A defense of fantasy...

I very much like and agree with the point you make regarding how fantasy writing can handle "heavy topics" in a way that makes them more accessible to people. I'm always using psychological concepts in my fantasy writing, and even if people don't even notice them (likely because they've never even heard of them!), they're still there. A story might have magical creatures and imaginary lands but the issues the characters face can be just as real as anything we face, and that makes writing fantasy enjoyable.

I agree with some of Greg's points. I enjoy writing fantasy because I can get away with things in my made-up world that don't always work in the real world and express my theme without so many strings/red tape attached. If I ever get published, I wouldn't be ashamed to let people know that I write fantasy; most fantasy readers and writers I know tend to be on the higher end of the IQ scale. I don't think of it as a sub-par genre when compared to literary fiction. In fact, I'd rather read a well written Fantasy (genre) novel than some pretentious literary novel -- I have too many PTSD flashbacks to high school and the horror of reading Faulkner with a dictionary at my side.

On the other hand, as an MD, I write under a pen name because I don't want to discuss my writing when I have my hand in a patient's bodily orifice. It's a bit awkward.

Bravo! This should be read both by fantasy scoffers who need to be told why they're wrong, and by fantasy writers who need to be reminded why they're right.

Definitely preaching to the choir by putting that in here. In fact, it's tough to stir up the fantasy-haters on AW. The f/sf subcommunity here seems to be the largest of them all.

When I took a few creative writing courses at university, I faced persecution for my fantastic subject matter and pessimistic tone. That was certainly an experience I'll never forget. But, surprisingly, I haven't caught much flak for writing fantasy since then.

Then again, maybe that's because I avoid the turtleneck-and-floppy-hat types.

I'm surprised you feel you have to defend it, given that 50 to 60 per cent of every bookstore in my area is filled with fantasy works -- and they sell like hot cakes.
If you're good at writing the stuff, I tip my hat to you, because, like poetry, I just can't do it, folks! I don't know all my limitations, but those are two.
Now, here's the real question: is Harry Potter fantasy or just YA? If fantasy the $$$ bar is set very high; if YA, it's even higher!
As an aside, where do we measure the modern era of fantasy writing from? It seemed to take off around the 1960's, like a lot of things. Even hard SF author Heinlein tried his hand at it with Glory Road. Was the fantasy bubble just a reaction to the doom and gloom of Phillip K. Dick and others a decade earlier?

I completely agree with this. When I first started working in a bookstore, I got teased by my co-workers for loving fantasy. It was partly why I got the job, as no one else had much interest in the genre and my love of it came up in my interview. It's one of the smallest sections in the store and doesn't sell very well. It was one of the sections assigned to me when I went full-time, and I've been working hard to tweak the books we order in and push sales up. It's a slow, painful process, but I'm getting there.

SPMiller said:

When I took a few creative writing courses at university, I faced persecution for my fantastic subject matter and pessimistic tone. That was certainly an experience I'll never forget. But, surprisingly, I haven't caught much flak for writing fantasy since then.

Then again, maybe that's because I avoid the turtleneck-and-floppy-hat types.

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I'm with you there. My writing classes were full of the same snobs.

Fantasy has the appeal of the popular while still being able to challenge.