I enjoy realism as much as the next person, maybe more sometimes. However, I’ve noticed for a long time that most contemporary fiction (in fact SciFi, Fantasy, Literary, etc. for that matter), has gone so dark that happy endings and anything generally positive seems to be on the wane. In fact, I’ve found so many of the books I read now are so dark, that it’s beginning to feel unreal, which kind of defeats the point of realism...but I’m getting off track here.
I’m a romantic at heart, and I enjoy lighter, fun, positive stories too, because, frankly, life realistically has those elements as well. I was watching a documentary on Walt Disney the other day, and one of the faults critics often accused him of back in the day was of having too much “corn” in his plots - which was their way of saying “corny” or fantastical. Instead of shying away, Disney proudly rebutted that he not only likes corn, but that he “is corn.” In other words, corny and romanticism was his thing, and he believed it to be more real or just as valid as any other bent in storytelling.
Perhaps I’m naturally an optimist, but I truly believe that there’s room for a sunny outlook while still maintaining realism within a story. I also think that there’s always a place for myths and legends, whether it be Arthurian or Indiana Jones, and that those stories, no matter how corny, still ring with truth.
