Lewis, Rowling, Tolkien
C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, and J. R. R. Tolkien...what is it with these Christian writers who won't tell us their first names?
I've been thinking lately about a concept that Jonathan and I talked about last month, and that Beth and I have been talking about as well, that much of the great literature of our world has hidden within it the seeds of the Christian story. In some cases (as with C. S. Lewis's Chronicles Of Narnia and Space Trilogy) that is intentional. In other cases, it is unintentional; great authors who are not Christians still end up putting elements of the Christian faith into their stories, because God has "wired" us to respond powerfully to the story of worthy sacrifice and redemption of the unworthy yet truly loved. It is the story of Jesus Christ.
It's interesting that many people read Lewis's Narnia Chronicles without ever realizing that Aslan is Jesus Christ, and that his sacrifice on behalf of Edmund the traitor and his subsequent resurrection are a clear and deliberate picture of Christ's death and resurrection. When I was teaching high school, I would see students reading The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe and I would say "Did you know that Aslan is Jesus?" "No!" they would say, surprised and shocked.
Apparently Lewis didn't care that people wouldn't realize what he was driving at; he described it as a "baptism of the imagination". It didn't matter if people didn't see the deeper meaning of the story; their minds were being infiltrated by that Great Story, drawing them ever closer to the day when they would encounter Christ personally. In one of the books, Aslan tells the children, "You can find me in your own world, but I go by a different name there." That is apparently what Lewis hoped for.
Lewis, in his study of mythology (before he became a Christian) was astounded by the number of myths about the god who died for his people; it was Tolkien who explained to him the very simple reason for this; that God has written that story deep into our hearts - it is the story we long for.
Even in the world of secular science fiction you can find this great story being repeated; I just finished watching season four of Babylon 5, and found two episodes in which the sacrifice of one person for the sake of another was a central theme of the episode. In one case it was a character being willing to die for her entire race, in another, a character dying for the sake of his one beloved. These are the most powerful episodes of the series, not because they are the most creative, or the best special effects, or the most exciting space battles; they are powerful because they touch on that one theme that, in our very deepest longings of our heart, we desire more than anything else; someone who loves us enough to put our life and well being before their own. A savior and redeemer.
And then there is J. K. Rowling, who apparently agrees with Lewis's idea of the "baptism of the imagination" - she has made no effort whatsoever to make it obvious what her characters might - or might not - represent. She doesn't want us to know (yet) where she's going with her Harry Potter series.
But her own words give us some hints. Rowling, a member of The Church of Scotland, has said in a Canadian interview "I believe in God, not magic..." but does not want to make a very big deal of her faith right now because (in her words) "If I talk too freely about that, I think the intelligent reader -- whether ten [years old] or sixty -- will be able to guess what is coming in the books."
And I have to confess...I'm very curious to find out where this series is heading...
Posted On Jul 12, 2005 at 4:39 AM
On Jul 14, 2005 Preacher wrote: My Friend,
You said :
"C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, and J. R. R. Tolkien...what is it with these Christian writers who won't tell us their first names?"
I concur that Lewis was a great Christian writer. I believe he called his style "mythopoeia". He used mythology to tell the "one true myth".
Tolkien inadvertantly incorporated this same style into his writings. I have to wonder if his close friendship to Lewis had anything to do with this.
Rowlings though, a Christian? I don't see it. Lewis and Tolkien both do a fine job of maintaining the line between good and evil. There is a line, you choose which side of the line that you will be on.
In Rowlings books the lines are not clear at all. It seems more like a yin and yang approach. A little bit of evil in every good and a little bit of good in every evil. Perhaps she will pull out of the moral tailspin that her published books have begun. As you mentioned that she hinted at. But I have a tough time believing it.
Glad to be back from my time away. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Doug Replied: heh heh...I wondered who would be the first to react to that opening sentence...it certainly was an incitement to commentary, wasn't it?
The other term Lewis used for his writing (if I remember it correctly) is "supposal". He insisted that it was not "allegorical" - Aslan does not represent Jesus, but rather, Aslan is Jesus in this fantasy world of Narnia. Instead of patterning Narnia after our world, Lewis said "What might God's interactions with man look like in a "supposed" world?" Thus, the world is completely different, the history is different, the only thing that remains constant is God.
Regarding Rowlings, I'm still holding my breath on this one to see what direction she will take it. There are some directions she could take it which would thoroughly disappoint me, others which would thoroughly please me, and other directions still which would leave me thoroughly ambivalent.
Where she's at now I don't see as a yin and yang approach, but rather a Romans 7 approach (conflict of natures) The world is not made up of Lucy Pevensies, but rather of flawed people like Ron and Hermione and Harry and Paul (the apostle) who struggle - and often fail - in the battle between the old and new natures.
But again, I can't see the end from the beginning (so to speak) so I don't know where she's planning to take this.
Regarding Tolkein, if I remember right, I think I've read that the "mentorship" went more the other way...that Lewis was more influenced by Tolkein than vice versa. I'm pretty sure I've read that Tolkein really didn't care for Narnia very much, because he felt it was "too allegorical".
On Jul 15, 2005 Preacher wrote: As always, my astute friend, you are correct.
Tolkien was the more methodical one of the two. Though it was not this to which I was referring. It was the incorparation of the "one true myth" approach. Tolkien did not claim that his "middle earth" was representive of anything. But I the angle of the "one true myth" is what what I was referring to.
You are correct in that he did not care for Narnia. Too many loose ends, I believe. But he did claim that he may never have sought to get published were it not for the encouragement of "Jack" Lewis.
Re. Harry: I must admit to not having consumed any of the story, the movie or the book. Perhaps you are right in regards to the Romans 7 coflict. Though in order for that to be true, the new nature would have to be plainly evident. I guess. Perhaps I should seek to be more informed. But then again if I stick around on this patio for a while you will probably do the research and let me know.
Have a great time with VBS.
Doug Replied: Quote:
| As always, my astute friend, you are correct. |
*laughs uproariously*
Quote:
| Though in order for that to be true, the new nature would have to be plainly evident. |
Yep. And that's where many Christians have a problem with Harry Potter (well, that, along with the witch/wizard thing, and the fact that Christians have been spreading lies and urban legends about Rowling from the very beginning). I've heard several people comment "Harry Potter is rebellious and disregards the rules, and he's not a good role model because of that, and there's never any consequences for his actions."
Not true, although it's easy to think that, especially if you've only read the first two or three books, because Rowling lets that particular character trait slide (thought she keeps reminding us of it through the comments of characters like Dumbledore, Snape, Black, and McGonnagal) while Harry is learning character lessons like "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13 - an important theme in book 3).
It's not until book 5 that we see the horrible consequences of Harry's stubborn disregard for authority, when his actions are directly responsible for the death of a dear friend and mentor. I suspect we will find Harry significantly changed in book six as a result of this.
In some ways, I think that this kind of honesty about human nature and the painful process of growth into maturity and responsibility sets Harry Potter apart from much of the modern drivel which masquerades as Christian literature...Rowlings chooses the honest approach over the approach which ties every loose end into a nice neat bow. She seems to understand that we are Romans 7 people living in a Romans 8 world, and that results in a whole lot of messiness which often takes both time and tragedy to unravel.
Quote:
| Perhaps I should seek to be more informed. |
Well, you know, I work with teens most of the time, whereas you are a *real* pastor, so your reading material is bound to be a whole lot different than mine!
Okay, I confess, I'm juvenile enough I'd probably still be reading Harry Potter even if I wasn't working with teens!
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