Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Science fiction, fantasy, and faith: Part 2
The first part is here.
To begin with, I'd like to make a disclaimer: I don't want to claim or 'appropriate' writers as Christians. What they believe/d in their hearts at any particular moment, and how they act/ed from day to day, is/was really known only to them. Nor do I want to say that they write/wrote "Christian" fiction. These days that usually means that a writer 1) uses the word Jesus a lot, 2) doesn't allow his characters to have extra-marital sex, 3) preaches morning noon and night, and 4) is of little interest to non-religious folks. On the contrary, you can be an avid fan of these writers without having any faith commitment yourself. Be that as it may, most of these people have mentioned their religious beliefs in interviews, and the discerning eye can find sincere religious symbolism in their work without too much difficulty.
With that out of the way, I want to outline the core books and authors - the spine of my topic, so to speak. I know I'll be missing a lot of people (I understand there's a lot of theological symbolism in The Brothers Grimm, for example - and then of course there's A Christmas Carol), but I've got to start somewhere. In this case, it's the beginning of the twentieth century.
First up is George MacDonald (1824-1905). I don't know too much about him, but he was Scottish and wrote what he called 'fairy-stories.' He was a devout Christian (probably a Presbyterian?) who had interesting ideas about conveying important concepts through fantasy literature. He's best remembered for his children's books The Princess and The Goblin, and At The Back Of The North Wind. His works and his theories had a big impact on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis even places MacDonald in Heaven in his The Great Divorce. [Edited to add: click here and here to learn more.]
Next comes prolific author and Catholic apologist G.K.Chesterton (1837-1936.) He figures in this story for his fantastical fiction - chiefly The Man Who Was Thursday, but including books like The Napoleon of Notting Hill and some of the Father Brown stories. Chesterton encouraged a sense of awe, of wonder in the midst of everyday life.
From here we come to the Inklings - specifically Charles Williams (1886-1945), J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) and C.S. Lewis (1898-1963). Because they are so well known, I won't say too much about them. Tolkien, a Catholic and Lewis, an atheist-turned-Anglican (yes, it does work both ways!), have had an enormous impact on the fantasy genre. The key texts here are Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Lewis' seven-volume Chronicles of Narnia, and also his less-well-known science fiction trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. Williams, an Anglican, was an influence on both Lewis (an influence that comes through clearly in That Hideous Strength) and their mutual friend Dorothy Sayers. His works, such as Descent Into Hell, and The Greater Trumps, could be described as mystical thrillers, and have more in common with Chesterton's work than with the high fantasy of Lewis and Tolkien.
Skipping over the Atlantic, we come to writers working in the American science fiction scene. Anthony Boucher (a pen name for Anthony Parker White, 1911-1968), was a hard-working magazine editor who helped many later famous authors get their start. He did some writing himself, mostly of short stories. He is best remembered for one short story: "The Quest for Saint Aquin," which is widely recognized as a classic of Catholic science fiction.
Cordwainer Smith (a pen name for Paul Linebarger, 1913-1966) was a multilingual, highly educated and widely travelled expert on foreign relations and psychological warfare. He wrote wildly inventive science fiction, which influenced many other authors. He's generally been forgotten by the public, except for two stories which are often anthologized: "Scanners Live in Vain," and "The Game of Rat and Dragon." In the last decade of his life he became a devout, if slightly unorthodox (for the time) Episcopalian. Some critics dismiss this as insignificant, but over half of his stories were published in this period, and even an earlier story like "Scanners" can been read as containing subtle religious symbolism. A number of his linked 'Instrumentality' stories deal with a revival of Christian faith among genetically modified slave animals. His story "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" is a wonderful example of this plotline.
James Blish (1921-1975) was, for the most part, an atheist during his writing career, though it is reported that he died an Anglican and was buried as one. Later in life he became interested in Christian theology and wrote a group of works which he referred to as the 'After Such Knowledge' books. By far the most famous is A Case of Conscience, a crisply written novel about a Jesuit scientist - a sympathetic but ambiguous examination of theological and moral reasoning in an future alien setting. It's widely acclaimed as a classic in the science fiction field.
Walter M. Miller (1923-1996) produced another such classic: A Canticle for Leibowitz. Told through three inter-linked sections, it depicts a post-nuclear-war Catholic Church struggling to rebuild civilization in a new Dark Age, through a new Renaissance and a new modernity. On topics such as church history, nuclear war, science & religion, the history of societies, and ethics, it is simply brilliant. Miller was a Catholic convert at the time. He was later upset by the Second Vatican Council and lost his faith, becoming a "Zen atheist."
Madeleine L'Engle (1918-), an Episcopalian, published her much-loved children's fantasy A Wrinkle In Time in 1962. She has continued to write science fiction and fantasy, mainly for younger readers, while writing novels and works of theological reflection for adults.
In the contemporary science fiction genre, we come to the writers that I think of as The Big Three: Gene Wolfe (1931-), Connie Willis (1945-) and Tim Powers (1952-).
Wolfe, a Catholic, has become an influential Grand Old Man in both science fiction and fantasy. The quality of his prose is very high and his ideas are complex. His early works, such as Peace and The Fifth Head of Cerberus, read like postmodern stories-within-stories. His most famous books, though, are epic, in what might be called a neo-classical style. His multi-volume works The Book of the New Sun, The Book of the Long Sun and The Book of the Short Sun are almost unrivalled in contemporary science fiction or fantasy for depth and scope, without losing their readability. Another good introduction is his story collection The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories, and Other Stories.
Connie Willis has won more Hugo and Nebula awards than any other writer, and is one of the most popular female sf authors. Her background is Lutheran and more recently, Congregationalist (United Church of Christ, I believe). While she generally seems to come from the liberal side of things, she often examines dark subject matter (such as the Black Plague, in Doomsday Book) and has a tough-minded approach to theology. Her disdain for spiritualism and superstition leads some people to label her a religious skeptic, but almost invariably she ends up contrasting fuzzy, sentimental superstition with an intellectually serious and personally disciplined Christianity. Her religious symbolism can be fairly subtle, as in Passage, her most recent major novel. Those curious might wish to begin with her collection Fire Watch, particularly the story "Samaritan."
Tim Powers, a Catholic, was a friend of Philip K. Dick. His popular books are mystical thrillers, like G.K. Chesterton's or Charles Williams,' but with more sex and adrenaline. Often he'll retell historical events with the real underlying reasons being discovered an occult subtext. His most openly Catholic work is the supernatural spy thriller Declare, which is something like a meticulously researched John LeCarre novel that just happens to incorporate fallen angels. Earlier books are more ambiguous, like the postapocalyptic Dinner at Deviant's Palace, which can be read as an anti-religious polemic, or as being about a Christ figure battling an Anti-Christ.
I'll round up this survey with two non-Christians:
Orson Scott Card (1951-), is a very popular sf author who is also a Mormon. While the quality of his work can vary quite a bit, his Ender's Game is an much-loved classic. [Edited to add: Mormon readers have reminded me that they are indeed Christians, albeit non-mainstream ones. See the comments section for more on this.]
Mary Doria Russell (1950-) a paleo-anthropologist, was raised as a Catholic, became and remained an atheist for many years, and then converted to Judaism, though she remains something of an agnostic. She burst onto the science fiction scene in 1996 with a wonderful first novel, The Sparrow, the story of a Jesuit expedition to an alien planet. It's a fascinating, harrowing work, full of anthropological insights and theological quandaries, and she skillfully portrays a wide range of beliefs, including the inner world of a celibate bridal mystic. The sequel, Children of God, was not as well received, but to my mind the two works must be read together. Russell has gone on to write a historical novel, A Thread of Grace.
Well, that's it - my breakneck tour of Christianity in sf and fantasy is complete for now. Next time I'll talk about some lesser-known authors.
Part 3 is here.
To begin with, I'd like to make a disclaimer: I don't want to claim or 'appropriate' writers as Christians. What they believe/d in their hearts at any particular moment, and how they act/ed from day to day, is/was really known only to them. Nor do I want to say that they write/wrote "Christian" fiction. These days that usually means that a writer 1) uses the word Jesus a lot, 2) doesn't allow his characters to have extra-marital sex, 3) preaches morning noon and night, and 4) is of little interest to non-religious folks. On the contrary, you can be an avid fan of these writers without having any faith commitment yourself. Be that as it may, most of these people have mentioned their religious beliefs in interviews, and the discerning eye can find sincere religious symbolism in their work without too much difficulty.
With that out of the way, I want to outline the core books and authors - the spine of my topic, so to speak. I know I'll be missing a lot of people (I understand there's a lot of theological symbolism in The Brothers Grimm, for example - and then of course there's A Christmas Carol), but I've got to start somewhere. In this case, it's the beginning of the twentieth century.
First up is George MacDonald (1824-1905). I don't know too much about him, but he was Scottish and wrote what he called 'fairy-stories.' He was a devout Christian (probably a Presbyterian?) who had interesting ideas about conveying important concepts through fantasy literature. He's best remembered for his children's books The Princess and The Goblin, and At The Back Of The North Wind. His works and his theories had a big impact on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis even places MacDonald in Heaven in his The Great Divorce. [Edited to add: click here and here to learn more.]
Next comes prolific author and Catholic apologist G.K.Chesterton (1837-1936.) He figures in this story for his fantastical fiction - chiefly The Man Who Was Thursday, but including books like The Napoleon of Notting Hill and some of the Father Brown stories. Chesterton encouraged a sense of awe, of wonder in the midst of everyday life.
From here we come to the Inklings - specifically Charles Williams (1886-1945), J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) and C.S. Lewis (1898-1963). Because they are so well known, I won't say too much about them. Tolkien, a Catholic and Lewis, an atheist-turned-Anglican (yes, it does work both ways!), have had an enormous impact on the fantasy genre. The key texts here are Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Lewis' seven-volume Chronicles of Narnia, and also his less-well-known science fiction trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. Williams, an Anglican, was an influence on both Lewis (an influence that comes through clearly in That Hideous Strength) and their mutual friend Dorothy Sayers. His works, such as Descent Into Hell, and The Greater Trumps, could be described as mystical thrillers, and have more in common with Chesterton's work than with the high fantasy of Lewis and Tolkien.
Skipping over the Atlantic, we come to writers working in the American science fiction scene. Anthony Boucher (a pen name for Anthony Parker White, 1911-1968), was a hard-working magazine editor who helped many later famous authors get their start. He did some writing himself, mostly of short stories. He is best remembered for one short story: "The Quest for Saint Aquin," which is widely recognized as a classic of Catholic science fiction.
Cordwainer Smith (a pen name for Paul Linebarger, 1913-1966) was a multilingual, highly educated and widely travelled expert on foreign relations and psychological warfare. He wrote wildly inventive science fiction, which influenced many other authors. He's generally been forgotten by the public, except for two stories which are often anthologized: "Scanners Live in Vain," and "The Game of Rat and Dragon." In the last decade of his life he became a devout, if slightly unorthodox (for the time) Episcopalian. Some critics dismiss this as insignificant, but over half of his stories were published in this period, and even an earlier story like "Scanners" can been read as containing subtle religious symbolism. A number of his linked 'Instrumentality' stories deal with a revival of Christian faith among genetically modified slave animals. His story "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" is a wonderful example of this plotline.
James Blish (1921-1975) was, for the most part, an atheist during his writing career, though it is reported that he died an Anglican and was buried as one. Later in life he became interested in Christian theology and wrote a group of works which he referred to as the 'After Such Knowledge' books. By far the most famous is A Case of Conscience, a crisply written novel about a Jesuit scientist - a sympathetic but ambiguous examination of theological and moral reasoning in an future alien setting. It's widely acclaimed as a classic in the science fiction field.
Walter M. Miller (1923-1996) produced another such classic: A Canticle for Leibowitz. Told through three inter-linked sections, it depicts a post-nuclear-war Catholic Church struggling to rebuild civilization in a new Dark Age, through a new Renaissance and a new modernity. On topics such as church history, nuclear war, science & religion, the history of societies, and ethics, it is simply brilliant. Miller was a Catholic convert at the time. He was later upset by the Second Vatican Council and lost his faith, becoming a "Zen atheist."
Madeleine L'Engle (1918-), an Episcopalian, published her much-loved children's fantasy A Wrinkle In Time in 1962. She has continued to write science fiction and fantasy, mainly for younger readers, while writing novels and works of theological reflection for adults.
In the contemporary science fiction genre, we come to the writers that I think of as The Big Three: Gene Wolfe (1931-), Connie Willis (1945-) and Tim Powers (1952-).
Wolfe, a Catholic, has become an influential Grand Old Man in both science fiction and fantasy. The quality of his prose is very high and his ideas are complex. His early works, such as Peace and The Fifth Head of Cerberus, read like postmodern stories-within-stories. His most famous books, though, are epic, in what might be called a neo-classical style. His multi-volume works The Book of the New Sun, The Book of the Long Sun and The Book of the Short Sun are almost unrivalled in contemporary science fiction or fantasy for depth and scope, without losing their readability. Another good introduction is his story collection The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories, and Other Stories.
Connie Willis has won more Hugo and Nebula awards than any other writer, and is one of the most popular female sf authors. Her background is Lutheran and more recently, Congregationalist (United Church of Christ, I believe). While she generally seems to come from the liberal side of things, she often examines dark subject matter (such as the Black Plague, in Doomsday Book) and has a tough-minded approach to theology. Her disdain for spiritualism and superstition leads some people to label her a religious skeptic, but almost invariably she ends up contrasting fuzzy, sentimental superstition with an intellectually serious and personally disciplined Christianity. Her religious symbolism can be fairly subtle, as in Passage, her most recent major novel. Those curious might wish to begin with her collection Fire Watch, particularly the story "Samaritan."
Tim Powers, a Catholic, was a friend of Philip K. Dick. His popular books are mystical thrillers, like G.K. Chesterton's or Charles Williams,' but with more sex and adrenaline. Often he'll retell historical events with the real underlying reasons being discovered an occult subtext. His most openly Catholic work is the supernatural spy thriller Declare, which is something like a meticulously researched John LeCarre novel that just happens to incorporate fallen angels. Earlier books are more ambiguous, like the postapocalyptic Dinner at Deviant's Palace, which can be read as an anti-religious polemic, or as being about a Christ figure battling an Anti-Christ.
I'll round up this survey with two non-Christians:
Orson Scott Card (1951-), is a very popular sf author who is also a Mormon. While the quality of his work can vary quite a bit, his Ender's Game is an much-loved classic. [Edited to add: Mormon readers have reminded me that they are indeed Christians, albeit non-mainstream ones. See the comments section for more on this.]
Mary Doria Russell (1950-) a paleo-anthropologist, was raised as a Catholic, became and remained an atheist for many years, and then converted to Judaism, though she remains something of an agnostic. She burst onto the science fiction scene in 1996 with a wonderful first novel, The Sparrow, the story of a Jesuit expedition to an alien planet. It's a fascinating, harrowing work, full of anthropological insights and theological quandaries, and she skillfully portrays a wide range of beliefs, including the inner world of a celibate bridal mystic. The sequel, Children of God, was not as well received, but to my mind the two works must be read together. Russell has gone on to write a historical novel, A Thread of Grace.
Well, that's it - my breakneck tour of Christianity in sf and fantasy is complete for now. Next time I'll talk about some lesser-known authors.
Part 3 is here.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Science fiction, fantasy, and faith: Part 1
What does science fiction & fantasy literature have to do with religion, or more specifically, Christianity?
Perhaps I should start with a biographical explanation. I first fell in love with the genres, as did so many other people, through reading the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Later, soon after high school, I discovered Gene Wolfe, and was captivated all over again.
I gradually became aware of the fact that Lewis, an Anglican, was well known as a Christian thinker, and that his fiction was heavily imbued with Christian themes. I also learned of Lewis' friendship with Tolkien, and of Tolkien's Catholicism. Then I began to understand the ways in which Tolkien's beliefs had shaped his writings. His approach to religious ideas is perhaps more subtle than Lewis', but no less devout. I had always been moved by the religious symbolism in Wolfe's work, and learned that he was also a Catholic.
I did quite a bit of indiscriminate science-fiction-and-fantasy reading between the ages of 9 and 19, and I continue to read it fairly frequently. Around age 20 I started to seriously question my religious beliefs (I had been raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses). During this time I read a lot of non-fiction on science, history, philosophy, and theology, as well as works on how they relate to one another. However (mainly through their fiction) Tolkien, Lewis and particularly Wolfe were important intellectual companions and role models for me in thinking about those topics. I found that their science fiction and fantasy grappled with ethical, philosophical and scientific questions in profound ways without discounting the theological dimension. I believe they were important in helping me decide to embrace a modern, scientific worldview, while still holding on to what I felt was central in my religious upbringing. In short, I left the JWs and after a hiatus began attending an Anglican church.
At some point after that I started to become curious about which other sf & fantasy authors had religious commitments or dealt with religious themes. I discovered that a number of widely acclaimed writers had such commitments and/or seriously tackled religious questions.
I also became aware of a disconnect: Many famous science fiction writers were atheists and agnostics, and so were many fans. The sf culture, particularly, often did not take religious beliefs very seriously, and sometimes held them in contempt. At the same time, authors who were clearly religious or at least sympathetic to religious concerns were very popular, and they seemed to get along well with their colleagues. But I noticed that many non-religious fans seemed somewhat baffled or dismissive of the religious themes in their work. I also noticed that there wasn't much knowledge of these authors (aside from Lewis and Tolkien) among reading Christians. Sometimes this was the result of literary snobbery, and at other times simply sprang from preconceptions about fantasy and science fiction.
So three years ago I started a small study group at my church in which participants would read sf/fantasy short stories and discuss them, particularly focusing on the religious concepts. I wanted to build a few bridges. I did a lot of digging to find good material to study. We also ended up reading a novel and watching some relevant movies together.
I'd like to start a series of blog posts on the same topic. There was a blog called "The High Crusade" dedicated to the topic, but it disappeared before it covered much ground. So I guess I'll be taking up the banner myself.
Part Two is here.
Perhaps I should start with a biographical explanation. I first fell in love with the genres, as did so many other people, through reading the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Later, soon after high school, I discovered Gene Wolfe, and was captivated all over again.
I gradually became aware of the fact that Lewis, an Anglican, was well known as a Christian thinker, and that his fiction was heavily imbued with Christian themes. I also learned of Lewis' friendship with Tolkien, and of Tolkien's Catholicism. Then I began to understand the ways in which Tolkien's beliefs had shaped his writings. His approach to religious ideas is perhaps more subtle than Lewis', but no less devout. I had always been moved by the religious symbolism in Wolfe's work, and learned that he was also a Catholic.
I did quite a bit of indiscriminate science-fiction-and-fantasy reading between the ages of 9 and 19, and I continue to read it fairly frequently. Around age 20 I started to seriously question my religious beliefs (I had been raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses). During this time I read a lot of non-fiction on science, history, philosophy, and theology, as well as works on how they relate to one another. However (mainly through their fiction) Tolkien, Lewis and particularly Wolfe were important intellectual companions and role models for me in thinking about those topics. I found that their science fiction and fantasy grappled with ethical, philosophical and scientific questions in profound ways without discounting the theological dimension. I believe they were important in helping me decide to embrace a modern, scientific worldview, while still holding on to what I felt was central in my religious upbringing. In short, I left the JWs and after a hiatus began attending an Anglican church.
At some point after that I started to become curious about which other sf & fantasy authors had religious commitments or dealt with religious themes. I discovered that a number of widely acclaimed writers had such commitments and/or seriously tackled religious questions.
I also became aware of a disconnect: Many famous science fiction writers were atheists and agnostics, and so were many fans. The sf culture, particularly, often did not take religious beliefs very seriously, and sometimes held them in contempt. At the same time, authors who were clearly religious or at least sympathetic to religious concerns were very popular, and they seemed to get along well with their colleagues. But I noticed that many non-religious fans seemed somewhat baffled or dismissive of the religious themes in their work. I also noticed that there wasn't much knowledge of these authors (aside from Lewis and Tolkien) among reading Christians. Sometimes this was the result of literary snobbery, and at other times simply sprang from preconceptions about fantasy and science fiction.
So three years ago I started a small study group at my church in which participants would read sf/fantasy short stories and discuss them, particularly focusing on the religious concepts. I wanted to build a few bridges. I did a lot of digging to find good material to study. We also ended up reading a novel and watching some relevant movies together.
I'd like to start a series of blog posts on the same topic. There was a blog called "The High Crusade" dedicated to the topic, but it disappeared before it covered much ground. So I guess I'll be taking up the banner myself.
Part Two is here.
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