[lbo-talk] Reactionary fantasy and leftists (was Narnia)

John Bizwas bizwas at lycos.com
Fri Mar 11 18:44:06 PST 2005


On the list in the Narnia thread, it was stated:


>>I'm interested in the fact that most left radical-types I know really enjoy fantasy books, most of which are fairly reactionary, many with thinly veiled judeo-christian ideologies. >>

Most fantasy strikes me as more Indo-European pre-Christian polytheism and mythology (where the gods and demi-gods interact with the people, and the people who become legend then become myth and then gods). Tolkien's LOTR being the most popular example.

Where the ideology seems 'thinly veiled' is in the pervasive, simplistic 'Manichaeism', where everything is either good or bad and, at least for the narrator and his readers, it's clear what is either good or bad. That seems to be on offer in the politics of the Bush administration, though I dread to call it 'pragmatic' in the way MBS does.

Fantasy that avoids Christian allegory and religious fundamentalism seems more common than not. As for avoiding reactionary ideology and simplistic morality, writers such as Alan Garner (after his first novel, which was too much simple Manichaeism, after Tolkien and Lewis) and Ursula K. LeGuin avoid it.

Anyway recommendations for adolescents include: Alan Garner (Red Shift, The Owl Service, etc.) Ursula K. LeGuin (The Earthsea Trilogy--with a fourth novel linked to it). William Corlett

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