By Isabell Macrina
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Fantasy and science fiction are some of the most popular genres today, but they can still be looked down on by the public for their “unserious” nature. Needham Poet Laureate, fantasy author, and artist Anne E. G. Nydam hosted a program at Needham Free Public Library (NFPL) to share her inspiring talk, “How Science Fiction and Fantasy Can Save the World.”
Speculative fiction has been apart of history as long as stories have been told. People have long told the tales of Icarus flying to close to the sun; mythology was a way to explain the unexplainable. Even Aesop’s classic fable, Tortoise and the Hare, was a way to teach about hubris. Bestiaries were used to teach theological lessons through the lens of animal characters. But why? Why use fictional characters and animals to teach new ideas?
Fiction suspends our disbelief, opening the mind to new ideas because in this world, anything is possible. It is not escapism, as some people would try dismiss it as, but a different way to engage with the world.
Science fiction has been responsible for inspiring modern technology as we know it. “
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Vern fathered the idea of modern submarines in John Phillip Holland, the “Star Trek” communicators inspired Motorola, leading to cellphones, and the “Tom Swift” series inspired Steve Wozniak to become an engineer, who would later found Apple with Steve Jobs. Without the fantastical elements sharing ideas thought too good to be true, modern inventions wouldn’t be what they are.
Beyond advancements in technology, speculative fiction can change a person’s character. Several psychological studies have shown that heroism is contagious; people watching these heroes being good people have changed the way they interact with others. From superheroes to Disney princesses, kindness has been shown to kids from a young age.
The hit of the 2000-2010’s YA genres have also inspired something in kids; revolution. From the Hunger Games to Harry Potter, fiction gave us heroes who stood up to oppressive governments or classism at its core and now we have a generation of people coming of age, ready to change the world.
Nydam said “the quickest way to a person’s heart is with a story.” People don’t like to be preached to; it can come across as pushy and annoying. But with the right amount of disbelief and fantastical elements, a story can be just the right way to share an idea with the world. Maybe it can even change a few things along the way.
