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Narrative...
Feb. 29th, 2004 12:29 pmOne of the cool things my fall Extension class professor did was have us read novels for the comparative religion course. Instead of anthropological studies, we got a narrative version of life in a religion--admittedly, through the author's perspective. I thought it was one of the most fascinating ways of studying a culture or way of life, and I find myself wondering more and more about it.
(Specifically, I wonder who taught this prof, and if I can study with both of them.)
I also formed an odd hypothesis. Science fiction is often used (in part) to explore alternate cultural/societal constructs. Starship Troopers' military organization, the Mars trilogy's corporations and sovereignty issues, Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly and drug use, etc. Fantasy, I think, does a similar exploration with concepts of God or the spiritual. Not all fantasy, and it's not exclusive to the genre, of course. But here's some interesting examples:
--McKillip's Riddle-Master series: non-omnipotent God figure, semienvironmental law placed by him to bind rulers to their lands, problem of the passing of God...
--Terry Pratchett, esp. Small Gods: belief, polytheism, the problem of coexistent monotheisms...
--Nausicaa and the Valley of Wind: purity/corruption, responsibility, the legacy of past powerful civilizations, penance
--Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series: overt JudeoChristian imagery, war in heaven...
--Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion, in a very D&D-bound world, exploring what it means to be a servant of God.
It's not universally true, a'course. But it's fun to examine.
(Specifically, I wonder who taught this prof, and if I can study with both of them.)
I also formed an odd hypothesis. Science fiction is often used (in part) to explore alternate cultural/societal constructs. Starship Troopers' military organization, the Mars trilogy's corporations and sovereignty issues, Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly and drug use, etc. Fantasy, I think, does a similar exploration with concepts of God or the spiritual. Not all fantasy, and it's not exclusive to the genre, of course. But here's some interesting examples:
--McKillip's Riddle-Master series: non-omnipotent God figure, semienvironmental law placed by him to bind rulers to their lands, problem of the passing of God...
--Terry Pratchett, esp. Small Gods: belief, polytheism, the problem of coexistent monotheisms...
--Nausicaa and the Valley of Wind: purity/corruption, responsibility, the legacy of past powerful civilizations, penance
--Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series: overt JudeoChristian imagery, war in heaven...
--Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion, in a very D&D-bound world, exploring what it means to be a servant of God.
It's not universally true, a'course. But it's fun to examine.
