Fantasy Literature and Christianity: A Study of the Mistborn, Coldfire, Fionavar Tapestry and Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Series

by Weronika Laszkiewicz

Overview

The debate surrounding the Christian aspects of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter has revealed not only the prominence of religious themes in fantasy fiction, but also readers' concerns over portrayals of religion in fantasy. Yet while analyses of these works fill many volumes, other fantasy series have received much less attention.

This critical study explores the fantastic religions and religious themes in American and Canadian works by Stephen R. Donaldson (Chronicles of Thomas Covenant), Guy Gavriel Kay (Fionavar Tapestry), Celia S. Friedman (Coldfire Trilogy), and Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn). References to biblical tradition and Christian teachings reveal these writers' overall approach to Christianity and the relationship between Christianity and the fantasy genre.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476671703
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	10/18/2018
Series:	Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy , #63
Pages:	223
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.45(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Weronika Łaszkiewicz, Ph.D., works at the Institute of Modern Languages at the University of Białystok (Poland). She has written a number of articles on fantasy fiction and American literature.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1 Religion in Modern Fantasy Literature—A ­Cross-Disciplinary Approach
Definitions and Classifications of Modern Fantasy Literature
The Influence of Myths on the Religious Aspects of Modern Fantasy
Phenomenology of Religion and the Study of Fantasy Literature
Christianity in Fantasy Literature—Recent Studies
2 The Christian Foundation of Stephen R. Donaldson’s The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
Introduction to The Chronicles
Images of the Numinous
The Numinous and Institutionalized Religion
Other Faces of the Numinous
Secondary Mythology, Instruments of Power, Sacred Places and Events
Biblical References in the Figure of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever
Christianity and Donaldson’s Fictional Gods
Christian Undertones in the Selected Themes of The Chronicles
Christian Symbols and Language in The Chronicles
The Chronicles and Christian Ethics
Criticism of Institutional Religion
Stephen Donaldson and the Religious Dimensions of The Chronicles
3 Christianity as a Constituent of Religious Pluralism in Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry
Introduction to The Fionavar Tapestry
Images of the Numinous
Other Faces of the Numinous
Religious Practices and Institutions in the World of Fionavar
The Protagonists’ Experiences of the Numinous
Diversity in the Structures of Fionavar’s Secondary Religions
Christianity and the Fionavarian Numinous
Biblical Motifs and Christian Ethics in The Fionavar Tapestry
Guy Gavriel Kay and the Religious Dimensions of The Fionavar Tapestry
4 The Fantastic (De-)Evolution of Christianity in Celia S. Friedman’s The Coldfire Trilogy
Introduction to The Coldfire Trilogy
Images of the Numinous
The Church on Erna and other Religious Institutions
The Church on Erna and Christianity
Biblical References and Christian Morality in the Portrayal of the Protagonists
Coldfire and the Motif of (Self-)Sacrifice
Divine Grace and Salvation Through Faith
Celia S. Friedman and the Religious Dimensions of The Coldfire Trilogy
5 The Alternative Vision of Salvation Through Christ in Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Series
Introduction to the Mistborn Series
Images of the Numinous
Religious Institutions and the Process of Religious Reformation
Deification
Religious Pluralism in the Wax and Wayne Series
Christian Elements in the Portrayal of the Fictional Numinous
The Christ Figure and the Fictional Church
Christianity and Ascension to Godhood
Brandon Sanderson and the Religious Dimensions of the Mistborn Series
Conclusion
Chapter Notes
Works Cited
Index

Editorial Reviews

A definite boon to scholars of the fantastic”—Fafnir-Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research

From the Publisher