It’s Saturday! Musings on the Genre of Fantasy and Getting Older

I just watched the third movie of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy with my younger son. It wasn’t the first time.

I read “The Hobbit” and the trilogy when I was a teenager. I also read many other fantasy books and some science fiction too, then and in the following years. The “Narnia” series, “A Never Ending Story” and “A Wrinkle in Time” are the examples which pop up first.

I accompanied my boys as they discovered the world of fantasy and learned from them about some books that hadn’t been around when I was their age. Books such as the “Artemis Fowl” series and “Good Omens“.

It didn’t seem to me that age was a problem when it came to enjoying fantasy.

However, tonight I felt less sure. Though it must be noted that I was watching the movie again, not rereading the book.

The third film includes the happy end. You see Aragorn being crowned and everyone is in white and all is splendid, beautiful and shiny.

That bothered me.

Of course they are happy. But they’ve just been through an incredibly horrific war with lots of dead and wounded, and great devastation. They couldn’t possibly be looking like that after what they’ve just been through, even though they are happy.

I’m being ridiculous, right? The tale is full of magic, so what’s my problem?! I didn’t have a “reality check” for the previous parts of the film but the ending bothered me.

I didn’t react this way before. Is this a sign of age? Is it harder to surrender to fantasy when you get older? I hope not…

2 thoughts on “It’s Saturday! Musings on the Genre of Fantasy and Getting Older”

  1. i am more interested in science fiction (and my favourite ones are near future ones) but i got into fantasy more recently when i saw the hbo season one of Game of Thrones last year. this prompted me to search out the books. for the most part the stories are engaging and plausible given the plotlines that are developed.
    not so sure about tv version in season 2. but am glad to have had the chance to read the books.
    ta
    mura

  2. Mura!
    Haven’t read that one yet. My boys are more interested in me reading “The hunger games”!
    Thanks for stopping by!
    Naomi

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