Escapism or Blessed Reality?

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All fiction is a form of escapism; be it a novel, a film, a short cartoon or a soap opera. We read or watch to bury ourselves into a world that isn’t our own. To have a break from our lives.

That doesn’t mean we don’t learn from fiction, quite the opposite. As former children’s laureate Anne Fine says,

 

Living your life is a long and doggy business... Stories and books help. Some help with the living itself. Some help you just take a break. The best do both at the same time.

We may recognise something of ourselves in a character or situation; gain compassion and understanding for someone with very different priorities or experiences to ourselves. Or contemplate how we might cope if we were pushed to the extremes that are more often found in fiction than in real life (thankfully).

The escapism comes in different forms. Fantasy and sci-fi offer alternate worlds, completely removed from our own reality. These styles of writing can offer a lot for Christian authors because of the freedom to express faith and identity in the world they have created.

 Historical fiction also offers escape into a different world, this time one based in the past. That might be an accurately researched and described past, or something a little freer with historical reality (for example the current fashion for populating period dramas with outspoken women with modern sensibilities: Bridgerton anyone?). Historical fiction can be a form of nostalgia, an escape from today’s free-for-all into a world of respect and belief; it may also remind us of the advantages of modern society. However it’s framed, Christian writers can use historical settings to explore faith in a less complicated world, possibly where faith was more accepted and so talking about it feels more natural.But what about contemporary fiction? There’s a class of Christian fiction that is set in the contemporary world, but is avowedly ‘nice’ and ‘safe’ and seeks not to offend. And there’s a place for that; it’s another world to escape into. But without the world-building of the best fantasy writers, it can seem unrealistic and is often very unpalatable to the majority of non-Christians.

What happens when we want to write fiction that reflects our messy, painful, sometimes sweary reality; fiction that might challenge and upset some readers? Fiction that seeks to show the world as it is and offer a Christian perspective on that reality. To show the power of hope, the importance of forgiveness. To demonstrate what faith might look like in today’s complicated world.

It can be hard to place books like that. Secular publishers and sellers shy away from all but the most subtle Christian content while Christian sellers often object to bad language and harsh reality. But I thinkstories like that can encourage our faith and challenge others’ stereotypes as much, if not more, than more obvious types of escapism. They can show us a blessed reality.

I believe there should be more places for such work. What do you think?