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Fanzine Digest, v. 1, issue 1, April 1942
Page 3
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Fantasy Fiction Field : Feb 27 42 SUN SPOTS: FEBRUARY 1942 Escape to Reality - -Jack Williamson- - This is intended to be a brief companion piece to the very interesting and challenging article by Sam Noskowitz 'Escape to Nowhere.' That contains some quite well substantiated charges against science fiction fan activities. This question of fantasy versus reality is one I've thought about a good deal, and I think the whole question he raises is a pretty important one for fans to face. Science fiction is escape literature - - - there's no protesting that. And the world of strictly fan activities, too that is a happy little domain that seems to be safely cut off from reality. Admitting all that, however, I still believe there's another side to the picture. Granting that some fan enthusiasts follow their hobby to the point of neglecting things that seem more important to other people, isn't it possible that this mania is a result of some incomplete adjustment , instead of a cause of it? Is it mentally injurious to read fantastic fiction? I don't think so. Besides all the pleasure that it can give the individual, by enriching his own worlds of fantasy, I believe that it can provide a mental road toward the fuller acceptance of reality. There's nothing abnormal about fantasy. It's a phase of central life through which every individual must pass. I believe that good fantastic fiction can make it more enjoyable while it last --- without necessarily prolonging it --- and still help the individual gain the solid rock of reality beyond. And it seems that most people find it refreshing to slip back into the relaxing current of pure imagination from time to time, even after they've gained the rock. The view that many fans take on the compilation of a bibliography of
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Fantasy Fiction Field : Feb 27 42 SUN SPOTS: FEBRUARY 1942 Escape to Reality - -Jack Williamson- - This is intended to be a brief companion piece to the very interesting and challenging article by Sam Noskowitz 'Escape to Nowhere.' That contains some quite well substantiated charges against science fiction fan activities. This question of fantasy versus reality is one I've thought about a good deal, and I think the whole question he raises is a pretty important one for fans to face. Science fiction is escape literature - - - there's no protesting that. And the world of strictly fan activities, too that is a happy little domain that seems to be safely cut off from reality. Admitting all that, however, I still believe there's another side to the picture. Granting that some fan enthusiasts follow their hobby to the point of neglecting things that seem more important to other people, isn't it possible that this mania is a result of some incomplete adjustment , instead of a cause of it? Is it mentally injurious to read fantastic fiction? I don't think so. Besides all the pleasure that it can give the individual, by enriching his own worlds of fantasy, I believe that it can provide a mental road toward the fuller acceptance of reality. There's nothing abnormal about fantasy. It's a phase of central life through which every individual must pass. I believe that good fantastic fiction can make it more enjoyable while it last --- without necessarily prolonging it --- and still help the individual gain the solid rock of reality beyond. And it seems that most people find it refreshing to slip back into the relaxing current of pure imagination from time to time, even after they've gained the rock. The view that many fans take on the compilation of a bibliography of
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