Four Approaches to Writing Christian Fantasy
By Karlissa J
“If a writer’s aim be logical conviction, he must spare no logical pains… where his object is to move by suggestion, to cause to imagine… If there be music in my reader, I would gladly wake it.” George MacDonald, “The Fantastic Imagination”
Many people debate over whether The Lord of the Rings should be called a “Christian” book series. Tolkien himself once said his books were religious, but different people have different standards for applying the label “Christian” to a work of art; and The Lord of the Rings is subtle in its use of spiritual themes.
For some readers, the subtlety leaves them more open to learning from the books, and the lessons go deeper. Other readers, however, walk away unsure whether they learned anything, and completely unaware of Tolkien’s Christian faith.
Contrast that with the style of George MacDonald. MacDonald was a preacher, and when he told stories he didn’t stop preaching. His fantasy books and fairytales were also deeply symbolic, so in addition to surface-level teachings there are layers to discover upon rereading.
For some (like Lewis) this makes MacDonald’s fantasies rich, exciting, and memorable. Tolkien, however, came to resent them as being too preachy; and some modern readers will find MacDonald’s florid narrative style and layered symbolism hard to make sense of.
L'Engle’s Time Quartet books are an odd mix of openly Christian and bizarrely unconventional. Some readers are deeply moved and drawn to Jesus by these stories, while other readers come away critiquing her beliefs as unorthodox.
And then there’s Lewis. His Cosmic Trilogy alone is all over the place, from only subtly Christian (Out of the Silent Planet) to deeply theological (Perelandra) to focused on critiquing a particular philosophy (That Hideous Strength). His preachiness varies accordingly.
Which is better: to openly declare a Christian message? To subtly explore a Christian worldview in a tale of good versus evil? To fill a story with much teaching and instruction?
I believe all have their place, because there are a myriad of readers in different stages of their walk with God, coming from a variety of backgrounds, ages, reading skills, and learning styles.
In response to a question about how to include Christian messages in a fantasy book, current fantasy author Wayne Thomas Batson had this to say:
“Your allegory will always be too obvious for some and not enough for others. The big thing is, always respect the story itself. If the message within the allegory is precious and valuable, but the story built around it is superficial, it will fail. Tell a fantastic and meaningful story; respect the genre and the reader, and any allegory within will be that much more powerful.” {See Note}
Each of these four classic authors – George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L’Engle – had a different way of telling a fantasy story. I encourage you to try reading a book from all of them! Find out which author or authors you enjoy most and learn from best.
NOTE: quote from GoodReads author page for Wayne Thomas Batson: https://www.goodreads.com/author/33508.Wayne_Thomas_Batson/questions (accessed August 27, 2024)
