Christianity, paganism and literature

[methodius]

Every month a group of Christian bloggers post a "synchroblog" on the same topic. This month's topic is Christianity and neopaganism, and my contribution is on Christianity, paganism and literature, looking at the way in which Christians and neopagans respond to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Alan Garner and Charles Williams

Comments

[madrona]

Hm. Having been a neopagan of the solitary eclectic variety, and being now a Christian (also of the solitary eclectic variety) I find this interesting

[methodius]

Thanks very much for that, it adds soe interesting ideas to the mix.

I disagree about the allegory, though. Tolkien disliked allegory, and though Lewis wrote some allegory (such as The pilgrim's regress) there's very little, if any, in the Narnia stories.

I'm not too keen on allegory myself. I've just finished reading The quest of the Holy Grail which is rather heavily laden with it, and I've tried twice (but failed) to read George MacDonald's Lilith. The trouble with allegory is that the story often depends on it, and is shaped by it.

[madrona]

Perhaps I used the wrong word.

Narnia had its moments of heavy-handed *something* though.