“I think that the soul of fantasy—or second-world fantasy at least—is our problematic relationship with nostalgia.”
Context: I don't find fantasy to be more or less suited to philosophical questions than any other genre, really. I think that the soul of fantasy—or second-world fantasy at least—is our problematic relationship with nostalgia. The impulse to return to a golden age seems to be pretty close to the bone, at least in western cultures, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's a human universal. For me, it's tied up with the experience of aging and the impulse to recapture youth. Epic fantasy, I think, takes its power from that. We create golden eras and either celebrate them or—more often—mourn their loss.<br><br>Interview with Peter Orullian http://orullian.com/writing/danielabraham_interview.html
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Daniel Abraham141
speculative fiction writer from the United States 1969Related quotes
“Fantasy is an 'F' word that hopefully the five second delay won't do anything with”
Peter Jackson (1961) New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter
After receiving the Best Picture Oscar for "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" at the 76th Academy Awards
“I have too many fantasies to be a housewife…. I guess I am a fantasy.”
Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) American actress, model, and singer
Variant: I have too many fantasies to be a housewife. I guess I am a fantasy.
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American politician, 40th president of the United States (in office from 1981 to 1989)
Where's the Rest of Me? http://books.google.com/books?id=n6pZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22So+much+of+our+profession+is+taken+up+with+pretending%22+%22that+an+actor+must+spend+at+least+half+his+waking+hours+in+fantasy%22&pg=PA6#v=onepage (1965) <br class="br">1960s
Claude Debussy (1862–1918) French composer
As quoted in An Encyclopedia of Quotations About Music (1981) by Nat Shapiro, p. 194
“They see it for what it is… It is a fantasy world and they understand that completely.”
Joanne K. Rowling (1965) British novelist, author of the Harry Potter series
As quoted in "Success of Harry Potter bowls author over" at CNN.com (21 October 1999) http://www.cnn.com/books/news/9910/21/rowling.intvu/; also quoted in "Urban Legends Reference Pages : Harry Potter" at Snopes.com http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/potter.asp <br class="br">1990s <br class="br">Context: I absolutely did not start writing these books to encourage any child into witchcraft. … I'm laughing slightly because to me, the idea is absurd.<br>I have met thousands of children now, and not even one time has a child come up to me and said, "Ms. Rowling, I'm so glad I've read these books because now I want to be a witch." They see it for what it is... It is a fantasy world and they understand that completely.
Billy Joel (1949) American singer-songwriter and pianist
Sometimes a Fantasy.
Song lyrics, Glass Houses (1980)
