One of the greatest stories ever written is "Don Quijote de La Mancha" by Miguel De Cervantes. It has a multitude of qualities and elements that led to its fame, such as its satirical take on the romantic genre and pastoral themes that beautifully put images of Spain's region of La Mancha into the minds of the readers. However, I believe that its fame comes from peoples fascination with the main character of Cervantes masterpiece- Don Quijote de La Mancha. Don Quijote was a man obsessed with fictional stories of knights and dragons; this obsession is what led to delusions that prevented him from separating reality and fiction.
Today's media seems to be saturated with stories of superheroes, knights, and other fictional characters that captivate our thoughts and are the focus of many peoples lives. Walking into the room of someone obsessed with Marvel Comics is obvious- there are posters of Iron Man everywhere and their bed sheets have Chris Evans as Captain America on them. Though not on the same level of Don Quijote, there seems to be a level of obsession with the tales told by Marvel Comics. Why is there such an obsession with these tales? Are Marvel and Star Wars super-fans modern day Don Quijotes?
Fictional stories are a way to escape our reality- they transport us to worlds full of wizards and superheroes. It feels as though we are there, within the pages, interacting with our beloved characters. I asked a couple people why they read for pleasure, and most answers were the same. It's like watching a movie in your head, and you fill in the details and imagine the world. These beautiful, majestic worlds are put into your head, such as Spain's region of La Mancha in Don Quijote. In time when reality cannot fulfill out desires or imagination, books come through and take us on mythical journeys.
Another question I seem to ask is this- why do people read fictional stories if most of the stories have the same format, i.e the heroes journey, the picaresque novel, and others? The heroes journey is found all throughout fiction; a character is taken on a journey with their mentor to defeat a villain, and throughout the journey they face trials and tribulations that strengthen them, and in the final battle the hero defeats the villain and returns to his home. This is a classic format for a story, and is seen in fictional stories such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, and superhero stories.
It isn't new knowledge that people stick to whats familiar; they rarely go out of their comfort bubble to explore new territory. I'm not saying this is bad, but this may explain why these stories with the same format are adored and read by thousand worldwide. There is comfort in these stories, as the endings are predictable and please the audience. For example, imagine if after all those books J.K Rowling wrote, the series ended with Voldemort killing Harry Potter with a wave of his wand. Extremely bleak, right?
People love the heroes journey, it's a classic tale where good triumphs over evil and everyone goes back home to parades and parties congratulating them on their success. People always seem to root for the hero, because more often than not the hero is someone the audience can relate to. They are people with everyday problems, except they also have their occasional Emperor to topple and galaxy to save. In this way, the heroes journey makes people feel as though they can be a hero in their lives. Although not as intense, people can overcome their problems just like the hero did and ace that dreaded physics exam they've been training for. The heroes journey is a comfort, and is always something readers can come back to for a light read.
Why are people so fascinated with fiction? Fictional stories provide a new world for readers to explore, and allows them to escape their reality delve deep into magic and space swords. Not only this, but fictional stories provide something familiar to come back to, such as the heroes journey. They depict the hero as a normal everyday person, but with something hiding inside them, going through trials and tribulations to save the world they so love. Fictional stories give us hope, and teach us lessons of perseverance and dedication.
