Blog Entry #11

The supernatural plays a role in literature that tells stories about humanity itself.  Many stories have been written that involve creatures that are simply inhuman. Gods, demons, devils, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and more run through the pages of our collective world literature. The supernatural is still popular because it’s a way to free our imaginations and explore a made up world.

Supernatural stories are entertaining and unpredictable. Anything can happen with these creatures. They can do anything the writer wants without having to think about human’s behavior. Creatures often have a hidden meaning or symbolism. For instance, a vampire can symbolize a blood sucking person that wants to suck the life out of someone. Where as Gods, can symbolize power and healing. Ghosts can be about a haunting experience.

In other words, supernatural stories exist to make up fake characters or attach unreal skill abilities to a real human character. Supernatural stories are created with many fictional attributes but often have a certain lesson or knowledge to it. For example, in the film Spirited Away, a boy can fly and turn into a dragon. However, the story was about this young girl who goes through this magical experience and faces unrealistic obstacles that teach her to grow up. Or in the book Coraline, where this fictional home was created with characters who had button eyes and a cat that talked. The lesson behind that story was for young Coraline to appreciate her real home and to be careful what she wishes for.

Supernatural stories free imaginations and create fictional stories. They’re popular because we can make up whom we want and make them do what we want. Writers use the supernatural as an escape of the ordinary world and create a more exciting and unpredictable world. Fictional creatures like the one written in supernatural literature hold our attention and make us fall into this magical world. Therefore, I believe that humans will continue to produce literature of the supernatural.