Imaginary books have played a role in so much of our lives. The Necronomicon, for example, is quite real, as I’m sure you know; but Mr. Lovecraft’s fictionalized depiction of it has inspired a number of fascinating movies, television shows, works of art, cosmic horror summonings, and so forth.
So many works of creation are improved by the things they nearly contain, those liminal possibilities. “The Other Complete Works of William Shakespeare” contains “The Tempest II: The Revenge”, for example, which
Description: A discussion on books that are referenced in fiction but don’t actually exist, exploring how these imagined texts can influence real-world culture, art, architecture, futurism, art, and…pretty much everything else.
Possible Topics: We asked Captain Hook for help here.
Aye, gather ’round ye landlubbers, and listen to tales of the high literary seas:
- The cultural impact of books that exist only in the minds of characters from other literary works: “Arr, ’tis like a phantom ship, known only through the yarns spun by other sailors. These books, never penned, yet they shape the seas of stories, guiding the winds of plot and character like a lighthouse in a storm.”
- Imaginary books as a reflection of societal fears and desires: “Hoist the sails, for these books are like the deep, dark waters. They reflect what lies beneath society’s surface, fears as dark as the ocean’s depths, and desires as vast as the horizon, unspoken yet felt by every soul on deck.”
- The role of unwritten books in fan fiction and fan culture: “Ye see, it’s like finding a treasure map with no X to mark the spot. These uncharted books spark the imaginations of fans, leading them to craft their own tales, much like a crew charting their own course through unknown waters.”
- The philosophical implications of books that could exist but haven’t been written: “Aye, consider this, mateys: books that could be, but ain’t. It’s like pondering over the vast, empty ocean where no ship has sailed. What truths, what adventures lie in those unwritten pages? It’s philosophy on the high seas of the mind.”
- Imaginary books as a metaphor for missed opportunities or unexplored possibilities in life: “Every sailor knows the sting of a port left unvisited, a treasure left unclaimed. These books are like that, a reminder of what could’ve been, the winds of ‘what if’ whispering through the sails, urging us to explore beyond the known charts.”
Now, back to yer duties, and may the winds of imagination ever fill yer sails!
Here are some bonus ideas:
- Conceptual Books: In the Discworld, especially within the Library of Unseen University, there’s a notion that the library contains books that were never actually written in our reality. These might include:
- Atlases of Imaginary Places: Maps and guides to lands that exist only in the imagination or in other dimensions.
- Dictionaries of Illusory Words: Compilations of words that are either magical in nature, exist in languages spoken by mythical or imaginary beings, or are simply concepts that have never been given form in our world.
- Spotter’s Guides to Invisible Things: Books that would teach one how to identify and understand things that are not perceivable by normal human senses, like ghosts, spirits, or the essence of magic itself.
- L-Space Implications: The concept of L-Space (Library Space) suggests that every book that could ever be written exists in some form within the Library’s infinite dimensions. This includes works by authors who never finished their books, ideas that were never put to paper, or even stories that are dreamt up but never told.
- Books as Living Entities: The magical nature of the Library means that some books might be considered “alive.” This could imply that they write themselves, or that they contain knowledge that evolves or changes over time, thus books that have not been written could still exist in a nascent form, waiting for someone to open them or for the right moment to come into being.
- Cultural and Philosophical Reflections: This concept also serves as a commentary on the nature of knowledge and potential. Pratchett uses it to explore themes of what could be, the power of imagination, and how history and literature might diverge in different realities or dimensions.
