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9 Literary Places We Wish Were Real
There are some books I read as a child that were frankly horrifying. The hallucinogenic madness of Alice in Wonderland, the crazy little people of Lilliput and the otherworldly qualities of Oz made me pity the protagonists who lived in these lands. However, other books made me wish I could visit the places painted in them. Here are my favorite literary places that I wish were real. Camelot King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table alt=""> Camelot conjures up images of rugged knights on white horses and the impossibly beautiful women they fall in love with. The …
9 Literary Places We Wish Were Real
There are some books I read as a child that were frankly horrifying. The hallucinogenic madness of Alice in Wonderland, the crazy little people of Lilliput and the otherworldly qualities of Oz made me pity the protagonists who lived in these lands.
However, other books made me wish I could visit the places painted in them. Here are my favorite literary places that I wish were real.
Camelot
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table
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Camelot conjures up images of rugged knights on white horses and the incredibly beautiful women they fall in love with. The mythical castle and city first appeared in 12th-century French literature and was associated with the legendary King Arthur.
Camelot, with its lush forest and intricate architecture, home of the famous Round Table, was reportedly located somewhere in Britain. Unfortunately, most scholars agree that it is completely fictional. So no white knights for us. Sigh.
Rivendell
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
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Rivendell, an elven city in Tolkien's Middle-earth, features feathery waterfalls winding through rocky cliffs, cozy houses balanced on mountainsides, and a Zen-like atmosphere akin to a Buddhist monastery. It also offers the possibility of encountering Aragorn by chance and on purpose–what's not to like?
Atlantis
Atlantis and other lost worlds
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The lost subcontinent of Atlantis was once home to an advanced civilization, according to the legend that the Greek philosopher Plato wrote around 360 BC. First written down in BC. The country was rich in gold, silver and precious metals and rich in exotic wildlife.
Unfortunately, the inhabitants of Atlantis became greedy, gluttonous, and petty, and so the gods sent Atlantis into the sea as punishment, “a terrible night of fire and earthquakes.”
Narnia
The Complete Chronicles of Narnia
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Narnia, the main setting of CS Lewis's magical books (and later subpar film franchise), is a wonderland filled with talking animals, dwarves, witches and mythical beasts.
With rolling hills to the south, an ocean to the east and a great mountain range to the west, Narnia undoubtedly had many children checking out their closet under the cover of the moonlight.
Neverland
Peter Pan
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There's something sweet but also unsettling about the concept of Neverland. Home to Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys, it is the land of eternal childhood. While few of us would choose a state of perpetual pre-adolescence, Neverland offers a note of nostalgia that is both charming and comforting.
Hogwarts
The complete Harry Potter collection
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This school for the magically gifted is the main setting of JK Rowling's Harry Potter mega-series. Hogwarts is a huge, sprawling castle with a jumble of towers and battlements. It is set among sloping lawns, flowerbeds and vegetable patches, a lake, a large dense forest, several greenhouses and a large Quidditch pitch–and an owler. Who doesn't want an owler?
Shangri-La
Lost horizon
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Shangri-La, now synonymous with "paradise", is a fictional location from James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon. It is described as a mystical, harmonious valley enclosed at the western end of the Kunlun Mountains in Asia.
Isolated from the real world, the residents of Shangri-La are happy, peaceful, and nearly immortal, living well beyond the normal human lifespan.
The beach
The beach
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Alex Garland's fictional beach was home to a group of ex-backpackers looking for perfect companionship. Surrounded by crystal clear waters, white beaches and lush greenery, this paradise was supposed to be the perfect backdrop for a perfect civilization.
Unfortunately, human errors eventually destroy the illusion of perfection. The Hollywood adaptation was filmed in Ko Phi Phi, Thailand, which is now frequented by hordes of tourists hungry for their own slice of paradise.
Macondo
A hundred years of loneliness
alt=“old town-cartagena”>That’s how I imagine Macondo
This sleepy Colombian village features in Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. Home of the Buendía dynasty, it is the scene of great loves, rivalries, secrets and lies. With magic and madness running through the streets, the city grows and shrinks over time.
Macondo is reportedly based on Márquez's childhood town of Aracataca and does not exist, but that doesn't dash our hopes that the Buendía family lives on somewhere within its walls.
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