the elephant in the room

“Imagination is the power of constructing possible models of human experience.” (p.8)

I think Frye is saying that as human beings we have the conscious ability to go beyond the concrete walls of reality and imagine another world full of everything you personally want. I think Frye believes imagination to be a literary tool used to take thought outside of our everyday “world of action” and place it into a “world of imagination”. He describes imagination as being a power one could harness to create infinite stories that model our human experiences, whether they are physical or emotional. Overall, I do agree with what Frye is saying. Generally when we think of the word imagination, we think of experiences or wants that outside of our imagination are typically impossible to replicate; such as flying horses, people with magical abilities, or teleportation. Using this power of imagination writers are able to create situations and experiences that within reality are physically impossible to recreate. However, imagination is not restricted to only physical terms. For instance take Shakespeare who used his imagination to create fantasy worlds like those in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He also used his imagination to create legendary characters like Hamlet and King Lear, who although had no special powers or magical qualities, were characters that were created outside of reality. Imagination allows writers and students alike to demonstrate morals, metaphors, and messages in a number of ways. He states that “in the world of imagination, anything goes that’s imaginatively possible, but nothing really happens” I think that Frye is showing the outstanding level of consciousness that stops humans from living the imaginative life they want in comparison to the reality they created. For instance when looking at children’s books such as The Tortoise and the Hare, we know the story is imaginary, and we know these animals can’t speak; but that doesn’t take away from the message that is portrayed through the story. In regards to The Love of Learning, McCullough does not specifically reference the differences between imagination and reality. However he does mention the importance of understanding what you are reading. If you are reading something you have never personally experienced and don’t quite understand your imagination is the biggest tool you can use to grasp the idea that is being delivered.