Superheroes Mainstream critics often disparage superhero stories as escape literature, superficial entertainment versus literature that tells us about the human condition. Are these stories superficial? Maybe. Maybe not. They are often exciting adventure stories. On the surface, they appear to be pure escapism, having little to do with reality. After all, humans can’t fly or […]
“Dodger”: Terry Pratchett’s Historical Fantasy
A Fan: Not a Fanatic, But a Fan Nonetheless First, I’m a Terry Pratchett fan, not the ultimate kind who has read all 40 Discworld books. I’m a more casual fan. I’ve read several Discworld books, in no particular order. My first Pratchett book was Good Omens by Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I loved the […]
I Lied to Save Face
National Library Week 2014 (April 13-19, 2014) My Problem I had a serious problem: I was a semi-illiterate 12-year-old with zero self-confidence. Every morning in seventh grade English, my friend Charlie gave me his cigarettes, his switchblade, and anything else he wasn’t supposed to have. I’d hold his possessions until after he got the inevitable […]
Why are YA Stories, Dystopias, and Superheroes Popular? Part 2
Remember Dystopias follow a basic pattern: a dystopian society plus a person or persons who fight or in some way rebel against the system. Some rebels succeed; others don’t. We read them because they explore a possible future, and we want to see what might happen in our future and what people might do in […]