From time to time, I find it necessary to write an apology for fantasy or perhaps for certain aspects of fantasy. When I ran across a post criticizing CS Lewis and questioning his salvation, that served to goad me into a discussion about fantasy and what authors can accomplish in a genre centered on good versus evil.
Interestingly enough, people who disdain or criticize fantasy seem inoculated against the problems with reality fiction.
For starters, reality fiction can be written by those whose reality is not one consistent with what the Bible says is true. Take a look at some of the books with a gay agenda such as Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy’s Roommate. In addition, much secular contemporary literature imprisons readers in the bleak and depressing, purposefully voiding ideals, sentiments, morality, religious values.
Now more and more Christian authors are pushing for reality Christian fiction to actually depict reality. That would be the sinful, fallen world: child abuse, pornography, Internet predators, drugs abuse, serial marriage, same sex marriage, child sex slaves, gang violence, homelessness … shall I go on?
With reality being what it is, writing reality fiction should not be looked upon as some kind of safe ground while fantasy dances with danger. Instead, fantasy can act much the way the old fairy tales did. In a pretend story, a child could see a truth that applied not only to the story but to the real world.
In fairy tales dwarfs take in a needy, lost girl; a disobedient child invites trouble into her grandmother’s house; a wise pig withstands the assault of the enemy; a vain queen loses everything because of her jealousy; a misused step-sister is rewarded for her constancy; and on and on.
Does anyone really need a reality villain to enjoy the story or get the point of Little Red Riding Hood?
Especially in a society that is becoming more and more “story saturated,” fantasy brings in something fresh and fun. This is fiction, after all. It’s made to enjoy.
And reality? Since reality has become so … real, it just may not be as entertaining as a good fantasy, even as it mucks around in the very real sin all around us—without offering an answer.
I’ll give you an example. Juno. This movie, released in the spring, I believe, took a bold pro-life stand. The reality was teen pregnancy. The result was, adoption is an option. I applaud the message, though it is but a band-aid to the real issues of life. No, not teen sexuality. Teen, adult rejection of God and His love and mercy and forgiveness so we can go our own way.
Reality is so partial. It tells a little bit of the truth perhaps. Fantasy deals with the real Truth.
I love fantasy books, especially the door within.
Comment by cameron — July 25, 2008 @ 10:44 pm
nice talking to you! wayne thomas batson rocks!
Comment by cameron — July 25, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
I think I understand what you’re saying–why be depressing when we can be uplifting?–but, on the other hand, Christian fiction that does address those reality issues could be cathartic, affirming, even a witness.
I’ve written comments here before about my disillusionment with Christian fiction many years ago (that has changed since), mainly because it felt too “fluffy” and unreal, too much like a fairy tale. I wanted to read about Christians facing issues I had to deal with as a kid and a teenager in a very messed up family that included these real-world problems: child abuse, alcoholism, homosexuality, multiple divorces, ugly family arguments that often degenerated into violence, promiscuity, mental illness, and the list goes on.
I wanted to know there was hope. I wanted to know how a person could be surrounded by such darkness and still see light — in fact, survive and even overcome the darkness. Fantasy filled that need for me, as did science fiction. But I didn’t want to have anything to do with blinders-on, fingers-in-ears Christian fiction that pretended the Big Bad World did not exist; fiction that always ended with the Sinner’s Prayer and everyone happy. I knew that was not the truth.
Doesn’t mean I didn’t still want the happy ending, but it had to be REAL, it had to come at a price, because–even as a kid–I knew real life wasn’t easy. Besides, in the fiction that really satisfied me, that made me come back for more, the heroes struggled, too. Those stories let me know I wasn’t alone.
Comment by Keanan Brand — July 26, 2008 @ 9:23 am
Cameron, I’m a fan of Wayne Batson’s books too. I hope you understand that I removed your other comments, not because I didn’t agree, but because they would have appeared to other visitors as spam and may have actually defeated your purpose of posting.
Becky
Comment by Rebecca LuElla Miller — July 26, 2008 @ 10:14 am
Keanan, great comment. I’m in complete agreement with you. I don’t want fluff in my fiction, I really don’t. But to show reality, and to be completely truthful, there needs to be a spiritual dimension. Some writers are starting to approach “reality” by leaving off the spiritual altogether.
For me that is unbelievably sad because our culture is more in tune with the existence of the spiritual than it has been in a long time. The problem is, the spiritual is made up of prinicipalities and powers and beings we know little about, so those looking beyond the physical are not necessarily looking for God.
So here’s Christian fiction today – less about God and more about CSI type crime solving or Murder, She Wrote mysteries or Bourne Identity type chases. What’s wrong with THAT picture?
What we ought to be doing is showing the whole truth, not less of it.
But you’re also right that having a character come to Christ in the story ought not equate with the end of all other problems as well. Christ goes with us through the fire and flood, but He rarely stops the fire and flood from coming. Sometimes. But those miraculous acts are not His every day business.
Scripture leads me to believe His everyday business is all about conforming His followers to the image of His Son.
So a story about child abuse, from my perspective, shouldn’t stop with identifying the problem or demonstrating how the victim finds healing, unless that healing includes the spiritual.
Personally, I think writing a truthful “reality story” with this spiritual dimension would be extremely challenging. To do it and keep it from looking contrived or having an unrealistically perfect ending—that is not an easy challenge.
Fantasy can do it with ease, though. The spiritual—good and evil—is much more easily displayed, I think. And it crosses so many lines. “Evil” can be all of the activity opposed to God. If the reader equates it with a particular activity in his mind, that’s OK. But the fantasy becomes bigger than one segment of evil on display.
OK, I feel another blog post coming on. ‘-)
Becky
Comment by Rebecca LuElla Miller — July 26, 2008 @ 10:26 am
Nice and thought-provoking blog. Speaking of same-sex issues, I came across a truly riveting (almost breath-taking) article on Google titled “God to Same-Sexers: Hurry Up.” It takes a decidedly different (I should have said “radical”) approach to homosexuals, employing a sort of reverse psychology which I feel could be effective in reaching you-know-who’s for Him. Worth checking out. Jon
Comment by Jon Edwards — July 26, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
Sorry Jon Edwards, but I think most ‘you-know-who’s’ would be driven far far away from Christ and His church by that article(http://www.ucmpage.org/jedwards.html). It kind of presumes that all with same-sex attractions actually engage in certain sinful behavior and makes God sound hateful instead of One who loves ALL sinners.
If you want to effectively reach out to the ‘you-konw-who’s (love that euphemism!)I’d recommend a book called ‘Beyond Gay’ by a Christian ‘you-know-who’ who was led to embrace a life of chastity. And there is a book called Courage to be Chaste which gives aid in living the chaste life aimed at people from Catholic priests to single people to the ‘you-know-who’s’.
God bless you!
Comment by nissa-amas-katoj — July 27, 2008 @ 9:42 am
Jon, I’ll admit, I didn’t take time to read the article. I appreciate the fact that you brought it up and the info Nissa provided. However, I don’t want to single out those embracing the gay lifestyle when I’m addressing “reality” fiction. The fact is, there are lots of sinful lifestyles. The respectful, quiet, law-abiding, cultist might look more acceptable on the outside, but God looks on the heart.
In my view, it’s just one more challenge the Christian has who writes reality fiction—how to deal with reality without camping on, or appearing to camp on, an issue, as if that itself made a person a Christian or not.
The fantasy writer doesn’t have to go there. Instead, we can write about evil in a way that shows it as a rejection of God, then trust the Holy Spirit to bring a hunger for God and a conviction of personal sin.
I’m telling you, I think fantasy is WAY easier as a means to show God and His work in the lives of all of us.
Becky
Comment by Rebecca LuElla Miller — July 28, 2008 @ 11:14 am
Jon, are you kidding? Why do you say you came across the article as if you searched for it, when it wears your by-line? And why do you think that article will reach homosexuals for Christ?
You take your name seriously, I guess, and feel a need for fire and brimstone. But you aren’t even doing what the original JE did. I can’t see it any bit of gospel in that article. Did you hide in there there story of how God loved sinners while they were yet sinners and of how Christ died to set sinners free? I may have missed it.
Comment by sally apokedak — July 28, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
Well, the first clue that “Jon” was spamming us was in his line “speaking of same-sex issues.” I glanced back at my post to see just what I’d said about same-sex issues. Uh, one incidental mention of same-sex marriage stuffed in with numerous other “issues.” Very obviously I was not “speaking of same-sex issues.” My guess is, this is a canned comment for blogs that came up on “Jon’s” Goggle alert.
But Nissa wrote such a good reply, I needed to leave his comment up so hers would make sense.
Becky
Comment by Rebecca LuElla Miller — July 28, 2008 @ 1:05 pm