Dystopian fiction is for peaceful times. For now, let’s look to fantasy worlds that offer not only comfort, but room for reflection and inspiration for real-life improvement.
It’s no accident that This Is Us is one of the most popular fall TV series right now, and that audiences flock back to safe and familiar franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter and Disney classics.
The reason Hollywood continues to make remakes, sequels and reboots is because these are the stories that sell cinema tickets and garner the most online buzz. As the real world starts to feel less safe, we seek out fiction that inspires comfort rather than unease and uncertainty.
But safety in fiction is not only about escaping reality; sometimes, a trip to a fantasy realm can teach us valuable things about both ourselves and the real world that despair or apathy may have blinded us to. As long as there has been fiction, humans have looked to that fiction for both warnings about the future and inspiration about how to make the world a better place — and right now, we probably need the latter more than the former.
So without further commentary, let’s dive into some alternate realities that might offer a small bit of comfort and inspiration for a better, safer and more hopeful tomorrow.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth
The first stirrings of Middle-earth came to J.R.R. Tolkien while he was serving on the front lines of World War I. The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and all the books that followed served as building blocks for a vast alternate universe in which Tolkien — and his contemporaries — could process the horrors of the real world.
Because yes, there was death and darkness in The Lord of the Rings but there were also wizards, brave Hobbits, Elves, and humans who united to combat a clear, distinct evil. And at the end of the day they emerged at the start of a new and better age, the evil defeated and the good guys triumphant.
This was a world in which heroes were heroes and even Hobbits could save the world, and there is a reason why generation after generation has sought back to this kind of comfort and clarity.
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
Discworld is not a peaceful place, but boy is it fun. The late Terry Pratchett left the world an invaluable gift with his 40+ book series — that you don’t need to read in order, so don’t be alarmed! I particularly recommend Death’s books, the first of which is Mort.
This absurdist world floats through space on the back of a giant turtle, because why wouldn’t it, and contains an assortment of wacky characters whose logic only makes sense to themselves, and who move through life largely oblivious of each other, hilariously intersecting as they stumble along to — usually — some kind of happy ending.
Not only are these books great for a much-needed laugh, but Pratchett also uses this alternate universe to offer some deep insights about the real world and the state of humanity. Take this very prescient quote: “Most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally evil, but by people being fundamentally people.”
Wall-E’s future Earth
HEAR ME OUT. In this imagined future the world is literally a pile of trash, and humans are chair-shaped blobs glued to their TVs, with no conviction or desire left to speak of. Sound familiar? Well, all it takes is a little spark — or in this case, a robot love story — to send humanity on the right path again.
In Wall-E, the world is broken, but a single stem and a single life makes all the difference. Even from nothing, humanity’s stubborn streak of optimism prevails, and they force themselves out of the slump to rebuild and start anew.
The end of the world is not exactly a comforting thought, but in true Pixar style, this would-be dystopian world is made of hopeful, inspirational stuff. (For a more gritty and less colorful spin on the same theme, see Children of Men.)
Pawnee from ‘Parks and Recreation’
In the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, Leslie Knope is kicking ass and taking names down at the Parks Department, where even the most ingrained anti-establishment nay-sayer recognizes the hard work and accomplishments of a woman who gets shit done, and where all the good guys ultimately live long, safe, happy lives. What’s not to love?
Fantasy and sci-fi can serve as brilliant metaphors for reality, but sometimes the fictional escape you really need is the one that represents the best version of our current reality.
Parks and Recreation existed in a parallel universe to our own, different only in that people ultimately respected each other and the good guys tended to win. It almost felt real, and we have to believe that it still can be, with a few more Leslies in the world.
J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts
I put this on the list, unfortunately, with a bit of trepidation; recently, J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World has begun to feel less inclusive, with the artistic parties involved displaying questionable standards of social awareness.
But one thing all Harry Potter fans can agree on is that the original series — and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, specifically — is still a place of great comfort and safety, where we all learned important moral lessons making us more understanding, compassionate and conscious of social injustices.
The wonderful thing about Hogwarts, as it was originally created, is that the possibilities for adventure are endless. Even minority groups that Rowling did not write into her story could still carve out places for themselves in this world and create their own stories of growing up and discovering their potential for greatness, and the fandom that formed around the Harry Potter series expanded and inspired in a way no one could have predicted.
J.K. Rowling promised us that “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home,” and right now, we all need it to be there, whole and safe and welcoming us home — and most importantly of all, reminding us how powerful love and unity can be.
Fan of our book coverage? Why not join our Hypable Books Facebook group!
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.