my biggest response to the whole “people don’t want realism, fiction is a form of escapism” argument is: true, and i think it’s important to account for the fact that we all find escapism in different ways. it varies depending on the individual person, whose personal preferences may be influenced by their current state of emotion.
for example: sometimes i listen to the trolley song by judy garland when i feel sad - it’s a cheerful song that helps me feel better! most of garland’s discography is comfort music i listen to when i want to feel better. other times though, i don’t want to feel better. i just want to be angry and miserable for a few hours without lashing out at anyone. when that’s the case, i listen to much darker, hopeless music like the entirety of the wall by pink floyd or syd barrett’s dark globe.
the same can - and should! - be said for fiction. sometimes darkness and gritty realism is an escapism! granted, it should not be exempt from critique of execution and overall quality. but it is escapism. sometimes people don’t want to feel better immediately, and for whatever personal reasons prefer reading more hopeless stories. and maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t shame or shun them for it, and take into account the fact that these people seek escapism, too.
