Original artwork, not a still
The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy ‧ 1999
Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A neat inversion of the usual complaint: if fantasy upsets someone, Pratchett suggests the problem is the reader's missing imagination, not the book. Fans reach for it whenever fantasy, comics or games get written off as childish or dangerous, because it turns the accusation round in one sentence.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Ultimate Encyclopedia of FantasyShow the scene
This is not from a novel. It comes from Terry Pratchett's foreword to David Pringle's illustrated reference book on fantasy fiction, published as The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1998) and reused in the later Definitive Illustrated Guide to Fantasy (2003). In the same foreword he writes that imagination, not intelligence, made us human. The line is usually quoted on its own, as a retort to people who distrust or dismiss fantasy.
Sources (1)
- Wikiquote: Terry PratchettGeneral sourcesReference checked
Context reviewed
