued thing, especially in a time run with the internet and technology. You can’t live your life without imagination, because imagination is personal, it's what makes us individual and who we are. Without it, what are we? How could we come up with ideas? Even within technology and the mechanical, there is still a person behind it with a creative imagination, moulding and constructing ideas. Yet it can be argued that the two are interchangeable. Our imagination is affected by our reality: how we construct things and concepts in our mind are impacted by how we process reality. After all, how could I picture the delicate green pastures if I had never even seen a tree before? Furthermore, reality is affected by our imagination, with our own inventions and approach to life all sourcing from an idea: a mind. Conclusively, there must be a balance between the real and imaginative; too much of one makes us delusional by fantasies, or robotic and without a spark. Reading literature will never replace the feeling of real experiences, but neither will real experiences replace the swell reading literature gives to our imagination.