On Fantasy: Escape vs Flight... Tolkien's Take
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Original Airdate: September 10, 2026
Is fantasy an escape from reality—or are we just using “escapism” as a fancy word for avoidance?
Nick and Jess dig into Tolkien’s distinction between the “escape of the prisoner” and the “flight of the deserter,” and ask when imagination helps us face reality better—and when we’re just hiding from it with dragons, spaceships, and excellent worldbuilding.
Full text of Tolkien's quote on escapism: "I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions…
The skinny
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