Why Happy Endings Endure

"The popular preference for a story with 'a happy ending' is not, or at least was not, a mere sweet-stuff optimism; it is the remains of the old idea of the triumph of the dragon-slayer, the ultimate apotheosis of the man beloved of heaven."

— G. K. Chesterton

I'm a strong believer in writing books with happy endings. This is not to say that realistic or historically correct endings don't have a place, but in a world with so many sad endings, I believe we have not yet arrived at the point where we have too many happy, triumphant, hip-hip-hooray endings.