But he wrote with imagination that has now inspired generations of writers. But for Howard to focus on realism he would not have been setting his sights higher. He would only have been pointing them in a wrong direction. Robert E. Howard and J. K. Rowling have something that Thomas Hughes does not. They have the ability to inspire modern readers.
People have a curiosity to visit the worlds that they create.
Few people have much curiosity to visit worlds that Thomas Hughes created, and in fact he does not do much creation. The act of writing realism is not one of creating worlds but merely describing them well. Yes, they have been, and will continue to be so for as long as they persevere with Potter. But thirty-five million book buyers seem to think they are enriching their lives with Potter. Popularity is no sign of elevated literature, of course.