Why does the fantasy genre have such a bad reputation?

[Albertosaurus Rex]

I like how that article states that stuff like the Odyssey is literature because Homer really believed in the stuff he was writing about. Perhaps some writers of fantastical literature did and still do believe in the things they write. I don't know.

Another thought occured to me after writing my rant. It might be human nature to have to look on something. Think about it. Just like many literaci look down on fantasy/sf, there are sf readers who look down on fantasy and fantasy readers who look down on urban fantasy, or tie-in novels (be it based on television, videogames, rpgs or whatever) or fantasy that is too much like Tolkien. (Having elves does not automatically make one a LOTR knock-off, as long as something interesting is done with them.) And just about everyone looks down on romance.

I don't know if this phenomenon is known in other countries, but here in the Netherlands, some thrillers are being marketed as "literary thrillers". What on Earth does that even mean? I don't read all that much thrillers so I haven't been able to discern the difference, but it just smacks of readers or authors who are ashamed to be associated with thrillers. Likewise, one does not read comics but "graphic novels".

And just what does "being literary" mean? It can't be just entertainment, one hears the snobs say. But look at the great writers of the past! I'm currently in the middle of Dumas' The Three Musketeers and I've read The Count of Monte Cristo before recently. Those are novels about adventure and revenge, which were originally serialised in newspapers. It's entertainment, pure and simple. (Which isn't to say that they have no depth - they do, especially The Count of Monte Cristo. Stuff that is entertaining and has real depth, that's the real good stuff.) Likewise, Dickens wrote entertainment. Shakespeare wrote entertainment. That's why their works have survived. Who are we to judge what is and what is not "literature" based solely on genre? In the end, if it's not fun, nobody will remember it in a hundred years. (Although sadly, a lot of good stuff will be forgotten, simply because times and tastes change.)