Escapism
“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”
To which I say…
Maybe escaping into a good book is a way of acting out the belief that all woods there be must end at last. (yes, that last part is from Tolkien). It’s a belief that reality, beneath all the chaos and confusion, can be more beautiful than that book you read that you wished didn’t have to end.
The best journeys to the world of story are like venturing into a dark, unknown forest and emerging with a wildflower.
Good stories enlarge our reality (exploring the forest) and make it more beautiful (the wildflowers we find).
