The genre of science fiction cannot exist until scientific and technological advances have reached a certain point. Hoverboards, teleporters, and can tell the story of rays without actually being there, but there are a few things do It must be technically possible before it can be Imagine they. Electricity appears to be at least important, and other technical inventions may be necessary when necessary.
But what about the fantasy genre? No modern inventions are necessary to imagine elves, titans, spells, and portals to other worlds. Still, I am convinced that fantasy is just as clearly a contemporary genre as science fiction. However, not technological advances, but certain aspects of modernity that allow the genre of fantasy Idiot.
In Charles Taylor’s account of Western secularization, “disillusionment” means that you will no longer experience the world as inhabited by any kind of extraordinary being. This includes Gods, angels, saints, demons, the spirit of nature, fairies, goblins, and other creatures we now assign to the realm of fantasy. However, according to Taylor, there was a belief in medieval European Christian gods. Side by The belief that it may be called “folktales” or “pagan” depending on your perspective. Of course, “believe” is not the right word here. Rather, Taylor asserts these pre-modern humans. Experienced As always, their world. (But they wouldn’t have used that term. For them, that was what the world looked like). Not only that, they experienced themselves Porous. In other words, they may consider themselves an object of power, influence outside of themselves, benevolent (God, Angel, Saint), malicious (Devil), or largely indifferent (Nature spirit and fairies) in regards to human welfare.
The specific aspects of modernity that enable the genre of fantasy Idiot.
Taylor’s confidence to accurately report on the “premodern spiritual world” It’s under contest. However, the argument here does not depend on his argument. His claims may not be validated in the end, but they can be verified directly. It is uncontroversial that we are experiencing the world today Idiot And like us Buffer. After all, weStrange“Modern doesn’t spend too much energy thinking about how to avoid riding on the wrong side of the natural spirit. That is not an immediate concern for us or us.
What does this all have to do with the fantasy genre? One of the many reasons we tell stories is to convey knowledge about the ways in which the world is and how to live safely and well within it. For example, the 1 year old stove is hot so he says he doesn’t touch it and burn it. Because the stove is really hot and I believe touching it will actually harm him. in Enchanting A story about the world (something that truly existed in the human past, but imagined as a foil of a modern disillusioned era), spirits and fairies It works the same way As a story about a hot stove: Here Something is true Here’s about the world The correct way To relate to it, and here’s how you are helped or whether you depend on how You have something to do with that. There is no phal, all talk, or second/higher/deeper/hidden meaning.
That’s not the case in our disillusioned world. We don’t talk to each other about talking to the other world about lions, magic rings, portals to prepare us Actual I met such a thing. However, there are many other reasons to tell such a story:
- They awakened us to wonders that already exist in the “real” world.
- They allow us to tell us something true that would otherwise be unheard of.
- They allow them to explore the possibility that otherwise they would be closed.
- And finally, they’re just fun.
But for fantasy stories, we reach for precisely these reasons It’s not true In the most literal sense. This applies even if the story is intended to be merely fun. Conversely, it’s not the story I tell my son about a hot stove. just Fun; it’s serious, even fatal. I might try to make more fun to help him remember, but perhaps by rhyming about it, it never can just fun. Similarly, stories about spirits, fairies, angels and demons never exist just A fun for your porous self living in a fascinating world. But for us today, they often do.
My friend recently surprised me by pointing out the important results of this conclusion. In the case of fantasy genre need As I argued, then I’ll be disillusioned again Enhancement Disillusionment. For example, our society positions and understands stories. Harry Potter and Always agatha As entertainment do not have As an indication to strengthen the actual practice of magic – or against it. Because of this framing, we especially have to read or watch these stories. enjoy They further confirm with themselves that they are It’s literally not true No matter how deep the truth is included about enduring the human themes of friendship and courage. (Whether such stories lead us to explore actual magic for ourselves is another question.) However, our porous ancestors may reasonably consider our modern appeal to fantasies, at worst, naive or foolish.
As Taylor points out Secular age:
Perhaps the most obvious sign of transformation in our world is that many today look back at the world of nostalgia of nostalgia. It was as if the creation of a thick emotional boundary between us and the universe lived as a loss. The purpose is to try to restore some measure of this lost emotion. So people go to movies about creepy things to experience Frisson. Our peasant ancestors would have thought we were insane. You can’t actually get Frisson from something that scares you.
Or as Brad East wrote recently“Pagans are absolutely right. The world is a dark and terrifying place where humans are constantly harassed, attacked and tormented by countless, unnamed hostile intelligences that cannot be stopped or silenced from the name and power of Jesus Christ.” We forget to be a porous selves. Be vulnerable to all kinds of external influencesonly some of them are beneficial or sacred.
White people are free to choose to be concerned about racial justice and to set it freely with almost concern about how that decision will affect their well-being, but such justice is a constant, inevitable living reality for people of color. In a similar way, fantasy stories allow us to imagine what it would be like to encounter spirit and magic without completely abandoning the sense of control that we enjoy as ourselves. Therefore, the sense of fascination is not an ambitious, widely shared social imaginary imagination that clashes with our immediate, pre-reflective perception of our place in the universe. Rather, it becomes another way for us to enter. Tara Isabella BurtonOur own custom-made spirituality of “remix.”
this is”TheologianLike CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and many imitators who want to use fantasy to point to Christian truths and reveal that there is more to this world than to see it? Undercut Their own goal? Taylor argues that the efforts of the Christian Reformation (both Protestant and Catholic) paved the way for secularization. By calling all followers a high level of respect and holiness, they accidentally expelled many half-part or cultural Christians from their faith entirely. Christian fantasy writers make this mistake again teeth Mistake – Todai?
If the sole intention of Christian fantasy is to awaken the desire for the supernatural realm, then perhaps so. As the great Christian apologist Blaze Pascal pointed out, “The Theistic [is] In most cases, they were excluded from Christian religion in the same way as atheism.”Pensch). Secular audiences can experience equal enjoyment and lack of equal belief in stories about Aslan, Santa, and Jesus. However, fantasy stories can do more than encourage non-specific spiritual longings through great environments and characters.
More fundamentally, their story forms can awaken the imagination to the categories of self-sacrifice and eucatastrophe, repentance and forgiveness, humility and hope grace that are soon soon forgotten in our increasingly secular culture. It’s this cross-shaped story, not their otherworldly setting that makes stories like Andrew Peterson. Wing Feather SagaJonathan Rogers The Wilderness Trilogyand nd Wilson 100 cupboards A trilogy that is more than just “spiritual” or “fascinating” Clearly Christians.
Source: Christ and Pop Culture – christandpopculture.com
